Justin Gerald Pensader Ocampo
Born and raised on the island of Saipan, CNMI (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) Justin Gerald Pensader Ocampo is the proud son of Filipino immigrants from the provinces of Quezon (Lucena City) and Pampanga. He is an award winning filmmaker, with his films screening at numerous regional international film festivals in Guam, Cebu, San Diego and other locales. His filmography consists primarily of short films he has written and directed. Core themes of his filmography include reflections on family, culture, and relationships. In addition to his own work, he has also worked a variety of positions on various film projects--the most high profile being Jason Momoaʻs upcoming Apple TV series: Chief of War. A recent graduate of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoaʻs School of Cinematic Arts, Justin now serves as an Education and Outreach Associate with the Hawaiʻi International Film Festival, assisting HIFFʻs Education Director in providing primary, secondary, and post secondary students and educators with access to various education programs that promote media literacy and opportunities in the film industry.
As a creative...
Justin's filmography is composed primarily of short films he directed in genres ranging from narrative drama to Indigenous experimental. In addition to his own work, he has also served in various technical and producorial roles on other SCA (School For Cinematic Arts) Mānoa students' productions as well as on independent projects. He recently finished a romantic comedy short film: "Kunyari". You can learn more about specific projects by traveling to their pages. Simply hover over the genres present in the header menu above and click on the desired project you wish to learn more about.
He also has experience in documentary film, adaptations of literary works, promotional videos and feature screenplay writing. Prior to attending ACM Mānoa, he co-directed We Drank Our Tears: Rafael Mafnas' Story, an adaptation of an Indigenous Chamorro civilian's experience surviving the Battle of Saipan during WW2 as recounted in a 2004 book of oral histories of the same name (We Drank Our Tears). Rafael Mafnas' story was awarded Best of Festival at the Guam International Film Festival in 2018, screened at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, and is available for rent on Amazon Prime. Rafael Mafnas' Story is just one of nine films in an anthology series that adapts other Indigenous civilians' stories to film. On the documentary side, he recently did G&E (Grip & Electric) as well as PA work on an upcoming feature documentary Shaka: The Story of Aloha. On the feature screenwriting side, he co-wrote Zero2Hero (dir. Jedric Villiar) an independent Hughes-esque teen drama set on Saipan and a sequel to 2011's Zero to Hero.
In addition to his main passion for cinema, Justin also expresses himself through other art forms on occasion. During his term as Web-Administrator for the Katipunan Filipino Club at UH Mānoa, he updated the club's dated website, bringing to it a clean, modern aesthetic. He also shot that year's officers' graduation photos. Selected photos from that shoot will be added to this site soon.