'Lingua Franca' filmmaker Isabel Sandoval reveals moving to the U.S. helped her realize her identity as trans woman

"Lingua Franca" filmmaker Isabel Sandoval revealed that moving to the United States helped her realize her identity as a trans woman.

In an episode of "The Howie Severino Podcast," Isabel said she identified as a gay man before moving abroad.

"I never really felt I might even be transgender until I got here in the US," she said. "And it's because, you know, in the Philippines, growing up and like in the late '90s, it's in my teens, the representation of trans woman are basically like you were either the butt of jokes or caricature."

Isabel grew up in Cebu and was raised by a single mom. At that time, she "did know that I was gay." 

"But that was all I thought I was, that I was gay until 2009 or 2010 [when] I started asking myself whether I was trans."

It was only after she moved to the US and saw different trans professionals documenting their transition process did she start to realize who she really was.

"I finally saw myself in some of these people. I realize I was asking myself the same questions and that’s what started my journey to learn if I was transgender," Isabel said.

Isabel also said that it wasn't easy coming out to her mom since she was a religious Catholic.

"She wasn't jumping for joy when I told her. But you know, that kind of conversation that I had when I came out to her, at the end of it, she said that, 'You know, you’re my only child and at the end of the day I love you. Even though I might not completely understand this process that you’re going through, I want to learn and I want to support you,'" she said.

Isabel added, "That was really quite a relief and so liberating to me. A year later, she completely came around when she realized how transitioning suited me. I was becoming more and more successful as a filmmaker as well."

Isabel made headlines with her record-breaking film "Lingua Franca," the first film ever to be directed and starring an openly trans woman of color to make it to the Venice International Film Festival.

"You know, as the months went by and at screenings of 'Lingua Franca' in different festivals, I would hear from different — either Filipinos, or trans, or just queer — aspiring filmmakers approach me that seeing me do what I do and make Lingua Franca the way I wanted to make it, emboldened them and showed them the possibility of doing it for themselves as well," Isabel said.

"Lingua Franca," Isabel's third feature film and her first U.S.-set movie, follows the story of a trans woman named Olivia who has to deal with her immigration as she works as a caretaker for an elderly woman in Brooklyn and falls in love with the elder's white grandson. — Kaela Malig/LA, GMA News