Martika Ramirez Escobar, born in 1992 and based in Manila, is a filmmaker known for her bizarre short films and debut feature "Leonor Will Never Die" (2022), which gained attention by winning the Special Jury Prize for Innovative Spirit at Sundance. It was also nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the prestigious Independent Spirit Awards and received acclaim at TIFF, where she received the Amplify Voices Award. Martika earned the New Visions Best Director award at Sitges and collected several awards while being nominated in over a hundred festivals worldwide.

Martika graduated with honors from the University of the Philippines, and her thesis film, "Stone Heart" (2014), won Best Film at Cinemalaya and competed at the 19th Busan International Film Festival. She's been part of various film programs like the Asian Film Academy, Berlinale Talents, Talents Tokyo and received support from the Purin Pictures Film Fund and Next Masters Support Program.

Aside from directing, Martika also works as a cinematographer. Her cinematography has been featured in films that competed in Venice, Locarno, and Cinemalaya, where she recently won the Best Cinematography award for "When This Is All Over." She is currently working on her second feature film "Daughters of the Sea".