Kiersten Villanueva is a Filipino American independent filmmaker based between the Bay Area and Los Angeles, known for creating character-driven stories centered on the Filipino American experience. As the founder of Tribu Tales and Head of Film/TV/New Media at Empowerhouse, Villanueva has written and directed more than a dozen projects while also building extensive behind-the-scenes experience across editing, producing, assistant directing, and major studio productions, including work with Atomic Monster, CBS, and AMC. He is also the writer and director of the upcoming horror film Mimic, which blends Filipino folklore with contemporary social fears.