Filmmakers and Producers

A native New Yorker from the forgotten borough of Staten Island, Corinne E. Manabat is a documentary filmmaker by day, and spoken word artist/lyricist by night. She was magna cum laude at SUNY New Paltz, earning her bachelor of arts in both radio/TV production and media management, with a minor in anthropology. After a few years working freelance in commercial production, most notably for The Montel Williams Show and Letnom Productions, she felt it was time to pursue fulfilling aspirations. Also known by her emcee name, Calamity, she performs spoken word poetry and rhymes for the love of hip-hop music. She uses her verbal content to address social issues and her experiences as a Filipino-American. She won the 2005 ImaginAsian TV’s PSA Contest for APA (Asian-Pacific-American) Heritage Month with her spoken word montage “Proud and Free,” dedicated to her deceased grandfather. Her vision is to use documentary media to tell the stories of people who are on the periphery of mainstream media, specifically Filipino and Asian-Pacific-Islander-Americans (APIAs). These are the communities where she feels rooted, especially in New York City, where she volunteers as a performer and videographer at rallies and events for several APIA organizations, such as the Sulu Artists Network.