Bio

Reina is an award-winning filmmaker and professional athlete who graduated in 2022 from Yale University. Originally from the Bay Area, she is currently based in Brazil, where she plays football for Santos FC. Her semi-autobiographical short film and directorial debut, “LAHI”, is touring at Academy Award-Qualifying film festivals, won the audience award at San Diego Filipino Film Festival, and has secured streaming distribution for release in August 2023. Reina was an Archival Researcher for Judy Blume Forever (World Premiere: Sundance 2023), has spent time interning at HBO, worked in Kenya as a B-camera operator on a documentary about endangered black rhinos, and has had her photography featured in world-renowned publications including Forbes Magazine. Currently, she is competing with both Santos and the Philippine Women's National Soccer Team, in preparation for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. Reina comes from a family of Filipino and Puerto Rican activists, which deeply informs all of her pursuits as a storyteller, and she finds purpose in exploring the complexities of third-generation, multicultural identity through art.