Maria Teresa
New York City, New York | Film Short
Comedy, Drama
A Filipina American woman comes out as a lesbian to her immigrant mother and, for the first time, confronts the version of herself she’s been afraid to claim, unaware of the power she holds. Support Maria Teresa for the neurotic alt girls raised on overthinking, guilt, and holy water!
Maria Teresa
New York City, New York | Film Short
Comedy, Drama
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
46 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$5,002
Goal: $5,000 for pre-production
A Filipina American woman comes out as a lesbian to her immigrant mother and, for the first time, confronts the version of herself she’s been afraid to claim, unaware of the power she holds. Support Maria Teresa for the neurotic alt girls raised on overthinking, guilt, and holy water!
Participating In
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
At her little sister’s baptism, Liza stands at the altar aware that the ceremony carries more than one meaning: CONTROL. Under the watchful gaze of family and faith, she feels the weight of years spent shrinking herself to keep the peace. But in a moment meant to celebrate devotion, something shifts. Liza makes a choice that alters the course of her life, and her relationship with her mother... FOREVER! Coming out to her mother unearths everything they’ve both tried to bury.
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Maria Teresa follows a young Filipina struggling to accept her sexuality, all while navigating her mother's expectations and her own search for belonging. Along the way, she encounters moments of unraveling, defiance, and unexpected clarity that begin to shape who she is BECOMING. The story gives voice to the often invisible tensions between identity, family, and faith within Filipino and immigrant communities where silence is too often mistaken for harmony.
By centering a first-generation and queer woman's, culturally specific story, Maria Teresa creates room for conversations many are having privately but rarely see reflected onscreen; challenging the idea that love must come at the cost of truth. It’s tender and sharp, intimate and expansive, inviting audiences to witness a heart fully BECOMING!
.png)
Maria Teresa goes beyond storytelling; it’s a reclamation of identity, history, and heritage.
1899
WHY THIS?
Because stories rooted in pre-colonial Filipino mysticism, queerness, and ancestral womanhood are still rarely centered—particularly through a first-generation Asian American woman lens, let alone a Filipina one—are often confined and overlooked. Maria Teresa pushes against inherited narratives, by tracing a turbulent mother-daughter relationship while reclaiming what was erased: our connection to spirit, ancestry, and power.
.jpg)
1930
WHY NOW?
We are in a moment where audiences are actively seeking stories that feel truthful, embodied, and culturally specific. As conversations around identity, decolonization, and belonging continue to rise, there is an urgency to tell stories that don’t dilute who we are. This is the moment to bring Maria Teresa forward and not later, not when it feels safer, but now, while the demand for authentic voices is here and growing.
Hannah de Ocampo (Writer & Director & Baddie)
WHY ME?
Because this story lives in me. As a Filipina storyteller, artist, and community builder, my work has always focused on amplifying voices that have been misunderstood, exploring identities that have been fragmented (women and nonbinary folks), and bringing stories that deserve to be seen in their fullness. Maria Teresa is an extension of that purpose. I’m telling this story because I’m responsible for it. YAS!
Maria Teresa is the first step in bringing its dark comedy-drama TV Pilot into being, laying the groundwork for a three-season television series.
This film is meant as a proof of concept to CATAPULT the story's TV Pilot, following Liza as she breaks free from her mother, moves to New York City, and unexpectedly crosses paths with a distant relative connected to her mother’s past. She begins to uncover a hidden lineage shaped by generations of power, politics, and influence, rooted in history that reaches back to the islands long before its independent kingdoms were known as the Philippines.
In September, we’ll host a private screening of the finished film. This isn’t just a celebration! It’s the launchpad for submitting to film festivals and pitching to studio executives with the goal of developing Maria Teresa into a full television series.
Over the next 2+ years, we plan to keep building momentum and community around the project, including:
- Film festival screenings
- Live panels & Q&As
- Table reads & interactive community events
- Exclusive behind-the-scenes content for supporters
- Special celebratory events & creative activations to highlight the cast, crew, & community
.png)
LIZA – Early 20s. A Gen Z, first-gen Filipina American. Sharp-witted, unapologetically opinionated, fluent in sarcasm. Outwardly confident and always ready with a clapback, she’s mastered the art of belonging everywhere while feeling at home nowhere. Her emotions hit fast and hard, surging before logic can catch up. In choosing herself, she risks the love she’s fought to keep, but for the first time, she stops mistaking survival for belonging.
MARIA – Early 50s. The LIFE of the party. She can effortlessly light up a room, just as easily BURN IT TO THE GROUND. Stubborn and passionate, her presence commands attention; her approval feels like a prize, and her anger is a hurricane you don’t want to stand in. Reputation is everything. Prestige is protection. She will twist reality itself to preserve the image she’s built, especially in the eyes of her own daughter.
ESTHER – 10 years old. Liza’s little sister. Overwhelmed, overstimulated, and scared. She cries through the entire baptism, her body stiff in a dress she hates, refusing to play along with a ritual she doesn’t understand. Uncomfortable in the spotlight and allergic to pretense, she senses the tension in the room before anyone names it.
