A little bit about me

(told in third-person for ~professionalism)

Chloe Samillano is a Manila-born, Riverside-raised queer writer (and occasional filmmaker). They graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in Cinema. Since then, they’ve been an ARRAY Liberated Territory Masterclass Fellow, BAVC Media Serial Storytellers Fellow, Lambda Literary Screenwriting Fellow, and most recently, part of The Writers Guild Foundation’s Support Staff Training Program Class of 2025. She has also been mentored by Director of Current Series at FX, Samantha Militante (ATLANTA, RESERVATION DOGS), through Unlock Her Potential. She currently works at WIF (Women in Film), and has previously worked at Humanitas, Everytown for Gun Safety, Jobs for the Future, and Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity. Her social impact work informs her storytelling as she is interested in writing stories that explore inequality, power, and hope within systems and relationships. In all that she does, Chloe is passionate about creating more liberatory ways of living and connecting.

“If you don’t show it, then it can be erased. And it was so great.”

- michaela coel

Now that you’ve read the ~professional bio, here’s deeper context of my creative work and life experiences:

By using compassionate observation to explore queer romance, family ties, and friendship, my work aims to illustrate intimacy and beauty amongst conflicted contexts of class, race, and sexuality. With all the destinations my work has arrived at, from short films to TV shows to prose, what I strive for are not necessarily fixed answers, but rather feelings and images of possibility - ones that propose new ways of living and connecting.

Also, my work has always been my attempt to show reality as I know it, no matter how delusional (which comes in varying degrees…). Because of this, the places I’ve lived in have shaped all the stories you’ll see here.

places that have left a mark on me

  • Manila, Philippines

    This is where I was born. The Philippines is my ancestral homeland and will always be a part of me no matter where I am in the world. I’m incredibly proud to be a Filipina.

    Though my connection to this place has weakened, it still represents my childhood and my roots. I’m now trying to bridge that gap and reconnect with the lost years.

  • Moreno Valley, California

    This is where I came of age. From age 5 - 17, this is what I called home. It was where I mingled with other immigrants and made my first film. I always wanted to leave this place because it felt too slow, but as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to appreciate its humility and community.

    All said and done, this is the place that has made me who I am.

  • San Francisco, California

    This is where I grew into myself. SF was the first place I became independent and took on experiences without worrying about a curfew. I made films with creative people, embraced my culture and sexuality, and ate lots of good food.

    The living costs unfortunately made it impossible to stay. But it would be a dream to live here again.

  • Melbourne, Australia

    This is where I began again. I decided to study abroad because I wanted to go somewhere where no one knew who I was - a reset of sorts. I was scared as hell but the result was more than I imagined. I felt at ease and for the first time in a long time, very happy. My worldview changed significantly as I met people from all over the world.

    Australia is now another home for me. It has shown me how much more there is of the world to explore.

Para Sa Kultura

Photographed by Adrian Per for Filipino-American History Month