Karla Villanueva Danan (she/siya) a Pinay settler, with roots in Pampanga, Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija. Born and raised in Mohkinstsis (Calgary, Alberta) and now living in Tkaronto (Toronto, Ontario), she completed her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and French at the University of Calgary. Karla has worked and volunteered with several not-for-profit organizations supporting social services, settlement & immigration, community mental health, and most recently arts & culture. Karla has led successful grassroots campaigns and worked on provincial and federal electoral campaigns. As an artist, Karla wrote and directed her first short film, JEZEBEL (2018), as a love letter to her mother and the complexity of growing up as Pinay in the diaspora. By day, she works in government relations with the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).