Christen Marquez

Christen is a Native Hawaiian filmmaker who strives to create films that spark empathy and bridge understanding between communities. Her ultimate goals are to move people to action, change systems, empower communities with new knowledge, and catalyze justice. She Produced on BELLY OF THE BEAST, a feature documentary film about modern day coerced sterilization taking place California women’s prisons, which premiered on PBS’ Independent Lens (2020), was nominated for a Peabody, and won an Emmy for Outstanding News and Current Events Documentary. However, the most meaningful outcome of the film was that it was part of a campaign that created a commission in the State of California which set aside 4.5 million dollars to compensate victims of illegal sterilization. Her Directorial debut documentary film, E HAKU INOA: TO WEAVE A NAME, explored mental health and the struggles of Native Hawaiians in diaspora, and is still used as a training tool in health facilities. Recently, Christen produced on a documentary for Ben Affleck’s company Artist’s Equity. She is currently in production on her next documentary LUCKY WE LIVE HAWAII. Her work can be seen on platforms including Discovery, Nat Geo, PBS, Oxygen, CNN, NBC Universal, Netflix, and Disney+.