NYWIFT Blog

By Farah Qureshi

Welcome to NYWIFT, Juleyka Lantigua!

Juleyka is an award-winning filmmaker, journalist, and the Founder of LWC Studios, a digital media studio dedicated to creating socially conscious storytelling for rising-majority audiences.

As a filmmaker, she has executive produced multiple short films and documentaries, including the Peabody Award-nominated podcast series 70 Million through LWC Studios.

A Fulbright Scholar with a Master’s degree in Journalism and an MFA in Creative Writing, Juleyka brings a multidisciplinary approach to storytelling—one that blends rigorous reporting with deeply human narratives across platforms.

NYWIFT Member Juleyka Lantigua

Welcome to NYWIFT! Could you give our readers a brief introduction to yourself?

I’m the Founder of LWC Studios, an award-winning digital media studio whose original work reaches rising-majority audiences with programming that has a social-justice vein. LWC Studios received a Peabody Award nomination, and won “The Director’s Prize” at Third Coast, also known as “The Oscars of Audio” for our original investigative series 70 Million, whose six seasons delved into the matrix of criminal justice in the United States, starting with local jails.

As a filmmaker, I have executive produced three short films, August Sun/Sol de Agosto, about how impossible it is to ever really return home, which was nominated for a Student Academy Award and Student BAFTA, and was an official selection at dozens of festivals around the globe; The Longest Race, a documentary shot during the Covid pandemic that followed two ultrarunners as they clung on to some semblance of normalcy. My first feature-length documentary, Saving Etting Street, had its world premiere in 2025 at DOC NYC.

My films have screened at national and international film festivals, including: Palm Springs International ShortFest, European short Film Festival, Oaxaca FilmFest, Los Angeles Comedy Film Festival, Marbella International Film Festival, Madrid International Film Festival, Miami Independent Film Festival, and Firenze Film Festival.

I’m currently at work on another independent feature documentary—as co-writer/creator and executive producer—and on an Afro-futurism short, as executive producer.

Juleyka Lantigua at the Tribeca Festival

What brought you to NYWIFT?

I consider myself a student of filmmaking at the moment, and there are no better teachers than the women who have blazed trails in the industry. So NYWIFT is the ideal place to learn and soak up the collective wisdom that its members have amassed over decades. I also hope to make meaningful contributions as I get a stronger footing in the industry, as I am a firm believer that paying it forward is integral to our shared growth.

Juleyka Lantigua speaking at Salzburg Global

What initially drew you to storytelling and journalism, and how did your journey evolve across writing, audio, and film?

My Dominican family is filled with storytellers! Most of them have technical professions, but they are masterful at spinning yarn. I think I have those genes and also benefited greatly from sitting around listening to them exchange stories—quotidian and extraordinary—about their lives.

Journalism came much later in my life, when I realized how much I loved helping others tell their stories, and discovered the power fact-based truth telling has on people and institutions. At my core, I am a writer who has been lucky enough to learn to write with words, sound, and images.

Juleyka Lantigua on the cover of Radio Inc.

You’re the Founder and CEO of LWC Studios, whose mission centers on supporting and amplifying creators from the margins. What inspired you to build this studio, and what gaps were you hoping to address in the media landscape?

I’m drawn to stories of ordinary people enduring and achieving under duress—personal, social, political. Often I find true heroes in the subjects of my work, people who one day got up and decided to change their world right where they were standing.

Juleyka Lantigua at Salzburg Global

For emerging journalists and creators, what advice would you offer about building a career in today’s evolving media landscape?

It’s important to know if you’re an artist or a technician, and to develop yourself accordingly.

Learn more about Juleyka Lantigua’s work on LinkedIn and connect with her on Instagram at @juleykalantigua.

(All images courtesy of Juleyka Lantigua)