THE PASTOR – Early 20s. Dashingly charming, smooth, and self-obsessed, he knows exactly how good he looks holding a goddamn Bible. He loves an audience almost as much as he loves himself. While baptizing Esther, his hands perform reverence but his mind drifts, the ritual fading into the background of a heterosexual fantasy where he casts himself as chosen and righteous. He see his fixation on Liza as destiny, and that certainty is what makes him dangerous!
.png)
The End of the F***ing World (2017) - Charlie Covell
Beef (2023) - Lee Sung Jin
.png)
Goodfellas (1990) - Martin Scorcese
March 2026 - Crowdfunding Kicks Off
May & June 2026 - Rehearsal, Tech Scouts, Test Shoot
July 2026 - Production
August & September 2026 - Post Production (Editing/Color/Score/Credits)
October 2026 - Film Screening & Festival Submissions
Every contribution goes directly into production, which means paying our cast and crew fairly, securing locations, covering permits, feeding everyone long days on set, and the million small but necessary costs that allow an independent film to actually get made.
- Give $25 – If 200 people contribute $25, we fully fund production. That’s crew meals covered. That’s a day of location rental. That’s costumes, props, equipment!
- Share – If donating isn’t possible right now, sharing truly matters. Post it. Text it. Drop it in that chaotic group chat that sends random memes that you'll forget about seconds later. Visibility is currency during the Rally!
- Follow Us – Hitting “Follow” boosts us within the platform’s algorithm (yes, really). It signals momentum and helps more people discover the project.
- Claim a Perk – We’ve put together meaningful rewards: behind-the-scenes access, exclusive event invitations, digital keepsakes, and your name in the credits. If you’re going to support, you are going to be a part of this people-powered project.
Follow Us on Our Socials!
@mariateresafilm & @hannahdcpo on IG
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Food
Costs $1,000
Like what Saweetie raps in “ICY GRL," “My team is trying to eat, so we grinding ’til our mental bleed.”
Production Design
Costs $200
Because every chaotic, beautiful, and slightly cursed corner of Maria Teresa needs a home that screams "HER story!"
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer, Director, Executive Producer: Hannah de Ocampo
Hannah de Ocampo is a Filipina American writer, producer, comedian, humanitarian, and public speaker based in New York City. She’s a proud Midwestern girlypop from the northern suburbs of Chicago. She writes dark comedy-drama film and television screenplays. Hannah is the founder of Luzonista, her film production company, where she creates stories and content centering on queer, neurodivergent, and POC women voices at the intersection of culture, politics, and history. Through her humanitarian work, she has supported rights-based initiatives protecting refugee women and children in partnership with Asiyah Women’s Shelter, UNICEF, and Feed My Starving Children.
Cinematographer: Mariah Marasco
Development Producer: Madison Cu
Marketing Producer: Simone Kurtz
Post Producer: Gabrielle Gatdula
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
At her little sister’s baptism, Liza stands at the altar aware that the ceremony carries more than one meaning: CONTROL. Under the watchful gaze of family and faith, she feels the weight of years spent shrinking herself to keep the peace. But in a moment meant to celebrate devotion, something shifts. Liza makes a choice that alters the course of her life, and her relationship with her mother... FOREVER! Coming out to her mother unearths everything they’ve both tried to bury.
Maria Teresa follows a young Filipina struggling to accept her sexuality, all while navigating her mother's expectations and her own search for belonging. Along the way, she encounters moments of unraveling, defiance, and unexpected clarity that begin to shape who she is BECOMING. The story gives voice to the often invisible tensions between identity, family, and faith within Filipino and immigrant communities where silence is too often mistaken for harmony.
By centering a first-generation and queer woman's, culturally specific story, Maria Teresa creates room for conversations many are having privately but rarely see reflected onscreen; challenging the idea that love must come at the cost of truth. It’s tender and sharp, intimate and expansive, inviting audiences to witness a heart fully BECOMING!
Maria Teresa goes beyond storytelling; it’s a reclamation of identity, history, and heritage.
1899
WHY THIS?
Because stories rooted in pre-colonial Filipino mysticism, queerness, and ancestral womanhood are still rarely centered—particularly through a first-generation Asian American woman lens, let alone a Filipina one—are often confined and overlooked. Maria Teresa pushes against inherited narratives, by tracing a turbulent mother-daughter relationship while reclaiming what was erased: our connection to spirit, ancestry, and power.
1930
WHY NOW?
We are in a moment where audiences are actively seeking stories that feel truthful, embodied, and culturally specific. As conversations around identity, decolonization, and belonging continue to rise, there is an urgency to tell stories that don’t dilute who we are. This is the moment to bring Maria Teresa forward and not later, not when it feels safer, but now, while the demand for authentic voices is here and growing.
Hannah de Ocampo (Writer & Director & Baddie)
WHY ME?
