Welcome. I am a documentary filmmaker, impact producer, and communications strategist based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Pre-order my poetry collection, Home is Where, at Finishing Line Press. My co-authored research monograph, Decolonizing Queer Migration is available now at Bristol University Press.
Award-winning film and content creator with over a dozen international documentary awards. Extensive field experience in refugee camps and ongoing involvement in Afghan resettlement. Strong network with international organizations, media, and think tanks. Skilled in public speaking, social media strategy and investigative research.
My research, film and photojournalism has been published by Oxford Migration Society, Bristol University Press, Frontiers in Human Dynamics, Freedom House, Migrant Voice, TPI News Rome, The Sacramento Bee, KTVU FOX 2 News, Culture and Capitalism, and the San Francisco International Film Awards. I am a Film Independent + CNN Documentary Series Fellow.
Currently, I am in post-production on my independent feature-length documentary, Growing Up in America: Life After the Taliban. I am on the festival circuit with my award winning short documentaries, Heart of Compton, SpiritHorse and Sisters: Kabul to California.
In addition to filmmaking, I bring over a decade of experience in multimedia production, strategic communications, and humanitarian advocacy. My work has supported crisis response, UN-aligned campaigns, and community-based initiatives around the world.
At the heart of everything I do is a belief in the transformative power of storytelling. My films and research explore themes of freedom, migration, and community—examining our deep connections with one another and the natural world through participatory and sensory storytelling that invites audiences to step inside others’ lived experiences.
I am a UC Berkeley alumna holding a B.A. in Journalism and History of Art and completed my M.A. with Distinction in Migration and Global Development at the University of Sussex, United Kingdom.
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“Her work is extraordinary. She has great intuitive grasp of, and connection with, her subjects and formidable technical skill. She is remarkably easy to work with. Generous, gracious, insightful, and disciplined.”
— Sally Seymour , Seymour & McIntosh Photography
“Isabel is a thoughtful and dedicated filmmaker. Her stories open viewers' eyes to new ways of thinking and are both joyful and contemplative.”
— Dawn Valadez, Filmmaker & Director of Artist Development at BAVC Media
“Isabel is a passionate and talented storyteller with an exceptional eye for detail.
I deeply appreciate her collaborative spirit and the joy she creates through her filmmaking process is infectious.”
— Keith Battle, Film Director and Educator, One Tiny Problem
