The Bio
Sylvia Ray is an award-winning Chicana/Korean-American director based in Los Angeles. She was born and raised in Barstow, CA, and found her love for storytelling through her parents who watched MacGyver and bootleg Korean dramas in separate rooms. She earned a BA in Communications from Cal State University Fullerton and furthered her studies at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, delving into her Korean heritage.
Her dark comedy, PREGGERS, garnered acclaim, earning the Best Comedy Short award at the Arizona International Film Festival and a screening at The Academy through the LatinX InFocus program at New Filmmakers LA. Sylvia was chosen for HBO's Tomorrow's Filmmaker's Today program, where her film LEN(N)Y streamed to audiences on Pantaya and DISH! Latino around the world. She’s directed award-winning indie pilot episodes of multiple series like OUR LATE FATHER, MY HUMAN EXPERIENCE, and IN LIMBO. Her latest THE VOTE, she was selected as a Latino Film Institute/Netflix Inclusion fellow. She is alos a Satellite Collective fellow and was a semifinalist for the Film Independent Episodic Directing Program. She is currently in development for her debut feature film, THE MIDDLE, with a proof of concept in it's festival run.
She works as a freelance director, editor, and producer and has worked closely with clients like Red Bull, IGN, Disney, Pixar, Facebook Oculus, Sony, and more. Her work pops with fun and feminine energy with underlying themes of empowerment, morality and processing grief.
Sylvia draws inspiration from her desert town/Chicana upbringing, her international travels, and her experience in fashion. Sylvia is driven to create a positive impact in BIPOC representation, both in front of and behind the camera. She also strives to educate and mentor youth and peers to embrace their creative passions.
Awards & Fellowships
Latino Film Institute / Netflix Inclusion Fellow
In 2024, received a 30k grant to write/direct THE VOTE
Satellite Collective Fellow
2023 and on, Sylvia is a Satellite fellow granting her Fiscal Sponsorship on all of her artistic projects.
INFOCUS: LatinX and Hispanic Cinema Fellow
New Filmmakers Los Angeles and The Academy
Audience Award - Preggers
Arizona International Film Festival 2022
Best Picture, Best Comedy - Preggers
SISFA Awards 2022
Best Female Filmmaker - My Human Experience
New York Independent Cinema
Best Science Fiction Film - In Limbo
Summer in the South Film Festival 2020
Best Female Director - A Period Piece
Lonely Seal Film Festival 2019 awarded her $10,000 in post audio credit which she used for her short film Preggers.
HBO's Tomorrow's Filmmakers Today Fellow
Sylvia was a 2019 fellow and a 2020 fellow during their Alumni Edition and had her work featured on Pantaya and Dish! Latino
2023 Award for Best Comedy with Japan Film Festival LA