I’m Michelle Aguilar. As a Documentary Filmmaker, I am committed to social equality and fair representation of marginalized populations. I believe a documentary project directly reflects the relationship between the filmmaker and those being filmed, thus, my work explicitly represents the trust, commitment, and reverence I have established with those who share their story with me.

I make my films with the intention of connecting people, alleviating ethnocentrism, and providing visual and narrative evidence to help people learn about the world in which we live, consequently sparking a reaction, probing questions and exploring the idea of social change.  By harnessing the power of narrative visuals and technology, I am able to contribute to an art that provides an accessible and entertaining avenue for people to learn, grow, connect, and act.

El Cacao, my recent documentary was nominated for an IDA award in 2015 and won awards at the Social Justice Film Festival and the DC Environmental Film Festival.

I earned an M.A in Social Documentation from the University of California, Santa Cruz and have produced numerous non-fiction multimedia projects in cultures and communities across the world. My work has screened at the Margaret Mead Film Festival, Napa Valley Film Festival, Carmel International Film Festival, Big Sky Film Festival, among others.

I would love to hear from you. Please reach out at: maguilar317@gmail.com