Sam Manacsa

Biography

Sam Manacsa is a Filipino filmmaker working across multiple disciplines.

Her short film Cross My Heart and Hope to Die (2023) had its world premiere in the Orizzonti section of the Venice Film Festival, while If People Such as We Cease to Exist (2016) was selected for the International Competition at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. She is an alumna of SEAFIC Seed Lab (2022) and TIFF Directors’ Lab (2025). As a production designer, she has worked on award-winning films, including Carlo Francisco Manatad’s Whether the Weather Is Fine (Locarno, 2021) and Siyou Tan’s Amoeba (TIFF, 2025). She is also a film programmer for FREEPERIOD Cinema.