LAHI
NARRATIVE SHORT, 2022 | Writer, Director, Producer
Inspired by Reina's own experiences as a third-generation Filipina, as well as the life of her "lola" (grandmother), a WWII survivor who was born and raised in the Philippines, LAHI tells the story of a culturally-disconnected Filipina American girl who returns to O'ahu to sell her grandmother's home after she passes away.
San Diego Filipino Film Festival | Audience Award Winner
Asian World Film Festival
Hawai'i International Film Festival |"One of the 50 'Unmissable Film Festivals'" - Variety
Portland Film Festival | "One of the coolest film festivals in the world" - Movie Maker Magazine
Twin Cities Film Festival
LA Femme International Film Festival
International Film Festival Manhattan
Streaming on Electric NOW in 2024

LAHI
NARRATIVE SHORT, 2022 | Writer, Director, Producer
Inspired by Reina's own experiences as a third-generation Filipina, as well as the life of her "lola" (grandmother), a WWII survivor who was born and raised in the Philippines, LAHI tells the story of a culturally-disconnected Filipina American girl who returns to O'ahu to sell her grandmother's home after she passes away.
San Diego Filipino Film Festival | Audience Award Winner
Asian World Film Festival
Hawai'i International Film Festival |"One of the 50 'Unmissable Film Festivals'" - Variety
Portland Film Festival | "One of the coolest film festivals in the world" - Movie Maker Magazine
Twin Cities Film Festival
LA Femme International Film Festival
International Film Festival Manhattan
Streaming on Electric NOW in 2024

REINA BONTA

Reina Bonta is a Puerto Rican and Filipina American award-winning director and professional footballer. Working across documentary and narrative forms, she tells transnational, diasporic, and queer stories that explore the interior lives beneath athletic spectacle. Her latest short documentary, Maybe It’s Just the Rain, is an Oscar-qualifying film that screened at Cannes Marché du Film and was selected for DOC NYC’s Academy Award Short List. She was an Archival Producer on Judy Blume Forever (Sundance 2023) and is a 2025 A-DOC Impact Producing Fellow. Her films have been acquired by platforms including the Los Angeles Times and Electric Entertainment.
In parallel with her film work, Reina is a professional footballer who has represented Santos FC in Brazil and the Philippines at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. As a photographer, her images have been featured in publications including Forbes, her writing has appeared in ESPN, and she has worked as a Brand Strategist for Nike.