Los Angeles–based Filipino director Bianca Catbagan has been selected for the 2027 cohort of the prestigious AFI Directing Workshop for Women+ (DWW+), becoming only the third Filipino filmmaker in the program’s 50-year history.
Founded in 1974, the AFI Directing Workshop for Women+ (DWW+) is a tuition-free directing program created to address gender inequity in the film industry and remains one of the most influential initiatives supporting emerging filmmakers. The 2027 cohort includes eight directors, each of whom will develop and direct an original short film over the course of the program.
As part of the AFI DWW+ program, Catbagan will direct ROYAL BLOOD, a historical drama set in the Spanish-colonized Philippines in 1888. Written by British-Filipino filmmaker Andrea A. Walter, the film reimagines Maria Clara, the idealized Filipina created by José Rizal, through a queer lens. The story follows on-and-off lovers Victorina and Pepay as they prepare for a grand cotillion, until the arrival of a mysterious newcomer, Maria, ignites a dangerous desire that threatens their relationship.
The project continues a lineage of Filipino participation in the program that began with filmmaker Marie Jamora, the first Filipino filmmaker admitted to the workshop, an alum of the program, and the 2026 Guest Artistic Director of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women+.
ROYAL BLOOD Original Photography by Bianca Catbagan // Stylist: Thea Calaguio // Makeup: Eri Vincent // Produced by: Andrea Walter // Left to Right: Elena Heuzé, Marsha Rosales, Sam Morelos
Marie Jamora said: “AFI’s DWW+ came at a perfect point in my life in 2019. I had made my feature film in the Philippines, but dreamed of directing American television, and my short film HARANA became the perfect calling card I needed to break into that industry. I had immigrated to the States six years earlier and this was the program that opened doors for me. Serving as the DWW+ Guest Artistic Director became a beautiful bookend to my experience, offering me the opportunity to give back to a place that has given me so much. I’ve been a fan of Bianca and her work for over a decade now, and I cannot wait to see the unforgettable art that she will produce in this program.”
Walter’s script has already received early recognition, including a University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Department of Film Alumni Seed Grant, support from the Nevada Arts Council, and was selected for the “Pitch, Please!” Competition at the Inside Out Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival, sponsored by Netflix.
Catbagan said: “It’s an honor to be part of the incredible legacy of female and non-binary directors who have come through AFI’s DWW+ program. With ROYAL BLOOD, I’m reimagining the historical figure of Maria Clara, not as an idealized symbol, but as a rebellious and dangerous woman.”
Walter added: “One night I couldn’t sleep and I found myself watching DANGEROUS LIAISONS. I felt the desire to find more perspectives into the history I grew up learning, to find more stories about queer people in our colonial past and how our society has been impacted by it. I’m still learning, and this script is part of the journey. I’m thankful Bianca has found a home for the story at the AFI DWW+ program.”
Catbagan is a Filipino writer-director and photographer based in Los Angeles. Her screenplay 2AM IN TOKYO was selected for the TorinoFilmLab Next Feature program. She has also participated in the Asian Film Academy and the Reykjavik Talent Lab. Her films have screened internationally at festivals including the Inside Out Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival, OutfestNEXT, and the Newport Beach Film Festival, among others. She received her MFA in Directing and Screenwriting from Columbia University School of the Arts.
Walter is a British-Filipino nonbinary filmmaker born and raised in the Philippines and based in Los Angeles. Working as a writer, director, and cinematographer, their work has screened at festivals including SXSW, Tribeca, International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, Inside Out, the Hammer Museum, and the American Cinematheque. One of their short films is currently archived at the UCLA Film & Television Archive, which houses one of the largest LGBTQIA+ moving image collections in the world. Walter is currently under the mentorship of Lilly Wachowski for writing and directing.
Bianca Catbagan // Photo by Isaac Inocentes
