Kayla Abuda Galang is a filmmaker based in Austin, Texas, drawing from the humor and details of her communities, surroundings, memory, and the television that raised her. With curiosity and care for the fleeting moments that shape identity and belonging, she aims to spark unexpected connection and shared laughter across her work.
Her work includes “When You Left Me On That Boulevard” (Short Film Grand Jury Prize, 2023 Sundance Film Festival) and “An Ongoing List of Things Found in the Library Book Drop...” (World Premiere, 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival). She was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film and received the Ani ng Dangal from the National Commission for Culture and Arts of the Philippines. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
She is currently developing her first feature film, “On Earth as it is in Heaven,” with Sleepover. She works as a video producer and editor at the University of Texas.
📚 An Ongoing List of Things Found in the Library Book Drop, Usually Being Used as Bookmarks, 2025, Narrative Short, 3 min.
Produced by Sanctuary Content and Sleepover in Association with Buckaroo and 24 Cobras
World Premiere at the 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival, Jury Award for Short Short at Aspen Shortsfest
☁️ When You Left Me on That Boulevard, 2023, Narrative Short, 13 min.
Produced by Sleepover
World Premiere and Short Film Grand Jury Prize at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, Special Jury Award for Vision at the 2023 SXSW Film & TV Festival, and Vimeo Staff Pick
🥲 Learning Tagalog With Kayla, 2021, Narrative Short, 4 min.
World Premiere and Texas Shorts Audience Award at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival