Meet our Director

Jon Ayon (he/him) is a Mestizo (Comcáac/Nahua-Salvadoreño/Xicano) filmmaker from LA. Based in Oakland, he holds a B.A. in Cinema from SF State and an MFA in Documentary from Stanford. His work has earned him recognition and support from Francis and Roman Coppola, The Annenberg Foundation, SFFILM, NewFilmmakers LA, Points North Institute, IDA, Full Frame, Avenida TV, & Sundance. Ayon’s films explore the Mestize/Latine-“American” experience with a critical focus on broken Indigenous kinship systems, internalized racism, cultural xenophobia, Ulysses syndrome, and generational trauma. Currently, Jon Ayon is an Assistant Professor of film and digital media at UC Santa Cruz and is supported by the Dolores Huerta Research Center for the Americas.