About
Hannah Espia-Farbová is an award-winning Filipino writer-director based in Central Europe, working across independent cinema and international television.
Her debut feature, Transit (2013), had its international premiere at the Busan International Film Festival, where it received a Special Mention in the New Currents section. Selected as the Philippines’ official submission for the 86th Academy Awards®, Variety praised the film for its “gracefully directed, inventively edited” storytelling. In 2017, it screened at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York as part of A New Golden Age: Contemporary Philippine Cinema. In 2019, Pinoy Rebyu ranked it No. 11 on its list of the 100 Best Filipino Films Directed by Women. Espia received the Gawad Urian Award for Best Director (Philippine Film Critics Awards) for the film.
Her television credits include episodes of Almost Paradise (Amazon Freevee), The Ark (Syfy), and The Librarians: The Next Chapter (TNT). She is currently developing The Fence, a Philippines–Slovakia co-production.
Selected Work: Film
Featured Work
Transit (2013), 93 minutes
co-writer/director/co-editor
Transit explores the intersecting stories of Filipinos in Tel Aviv when the threat of a law deporting the children of migrant workers looms over their precarious lives. Philippines’ Entry to the 86th Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film category.
Screened at the MoMA, New York, as part of the film series “A New Golden Age: Contemporary Philippine Cinema”
Notable Awards: Best Film, Best Director, and 8 other awards – Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, Special Mention, New Currents – Busan International Film Festival, Student Jury Prize, Tokyo FILMEx
Digital Shorts & Branded Films
#GetToKnowMom
A digital short film for Globe Telecom Mother’s Day 2017.
Selected Short Films
Ruweda (2012) – writer/director/editor/producer
Festivals: Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival (2012), Tampere Film Festival, 2013, International Short Film Festival Detmold (2013), Seoul International Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival (2013)
Awards: Audience Choice Award (Cinemalaya 2012)
Alpaca Farm (2018) – writer/director/editor/producer
Festivals: Athens International Film + Video Festival (2019), Diwa Filipino Film Festival (2019), Windy City International Film Festival (2019)
Selected Work: TV Series
Featured Work
Midlife! (2016)
Spec Pilot · Series Creator, Writer & Director · 23 min
A Filipino-American seeks to rebuild his relationship with his estranged father, a former member of a popular 1970s rock band. He decides to reunite his father’s old band and audition for a reality show searching for the next big band.
Awarded 2nd Best TV Pilot at the 2016 CineFilipino Film Festival. Featured in Kore Magazine’s “The New Hollywood” issue, in “5 Visionary Asian-American Filmmakers.”
Selected Television Credits
Almost Paradise — Season 1 (2020): E06, E09
Season 2 (2023): E08
The Ark — Season 2 (2024): E08
The Librarians: The Next Chapter (2025): E08
Contact
For inquiries and collaborations, email [email protected]