Sisa Quispe is a Quechua-Aymara award-winning director, writer, producer, speaker, and host based in New York City. Her work centers on preserving Indigenous ways and amplifies decolonial narratives through film and public dialogue, drawing from cultural memory to explore identity, healing, migration, and intergenerational resilience.
With a background in accounting and a continued commitment to developing her financial skills, Sisa brings a unique lens to producing, balancing creative vision with budgeting, expense management, and sustainable project planning. She holds an MFA in Film and a Bachelor’s in Accounting.
She wrote and directed Kusi Smiles, a short film about grief and healing in the Andes, developed through the Latino Film Institute Inclusion Fellowship sponsored by Netflix. The film premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival. Her earlier film, Urpi: Her Last Wish, which she wrote, produced, and directed, explores the complexities of Indigenous identity and was honored with The Gotham’s 2023 Annual Student Short Film Showcase award. The film is distributed on Focus Features streaming platforms and featured on JetBlue in-flight catalog.
Her TEDx talk, “Re-thinking Who We Are Through A Decolonizing Lens,” shares her personal journey of decolonization and continues to resonate widely.
Just as importantly, Quispe continues to cultivate pathways for Indigenous youth to develop their creative voices, ensuring that future generations not only see themselves reflected, but are also empowered to lead the stories they tell.
TEDxTALK
The remnants of colonialism impact how we perceive ourselves in society. Sisa challenges these mindsets we have inherited and leads on a path of personal reflection, community growth, and healing.
PUBLICATIONS
Contributing Writer - Condé Nast Traveler “In Peru, the Quechua Language Takes on Hip-Hop, Trap, and Q-pop”, 2024
Contributing Writer - Youth To The People “[Earth Wisdom] We Are Nature”, 2022