THE BIO

Sylvia Ray is a Chicana-Korean American writer-director and a 2025 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow, whose work blends grounded drama and comedy, centered on identity, family, and survival within fractured communities. Raised in Barstow, CA, she brings a grounded, character-driven approach to stories shaped by tension, place, and emotional truth.

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Her debut feature, The Middle, is an independent coming-of-age crime drama filmed in Torreón, Mexico, one of the first U.S.–Mexico productions of its kind in the La Laguna region. The film was developed through the NALIP Latino Media Accelerator and the FIC Monterrey Pitch Program, and expands her focus on ensemble storytelling and lived-in realism.

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The proof-of-concept short The Middle, starring Victoria Moroles and Julio Macias, won Best Narrative and Best of Festival at the Sundial Film Festival. Her short Seaweed Snacks premiered at Slamdance Film Festival, and her work The Vote, supported by the Latino Film Institute Inclusion Fellowship and Netflix, was nominated for Best Latinx Short at HollyShorts.

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Across branded work with Minivela, Red Bull, and Disney and independent narrative work, Sylvia has developed a strong visual and narrative sensibility shaped by fast-paced production environments and performance-driven storytelling.

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She lives in Pasadena with her husband, two children, and their dog BMO (Adventure Time, not the bank), and is currently rebuilding their home in Altadena after the Eaton Fire.