biography

Sandra Valde-Hansen is an accomplished Filipina-American cinematographer working across feature films, television, and documentary. Named one of Variety’s “Artisan Elite: Up Next,” she holds an MFA from the American Film Institute, where she now serves as a Senior Lecturer in Cinematography. Her notable credits include the series, The L Word: Generation Q (Showtime), the feature, Plan B (Hulu), and the documentary Burn Motherf**er, Burn* (Showtime). A longtime collaborator of acclaimed indie filmmaker Gregg Araki, she lensed his STARZ series Now Apocalypse and Sundance features Kaboom and White Bird in a Blizzard. Most recently, she served as cinematographer on XO, Kitty (Netflix), and Seasons 2 and 3 of The Summer I Turned Pretty (Prime Video), created by New York Times bestselling author/showrunner Jenny Han. Valde-Hansen achieved a longtime personal milestone in 2022 when she was invited to join the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). She is also a proud member of the Philippines’ Cinematography society, Lupon ng Pilipinong Sinematograpo (LPS), the Society of Camera Operators, the International Cinematographers Guild, the Television Academy, and the American Association of University Professors.