About Gina Margillo

Gina Margillo is an award-winning filmmaker, professor, and activist, using the power of storytelling for social change. With a global footprint in the field of Social and Behavioral Change Communication and Education-Entertainment, she has collaborated with the United Nations, governments, and NGOs to create impactful campaigns, documentaries, TV and web series, concerts, and multimedia projects that champion health and social justice. With a diverse professional portfolio, she has led successful communication initiatives in geopolitically fragile countries on issues ranging from reproductive and environmental health and justice to biodiversity and endangered species. As an adjunct professor of communication, Gina incites critical thinking through courses in rhetorical theory, storytelling for social change, media culture and society, and healthcare leadership. Her creative toolkit spans video, collage, dance, performance, nonfiction writing, and conceptual art, allowing her to craft stories that challenge perspectives, dismantle inequities, and build human connections.

Currently focusing on film, she tells local stories with big impact. The process of making a film is just as important as the final product. It is the shared experience and engagement with interviewees, cast, and crew that brings her the most joy and the best results, creating culturally resonant stories that deeply connect with diverse audiences. A committed advocate for meaningful cinema, Gina also serves as a film screener and Rainin Grant reviewer for the San Francisco International Film Festival and SF Film Society they shape the future of groundbreaking storytelling.

Gina’s sees art and advocacy as alchemy—fusing creativity and purpose to spark understanding, ignite change, and shape a world in constant motion.