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 an MA in Art History (‘25) the University of Illinois at Chicago. Through archival inquiry, her work revives histories fractured by colonial violence, displacement, and systemic erasure. She previous attended the College of William and Mary and Maryland Institute College of Art. 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, and collaborates with University of Chicago’s South Side Home Movie Project to preserve its analog film collection, securing the National Film Preservation Foundation award in 2024.

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

Contact

ashleydequilla@uchicago.edu