PROGRAMS
2025-2026 LFI SPARK ANIMATION FELLOWSHIP
Angel Ruvalcaba
Angel Ruvalcaba is a Mexican-American filmmaker from Sylmar, CA and Mesa, AZ, with several years of experience in animation and live-action. As the first member of his family to graduate from high school and college, it was important to him to tell stories about the people and world around him! Angel works as a Production Coordinator at Walt Disney Animation Studios where he has contributed to projects like “Encanto”, “Moana 2”, “Zootopia+”, and even theme park attractions! Outside of Disney, Angel is a LatinX in Animation charter member and was one of the first professors to teach animation for the Latino Film Institute’s Youth Cinema Project. He was a judge for the LFI Spark Animation Fellowship for two years until he co-produced the 2024 LFI Spark Animated short film “Pollo Punch”! Recently, Angel also directed and wrote one of his passion projects, “Driftin’ on a Memory” an award-winning live-action short film that is currently screening in various Latino festivals around the world! Angel feels very strongly about having the right representation in Film/TV and is very involved in the Latino Filmmaking community!
Title of Project: ¿Necesitas Ayuda?
Angela Sánchez
Angela M. Sánchez (they/she) is a Xicanx writer from Los Angeles whose action-adventure stories are soaked in magic and center on themes of found family and beating the odds. Inspiration comes from Angela’s own experiences with homelessness as a teen. In 2018, the Los Angeles Times featured their children’s book, Scruffy and the Egg, which tackles topics of single-parenthood and homelessness. Angela got their start in the industry serving as a Program Coordinator for the advocacy organization LatinX in Animation. A two-time Finalist in ScreenCraft’s Animation Competition (2020 and 2022), Angela’s work has also placed as a semi-finalist in Creative Screenwriting’s animation competition. Angela was recently a staff writer for Disney Television Animation’s latest 6-11 comedy series “Primos”. They have also written for Spin Master’s “Paw Patrol” and “Rubble & Crew”, Nickelodeon’s latest “Dora & Friends”, PBS’ upcoming “Phoebe & Jay”, AppleTV+’s acclaimed series “STILLWATER”, and YouTube-first content, including Nickelodeon’s “Kid Cowboy and Moonbug’s “Gecko’s Garage”. Angela’s writing has also appeared in the newly released anthologies “As we Convene” by Inked in Gray Press and “Somos Xicanas” by Riot of Roses Publishing. Angela is currently co-editing the upcoming Latinx comics anthology, “From Cocinas to Lucha Libre Ringsides: LatinoGraphix Stories of Sports, Food, & Madness”, and has been interviewed for the New York Times, NBC News, LA Weekly, La Opinión, KPCC Radio, and Unheard LA.
Title of Project: Spin Cycle
Chevez Sanchez
Chevez Jedai Sanchez is a Puerto Rican filmmaker and animation studio owner from Brooklyn, New York. He started animating at the age of 4 and during his formative years created numerous films which garnered recognition in festivals. Notably “Paper Cut” (2016), which was selected for the Disney International Film Festival, and “The Red Maestro” (2018), Winner of the Best Editing award at the BRIC Film Festival. In school, Chevez had great teachers, and loved learning about the collaborative world of animation. His peers greatly inspired him and shaped his love for working with a team. After graduating, Chevez jumped into the industry head first, and established Cleos Studios LLC as an animation production house for New York Artists. As a young sole proprietor, Chevez bootstrapped his own company with bigger and bigger freelance jobs and hired his artistic community. Starting with directing small commercials, he’s built up to show running an animated series for Johns Hopkins. Chevez’s production team is naturally composed of people of color, many of whom share his Puerto Rican background. The studio’s original short film, “Train of Thought” (2022), premiered at NiteHawk Cinema in Brooklyn to two sold out shows. This fantasy/drama was a labor of love with a production spanning four years. It’s a 20 minute, 2D animated picture with over 10,000 drawings.
Title of Project: The Resilient Coquí
Guillermo Casarin
Guillermo Casarín is a Mexican film director, screenwriter, and producer committed to transforming how marginalized communities are represented on screen. What began as a personal love for cinematic storytelling grew into a mission to create inclusive worlds that reflect overlooked voices. His work has been recognized by the Directors Guild of America (DGA), the Emmys, BAFTA, and over 130 film festivals, including Oscar-qualifying ones like Austin, Guanajuato, Chicago, and Santa Barbara. He has worked with the White House, HBO, CVS Health, and the City of Los Angeles, directing a wide range of short films, PSAs, and branded campaigns. His animated short “BALAM”, supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, tells the story of a young Maya girl reconnecting with her roots and was spoken in the Maya language. The film screened at over 50 international festivals and reflects his deep commitment to cultural authenticity. Guillermo’s documentary “Bad Hombrewood” critiques the lack of Latinx representation in Hollywood and features acclaimed voices like Guillermo del Toro, Phil Lord, and Melissa Fumero. He co-directed the horror film “Phantom of the Opera”, backed by Emmy winner John Wells and Oscar-nominee John Watson, and is currently directing a documentary for X44, the company founded by Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton. His national PSA “Este año, tu voto es Cosa Seria” reached over 46 million U.S. Latines, and he was a finalist in the Commercial Directors Diversity Program (CDDP). A George Lucas Scholar, Casarín graduated with honors from ArtCenter and USC, where he also received the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant. His films continue to blend cinematic craft with cultural and social impact.
Title of Project: The Mariachi Mask
Sandra Powers
Three-time Emmy and Annie Award-nominated Peruvian-American editor, director, and writer Sandra Bambarén Powers was the lead editor of Disney’s critically acclaimed series “Marvel’s Moon Girl” and “Devil Dinosaur”. A graduate of the MFA Film/Video program at California Institute of the Arts and the BFA program at Massachusetts College of Art, she has contributed her creative expertise to iconic animated series such as Nickelodeon’s “Legend of Korra”, “Dora the Explorer” and Disney’s “Elena of Avalor”. Her short film “Still Life After Death” featuring Stacey Fraser premiered at the Sharjah Film Festival in 2021 and is now streaming on Amazon Prime, while her debut short “Autumn” was distributed by Ouat Media and screened at numerous international festivals, including Festival Images Contre Nature (France), Wimbledon Shorts Film Festival (England), and EXiS Film Festival (South Korea). In 2023, Sandra art-directed the Grammy®-nominated opera film “Black Lodge”, by David T. Little and produced by Beth Morrison Projects for Opera Philadelphia. She made her stage directorial debut with “The Great Soviet Bucket”, produced by Beth Morrison Projects with Miami Light Project, and funded by the National Performance Network’s Creation and Development Award. She also conceived and directed “BARDO,” an immersive theatrical experience hailed by the LA Times as “full of wonder,” produced by Beth Morrison Projects and performed at the historic United Theater (CAP UCLA 2024) and BRIC Theater (PROTOTYPE 2025, NYC’s prestigious opera festival). Showcasing her distinctive vision across mediums, Sandra has designed and directed over fifteen music videos for bands including Grammy®-nominated DeVotchKa and Timur and the Dime Museum. She will supervise the stage direction of “Black Lodge” during its tour performances at Malmö Opera and Folkoperan Stockholm in November 2025. She is currently developing her first musical, Werewolf Camp, with visionary director Julien Chavaz and Theater Magdeburg in Germany.
Title of Project: Bestias De La Muerte