Because this story lives in me. As a Filipina storyteller, artist, and community builder, my work has always focused on amplifying voices that have been misunderstood, exploring identities that have been fragmented (women and nonbinary folks), and bringing stories that deserve to be seen in their fullness. Maria Teresa is an extension of that purpose. I’m telling this story because I’m responsible for it. YAS!
Maria Teresa is the first step in bringing its dark comedy-drama TV Pilot into being, laying the groundwork for a three-season television series.
This film is meant as a proof of concept to CATAPULT the story's TV Pilot, following Liza as she breaks free from her mother, moves to New York City, and unexpectedly crosses paths with a distant relative connected to her mother’s past. She begins to uncover a hidden lineage shaped by generations of power, politics, and influence, rooted in history that reaches back to the islands long before its independent kingdoms were known as the Philippines.
In September, we’ll host a private screening of the finished film. This isn’t just a celebration! It’s the launchpad for submitting to film festivals and pitching to studio executives with the goal of developing Maria Teresa into a full television series.
Over the next 2+ years, we plan to keep building momentum and community around the project, including:
- Film festival screenings
- Live panels & Q&As
- Table reads & interactive community events
- Exclusive behind-the-scenes content for supporters
- Special celebratory events & creative activations to highlight the cast, crew, & community
LIZA – Early 20s. A Gen Z, first-gen Filipina American. Sharp-witted, unapologetically opinionated, fluent in sarcasm. Outwardly confident and always ready with a clapback, she’s mastered the art of belonging everywhere while feeling at home nowhere. Her emotions hit fast and hard, surging before logic can catch up. In choosing herself, she risks the love she’s fought to keep, but for the first time, she stops mistaking survival for belonging.
MARIA – Early 50s. The LIFE of the party. She can effortlessly light up a room, just as easily BURN IT TO THE GROUND. Stubborn and passionate, her presence commands attention; her approval feels like a prize, and her anger is a hurricane you don’t want to stand in. Reputation is everything. Prestige is protection. She will twist reality itself to preserve the image she’s built, especially in the eyes of her own daughter.
ESTHER – 10 years old. Liza’s little sister. Overwhelmed, overstimulated, and scared. She cries through the entire baptism, her body stiff in a dress she hates, refusing to play along with a ritual she doesn’t understand. Uncomfortable in the spotlight and allergic to pretense, she senses the tension in the room before anyone names it.
THE PASTOR – Early 20s. Dashingly charming, smooth, and self-obsessed, he knows exactly how good he looks holding a goddamn Bible. He loves an audience almost as much as he loves himself. While baptizing Esther, his hands perform reverence but his mind drifts, the ritual fading into the background of a heterosexual fantasy where he casts himself as chosen and righteous. He see his fixation on Liza as destiny, and that certainty is what makes him dangerous!
The End of the F***ing World (2017) - Charlie Covell
Beef (2023) - Lee Sung Jin
Goodfellas (1990) - Martin Scorcese
March 2026 - Crowdfunding Kicks Off
May & June 2026 - Rehearsal, Tech Scouts, Test Shoot
July 2026 - Production
August & September 2026 - Post Production (Editing/Color/Score/Credits)
October 2026 - Film Screening & Festival Submissions
Every contribution goes directly into production, which means paying our cast and crew fairly, securing locations, covering permits, feeding everyone long days on set, and the million small but necessary costs that allow an independent film to actually get made.
- Give $25 – If 200 people contribute $25, we fully fund production. That’s crew meals covered. That’s a day of location rental. That’s costumes, props, equipment!
- Share – If donating isn’t possible right now, sharing truly matters. Post it. Text it. Drop it in that chaotic group chat that sends random memes that you'll forget about seconds later. Visibility is currency during the Rally!
- Follow Us – Hitting “Follow” boosts us within the platform’s algorithm (yes, really). It signals momentum and helps more people discover the project.
- Claim a Perk – We’ve put together meaningful rewards: behind-the-scenes access, exclusive event invitations, digital keepsakes, and your name in the credits. If you’re going to support, you are going to be a part of this people-powered project.
Follow Us on Our Socials!
@mariateresafilm & @hannahdcpo on IG
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Food
Costs $1,000
Like what Saweetie raps in “ICY GRL," “My team is trying to eat, so we grinding ’til our mental bleed.”
Production Design
Costs $200
Because every chaotic, beautiful, and slightly cursed corner of Maria Teresa needs a home that screams "HER story!"
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer, Director, Executive Producer: Hannah de Ocampo
Hannah de Ocampo is a Filipina American writer, producer, comedian, humanitarian, and public speaker based in New York City. She’s a proud Midwestern girlypop from the northern suburbs of Chicago. She writes dark comedy-drama film and television screenplays. Hannah is the founder of Luzonista, her film production company, where she creates stories and content centering on queer, neurodivergent, and POC women voices at the intersection of culture, politics, and history. Through her humanitarian work, she has supported rights-based initiatives protecting refugee women and children in partnership with Asiyah Women’s Shelter, UNICEF, and Feed My Starving Children.
Cinematographer: Mariah Marasco
Development Producer: Madison Cu
Marketing Producer: Simone Kurtz
Post Producer: Gabrielle Gatdula