Anaiis Cisco struggled to cope with the loss of her father when she was 10 years old. While her mother managed graduate school and two full-time jobs, Anaiis’s grandmother stepped in to support her and her sisters. Anaiis learned from her grandmother the significance of powerful cultural and historical narratives and seeks now to represent these in film.

Today, Anaiis is a filmmaker-scholar obtaining a Master of Fine Arts from the San Francisco State University School of Cinema. Anaiis aspires to write and direct stories about the lives of racial, ethnic, gendered and queered minorities in America.

Following the completion of Breathless, her first-year film about Eric Garner, Anaiis plans to partner with non-profits and community leaders to organize screenings of the film for those living in urban communities. After completing her master’s degree, Anaiis plans to continue producing films and to pursue a doctorate in film studies.