Miguel Astudillo

Miguel is an award-winning documentarian, cinematographer, and educator. Working in the Tenderloin District in San Francisco with mostly homeless and latinx families brought him closer to the world of imagery and sound when he decided to pick up a camera to tell stories about people living in the margins of society. His first documentary titled “We’re meant to be Reinas” won Best Documentary at the Providencia International Film Festival in Chile, and was an official selection at the San Francisco Latino Film Fest. Miguel is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz’s Social Documentation Masters Program. His work has appeared in Al Jazeera, Fusion TV, National Geographic, Wired, BBC, Bloomberg TV and the United Nations. A few years ago, his passion to use video as a tool for change brought him back to the classroom, where he taught video production at Oakland International High School and later in Laney College to refugee and newcomer students. He is currently the Digital Media Producer of the EMMY Award winner The Story of Stuff Project and leads their in-house studio. Miguel is a native from Chile, a fervent “fútbol” and recently certified scuba diver.