Gabriela Watson-Burke

Co-Founder at ¡Presente! Media + Documentary Filmmaker + Producer + Journalist

Nomination

Nominated by Melissa Beatriz: Gabriela is an inspiring filmmaker, producer, and educator. She is one of the co-founders of ¡Presente! Media, a collective led by Latinx filmmakers and journalists focused on social justice. She creates documentaries that are both cinematically beautiful and also touch on important social justice topics, focusing on telling impactful stories about communities of color. Her work style is very collaborative, inclusive, and intersectional.

about Gabriela:

Gabriela Watson-Burkett is originally from São Paulo, Brazil, and also has Peruvian roots. She loves talking to people, exploring, diversity, culture, and Philadelphia. Her friends describe her as an inspiring filmmaker, producer, and educator. She creates documentaries that are both cinematically beautiful and touch on important social justice topics, focusing on telling impactful stories about communities of color.

“So, I'm very grateful for my family, who already supported me, and for the university here who supported me and just everyone that I met along the way."

The journey to pursue her passion

Since she was young, Gabriela has had a strong interest in filmmaking. When she immigrated to the United States in 2013, her interest morphed into a passion to create a difference. It was a combination of pursuing more knowledge about Afro Brazilian culture, her own roots, and creating a voice for social justice in communities of color. Her main inspiration is Spike Lee, explaining, "I want to do that and be able to have people feel the same way that I felt after watching Malcolm X…inspired and really powerful."

“In the way that I look at the world is the way immigrants look, you know? And I'm very proud of that. I think that's the biggest skill that we have is honoring our culture and not being ashamed, ever.”

We are here, We are ¡Presente!

Gabriela is one of the co-founders of ¡Presente! Media, a collective led by Latinx filmmakers and journalists focused on social justice. ¡Presente! creates documentaries that touch on important social justice topics. 

Right now, they are working with a variety of subjects related to immigration culture, including storytelling and community organizing. There is a focus on surfacing these contributions to different communities, but especially the Latino community. What are they doing in Philadelphia? How do we relate with other countries back home? How are they ¡Presente! in Greater Philadelphia?

Article by I Belong Philly. Created by Maria Gonzalez and Geórgia Consença.

Quotes from Gabriela:

"I'm used to having to prove myself, so I think all the aspects that come with being an immigrant drive us to succeed no matter what. We have no other options—we have to do the work. We have to demonstrate that we are capable. And I think that's a big skill immigrants bring to the country."