Samantha Lee

Samantha Lee is a Queer Filipino filmmaker from Manila. Her focus in film is to provide better representation for women and the LGBTQ+ community in Philippine cinema.. She is known for her queer coming-of-age films Baka Bukas (2016), or Maybe Tomorrow, and Billie and Emma(2018).
== Personal Life ==
Lee was raised in Catholic Philippines and recognized the lack of representation of women and queer folk in the media. The representation she did see usually perpetrated harmful stereotypes. She also attended Catholic School for fourteen years. Being queer herself, Lee faced the discriminations and intolerance of the queer community in her school and her community. It wasn't until she was pursuing her masters degree in Melbourne that she realized that she wanted to produce cinema about queer experiences. In Melbourne she was able to lead a fairly balanced life in relation to her work, school, and personal life and she actually felt accepted and comfortable in her queerness. It was this experience of acceptance and normalcy that inspired Lee to move back home to the Philippines and produce media that normalized and properly represented queerness. 
== Early Life and Education ==
=== High School ===
Lee grew up in Manila, Philippines where she attended Catholic High School. Her time at Catholic School greatly influenced her film Billie and Emma, which centers around characters who attend a Catholic High School in St. Isidro.
=== College and Higher Education ===
Lee studied film as an undergraduate student at the University of the Philippines for 5 years. Her first short film, Agos (2011), was created as her thesis film. She graduated in 2011 with a degree in BA Film and Audio Visual Communications. After graduating, she moved to Melbourne, Australia to pursue a Masters in Communication at the RMIT University in Australia. It was her time in Australia that inspired Lee to move back the the Philippines and make films about the queer experience.
== Career ==
Samantha Lee started her filmmaking career in college at the University of the Philippines with her first documentary short film, Agos (2011) about a local female surfer in Daet, Camarines Sur. The film was recognized locally as the University of the Philippines Best Documentary Thesis (2011). After graduating, Lee had every intent to work as a commercial director, working in this field for a couple of years before moving to Melbourne to pursue her masters degree. While living in Australia, Lee worked as a Communications Designer for RMIT University. After living in Melbourne, Lee decided to move back to the Philippines produce LGBTQ cinema. 
Lee's first feature length film is Baka Bukas(2016), translated to Maybe Tomorrow in English. Baka Bukas was one of the first openly queer films to appear in the Philippines and Lee made it into a Romantic comedy to provide more positive and encouraging representations of queer people. Lee reflects her own personal experiences as a lesbian by making this film semi-autobiographical. The film follows Alex, a lesbian secretly in love with her best friend, Jess. The film follows the two as they explore a romantic relationship that eventually ends with heartbreak. The film is recognized for subtlety and themes of coming out
Her second film is Billie and Emma, produced in 2018; a queer coming-of-age film. This film follows a lesbian, Billie, who moves to a small town in the Philippines to attend a Catholic School after her family discovers her sexuality. Billie befriends Emma, a popular girl at school, and the two end up falling for each other. They face complications with Emma's boyfriend, pregnancy, and the disapproval of those around them. This film was actually inspired by the opposition to the SOGIE Equality Bill|SOGIE bill and the criticism Lee faced from her first film. In Billie and Emma, Lee tries to challenge the traditional Filipino idea of family. 
Recently, Lee was noted to be working for CNN Philippines Life as their Multimedia Editor where she is in charge of social media management and content production. 
== Filmography ==
As a Filmmaker
Year	Title 	Director	Writer	Producer	Notes
2011	Agos 	Yes 	Yes 	No 	Short film, thesis project at University of the Philippines
2016	Baka Bukas 	Yes 	Yes 	No 	First feature length film, semi- autobiographical
2018	Billie and Emma	Yes 	Yes 	Yes 	Sophomore feature length film
== Awards and Nominations ==
Agos (2011)
Festival 	Award 	Category 	Recipient(s)	Result
Gawad Urian Awards (2012) 	Gawad Urian Award	Best Documentary 	Samantha Lee	Nominated
Guam International Film Festival (2011)	Grand Jury Award 	Best Short Documentary	Samantha Lee	Nominated
Baka Bukas|Baka Bukas (2016)
Festival 	Award 	Category 	Recipient(s) 	Result
Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival (2016)	Audience Award 	N/A 	Samantha Lee 	Winner
Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival (2016)	C1 Originals Award 	Best Actress	Jasmine Curtis-Smith	Winner
Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival (2016)	C1 Originals Award 	Best Sound 	Andrew Milallos 	Winner
L.A. Outfest (2017) 	Emerging Talent Award	N/A 	Samantha Lee 	Winner
Billie and Emma (2018)
Festival 	Award 	Category 	Recipient(s) 	Result
FAMAS Awards (2019) 	FAMAS Award 	Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role	Cielo Aquino 	Nominated
FAMAS Awards (2019) 	FAMAS Award 	Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role 	Gabby Padilla 	Nominated
QCinema International Film Festival (2018)	Gender Sensitivity Award	N/A 	N/A 	Winner
QCinema International Film Festival (2018)	Pylon Award 	Best Supporting Actress 	Cielo Aquino 	Winner
QCinema International Film Festival (2018)	Pylon Award 	Best Picture - Circle Competition 	Samantha Lee 	Nominated
QCinema International Film Festival (2018)	Pylon Award 	Best Director 	Samantha Lee 	Nominated
QCinema International Film Festival (2018)	Pylon Award 	Best Actress 	Zar Donato 	Nominated
QCinema International Film Festival (2018)	Pylon Award 	Best Actress 	Gabby Padilla 	Nominated
QCinema International Film Festival (2018)	Pylon Award 	Best Screenplay 	Samantha Lee 	Nominated
Star Awards for Movies (2019) 	Star Award 	New Movie Actress of the Year 	Gabby Padilla 	Nominated
Star Awards for Movies (2019) 	Star Award 	Indie Movie Production Designer of the Year 	Veronica San Antonio	Nominated
Star Awards for Movies (2019) 	Star Award 	Indie Movie Original Theme Song of the Year 	Sean Oliver Ortencio (composer, performer)
Iean Iñigo (arranger)
Song: "Pinagtagpo"	Nominated
== Bibliography or Further Reading ==
* Agos IMDB
* Baka Bukas IMDB
* Billie and Emma IMDB
* Fielker, Mila. “Meet Samantha Lee, the Filipino Filmmaker Championing Queer Love Stories.” Cinegirl. Cinegirl, March 16, 2021. https://www.cinegirl.net/home-all-issues/meet-samantha-lee-the-filipino-filmmaker-championing-queer-love-stories.
====== Readings on Queerness and the Philippines ======
* David, Joel. “Di/Visibility: Marks of Bisexuality in Philippine Cinema.” Journal of Bisexuality 19, no. 3 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1080/15299716.2019.1656474. 
* Quintos, Jay Jomar F. “A Glimpse Into the Asog Experience: A Historical Study on the Homosexual Experience in the Philippines.” Edited by Rolando B Tolentino. Plaridel: A Philippine Journal of Communication, Media, and Society 09, no. 02 (August 2012). 
* Yarcia, L. E, T. C. de Vela, and M. L. Tan. “Queer Identity and Gender-Related Rights in Post- Colonial Philippines.” Australian Journal of Asian Law 20, no. 1 (July 2019): 1–11. https://search-ebscohost-com.oca.ucsc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=140224834&site=ehost-live.
*https://www.vice.com/en/article/gyzbpq/multiple-cases-of-trans-discrimination-motivate-passionate-campaign-for-gender-equality-in-the-philippines
Category:Filipino women film directors
Category:LGBT film directors
Category:Women screenwriters
Category:Filipino film directors