Hi! I’m Abigail Zara, a New York City-based Filipina filmmaker, writer, and photographer. I’m a first-generation creative — no one in my family is pursuing a career path similar to mine. And while that used to only terrify me, now, it excites me as well.

I found my love for storytelling at a young age. I would read for hours on end, draw my own comic strips, write in my diary, keep a scrapbook, and dance and perform songs from High School Musical and The Sound of Music in my childhood home.

But while I always knew that I was creative, I didn’t always embrace it because of external pressures. I remember being told that writing was something to do as a hobby, only when I had “free time,” and not as a career. Because of this, I buried my desire to create, and considered other traditionally “acceptable” careers.

But I found my way home regardless. In 2022, I had the chance to make a documentary film for Prof. Kara David’s documentary class. Because of my love and appreciation for rice farmers, I created Grain of Life (Butil ng Buhay), about my rice farmer next-door neighbors who are father and son. In 2023, I submitted Grain of Life to the Philippine Journalism Research Conference and it won Best in Special Projects. In 2025, I joined my first film festival. I submitted Grain of Life to The CUNY Film Festival and it won Best Film Highlighting Social Change.

I am currently working on my next short film, pushing myself to share my work, and trying to connect with more creatives around NYC!