Ramona S. Diaz is a

Filipino-American Filipino Americans ( fil, Mga Pilipinong Amerikano) are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos and other Asian ethnicities in North America were first documented in the 16th century as slaves and prisoners on ships sailing to and from New ...

documentary filmmaker A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

best known for creating "character-driven documentaries". Her notable works include the 2012 film '' Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey'', featuring the band Journey and its new lead vocalist

Arnel Pineda Arnel Campaner Pineda (born September 5, 1967) is a Filipino singer and songwriter. He came to prominence in the Philippines during the 1980s and internationally in 2007 as the lead singer of the American rock band Journey. Early life Arnel ...

, which won the Audience Award for the 2013–2014 season of PBS's ''

Independent Lens ''Independent Lens'' is a weekly television series airing on PBS featuring documentary films made by independent filmmakers. Past seasons of ''Independent Lens'' were hosted by Angela Bassett, Don Cheadle, Susan Sarandon, Edie Falco, Terrence ...

''; and the 2003 film ''

Imelda Imelda is a feminine Spanish/Italian given name derived from the German form of Irmhild. Notable people with the name include: * Imelda Calixto-Rubiano, Filipina politician * Imelda Chiappa, Italian road racing cyclist * Imelda Concepcion, Fil ...

'', about the life of

Imelda Marcos Imelda Romualdez Marcos (; born Imelda Remedios Visitacion Trinidad Romualdez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who served as the First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power during the Dictators ...

, former

First Lady of the Philippines The first lady or first gentleman of the Philippines ( fil, Unang Ginang o Unang Ginoó ng Pilipinas) is the courtesy title given to the host or hostess of Malacañang Palace, the residence of the head of state and head of government of the P ...

.'Imelda': Don't Cry for Her
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

''. Published on July 16, 2004. Retrieved on January 8, 2014.For a Regal Pariah, Despite It All, the Shoe Is Never on the Other Foot
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. Published on June 9, 2004. Retrieved on January 8, 2014. Three of Diaz's films have screened at

The Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...

: ''Imelda'', a biographical documentary about Imelda's beginnings as a beauty contest winner to the wife of rising politician and eventual President of the Philippines,

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martia ...

. ''Motherland'', a documentary set at an overcrowded and under-resourced maternity hospital in Manila; and most recently '' A Thousand Cuts'' a profile of Nobel laureate

Maria Ressa Maria Angelita Ressa (, born Maria Angelita Delfin Aycardo on October 2, 1963) is a Filipino and American journalist. She is the co-founder and CEO of Rappler. She previously spent nearly two decades working as a lead investigative reporter in ...

, a journalist working in the Philippines, released in 2020. ''Motherland'' received a Special Jury Award at Sundance in 2017 and premiered the same year at the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

. In 2019 Diaz received a

United States Artists United States Artists (USA) is a national arts funding organization based in Chicago. USA is dedicated to supporting living artists and cultural practitioners across the United States by granting unrestricted awards. Mission The organization' ...

(USA) Fellowship.

Filmography

* 1997 ''Spirits Rising'' * 2003 ''Imelda'' * 2011 ''Give Up Tomorrow' (as Executive Producer) * 2011 ''The Learning'' (episode in P.O.V.) * 2013 '' Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey'' (episode in

) * 2017 ''Motherland'' * 2020 '' A Thousand Cuts''

Awards

References

1962 births Living people American documentary filmmakers American people of Filipino descent {{US-film-bio-stub