FELLOWS
Satellite Fellows 2025
Rachel Leyco
A QUEER FIL-AM FILMMAKER EMPOWERS THROUGH ART & ACTIVISM
Rachel infuses magical realism into everyday moments, bringing historically underrepresented narratives to the forefront of mainstream media.
Rachel Leyco (she/her) is an award-winning queer Filipino American multihyphenate filmmaker, actress, and content creator. Rachel is the founder of Empowerhouse, a mission-driven company that aims to empower storytellers through creativity and community.
Notably, she won a student Emmy at the 2013 College Television Awards, for her web series, The Sub Club. Her short films, Bicultural, and web series, Crazy, were official selections in film festivals around the world, including Outfest, BFI Flare: London LGBTQ+, and others. Her feature film script for Violet, Violet landed her the Runner-Up award in the 2020 Script Pipeline Screenwriting Competition. Rachel was named Network ISA’s Top 25 Screenwriters to Watch in 2021. She is in development for the 2022 GLAAD LIST x BLACK LIST Trans-led rom-com feature film, Re-Live, which she co-wrote with Emmy nominated actress, Rain Valdez, and executive produced by Rosario Dawson. Recently, she wrapped her forthcoming magical narrative short film, Thank You for Breaking My Heart, which is set to make the 2025 film festival circuit. Rachel is a grantee of the 2025 CAPE Julia S. Gouw Short Film Challenge for her short film proof-of-concept, Milk & Honey.
As an actress, she can be seen on numerous TV shows, such as Netflix’s Atypical, BET’s Games People Play, Peacock’s Bel-Air, and NBC’s Chicago Fire. Recently, she starred in the newUPTV holiday rom-com, Yuletide the Knot, and the new Tubi Original thriller, What Happens in Miami.
MILK & HONEY
Proof-of-Concept Short Film | Feature Film In Development
Logline: An ambitious Filipina nurse leaves her family behind in the Philippines to chase the American Dream in the 1990s, only to find herself battling loneliness, cultural barriers, and unexpected hardships as she works to reunite with her daughter.
Milk & Honey is a heartfelt tribute to the millions of Filipina nurses whose sacrifices have shaped the U.S. healthcare system. Inspired by my mother’s immigration story, this film brings authenticity and cultural specificity to a narrative rarely explored in cinema. With a Filipino-American and Filipino creative team, we are uniquely equipped to tell this story with nuance, honoring a community often overlooked in mainstream media.
By funding Milk & Honey, you will support a powerful, timely, and inspiring film that celebrates the unsung heroes of the immigrant experience. This is not just a story about immigration and sacrifice—it’s about hope, resilience, and the indomitable spirit of those who transform their dreams into reality. Our current administration continues to strip away the rights of immigrants, women, and queer folks — as a queer Filipino immigrant myself, I use my art as my act of revolution. This is the time where we need a story such as this to foster empathy and compassion for our communities. To educate. To empower. Let’s empower the world together and give these voices the recognition they deserve.
This project is a 2025 CAPE Julia S. Gouw Short Film Challenge Grantee.
