Biography

Ashley Dequilla (b. 1987) is an artist-filmmaker and archivist of Negrense, Tagalog and Ilonggo descent. She holds an MFA in Moving Image (‘23) and is completing her MA in Art History (‘25) from the School of Art and Art History at the University of Illinois Chicago. She is a Co-Curator Partner and researcher of the Philippine Heritage Collection at the Field Museum of Natural History. Ashley is the de facto archivist and collection manager for the Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago, securing the National Film Preservation Foundation award in 2024 and 2025 for 16mm home movies by Nicholas Galutera Viernes (1902-1991), the earliest surviving Filipino migrant documentary in American cinema history.

She speaks widely and has presented at the Museum of Moving Image, Museo Nacional de Antropología (Mexico City), SOAS University of London, University of the Philippines Film Institute, Field Museum of Natural History, and Chicago History Museum among many others.

Ashley works primarily on 16mm film, exploring themes of memory, diaspora, and resistance. Her award-winning films are officially selected at festivals across the U.S. and internationally, in spaces dedicated to experimental and politically engaged cinema.

Contact

info@ashleydequilla.com