The eldest child of a Filipina immigrant and a first-generation Filipino-American, Shea Formanes is a Seattle-based writer/filmmaker from New York City. A Dean’s Medal nominee from the University of Washington, she writes genre-bending stories of complicated families from BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities. They wrote/directed the romantic coming-of-age short film, The Kettle, the sci-fi/drama stage play, Bahay Kubo, and their award-winning debut feature film, I Watched Her Grow.
Most recently, Shea wrote and directed the fantasy drama short film, Diwata, which won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film Screenplay at the Nevada City Film Festival and Imagine This Women's International Film Festival. Diwata was shot entirely in the Greater Seattle Area by a local, diverse crew and an all-Filipino cast, and has begun its film festival run in 2026, where it has screened at the Seattle International Film Festival and the Nevada City Film Festival. It is set to screen next at the West Sound Film Festival.
Thank you!