Shiela Anne Mae MANACSA

Sam Manacsa is a Filipino filmmaker whose work spans multiple disciplines. She has worked in production design for award-winning films, including Carlo Francisco Manatad’s Whether the Weather Is Fine (Locarno, 2021) and Siyou Tan’s Amoeba (TIFF, 2025). Her short film Cross My Heart and Hope to Die (2023) had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in the Orizzonti section, while If People Such as We Cease to Exist (2016) was selected for the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival’s International Competition. She is currently developing her debut feature, The Void is Immense in Idle Hours, which was selected for the TorinoFilmLab FeatureLab. She is an alumna of the SEAFIC Seed Lab (2022), TIFF Directors’ Lab (2025), and Talents Tokyo (2025).