NYWIFT Blog

By Linden Standish

Welcome to NYWIFT, Jackie Quinones!

Jackie Quinones is a boundary-pushing filmmaker with a career that seamlessly blends music, acting, marketing, development, and production. From her roots as a hip-hop artist to her evolution in film, she combines a rare mix of artistic vision and business savvy to create heartfelt, socially resonant stories that leave a lasting influence.

Bilingual and Puerto Rican, she is a multi-hyphenate talent – writer, director, actor, and producer – whose work centers on emotionally rich, character-driven stories exploring psychology, identity, and trauma. Jackie’s hybrid-genre narratives also reflect on social and political issues through the lens of fractured relationships and complex family dynamics. Committed to amplifying unheard and underrepresented voices, her work is both personal and thought-provoking.

Her debut feature film Miles Away premiered at the Austin Film Festival in 2025. It went on to earn the New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) Award for Excellence in Narrative Filmmaking at the Urbanworld Film Festival.The film is currently still in its festival run.

Jackie’s short films Sick and Dandelion have also been screened at multiple festivals and have earned various awards. She was most recently selected as a 2026 Rideback Rise Cohort, one of the industry’s most selective and prestigious creative incubators founded by Netflix’s Dan Lin and run by Rideback, the producers of It and The LEGO Movie.

In addition to her own projects, Quinones has served as a marketing and development consultant on several studio features, including Molly’s Game, A Bad Moms Christmas, The Gift, Mile 22, Secret in Their Eyes, and more.

NYWIFT Member Jackie Quinones

Could you give our readers a brief introduction to yourself? 

I’m a Puerto Rican New Yorker (currently in LA) who has always lived in the in-between, between cultures, neighborhoods, identities, and expectations. That liminal space has shaped how I move through the world. I’m a writer, director, actor, and producer, but I’m also someone deeply guided by honesty, resilience, and connection. I value hard work over ego, truth over perfection, and showing up even when I’m scared.

My life has been shaped by family, by discipline learned early on, by navigating spaces where I could “pass” but never fully belong, and by listening closely to the quiet stories people carry. I’m curious about psychology, drawn to strong women and understanding complicated relationships, and endlessly interested in how people survive, heal, and redefine themselves. Humor, grit, empathy, and loyalty anchor me, and whether in my work or my life, my goal is the same: to live truthfully, to make space for voices that are often overlooked, and to remind people – myself included – that no one is alone in their struggle. 

What brought you to NYWIFT?

NYWIFT felt like a natural fit for me because community has always been at the center of how I work and who I am. I’ve spent my career moving between roles and spaces that don’t always feel built for women or for people who live in the in-between, and I’ve learned how powerful it is to be in rooms where that complexity is understood and valued.

I was drawn to NYWIFT because it represents support, access, and real connection, not just networking, but shared experience. Being part of a community that uplifts women, amplifies underrepresented voices, and actively makes space for honest conversations about the work and the industry felt aligned with my values and the kind of career I’m building.

What initially inspired you to pursue a career in filmmaking, and is it the same inspiration that motivates you today?

I was initially drawn to filmmaking because it felt like the most expansive way to tell the kinds of stories I was already carrying. I came up through music and acting, storytelling was always my way of making sense of the world, of identity, power, family, and the quiet struggles people don’t always name out loud. Film allowed me to bring all of that together. Voice, performance, psychology, and emotion, all in one place. It gave me a language for things I didn’t yet know how to say.

That inspiration is still very much alive, and it’s deepened. What motivates me now isn’t just the urge to tell stories, but the responsibility that comes with being able to tell them. I’m driven by the desire to create work that’s honest, human, and grounded in lived experience, especially for women and communities that are too often flattened or overlooked.

I still create to understand myself and the world, but now I do it with a clearer sense of purpose, to forge connection, to challenge silence, and to remind people they’re not alone in what they’re carrying.

Your projects feature protagonists with complex stories and emotional lives. What is your process when crafting characters? 

I usually start from the inside out. I’m less interested in who a character is on paper and more focused on what they’re carrying, what they’re afraid of, what they want but won’t admit, and where they’re lying to themselves in order to survive. A lot of my characters live in contradiction (much like everyone walking the earth) and I try to honor that rather than smooth it out. I spend time with their emotional history, their family dynamics, and the moments that shaped how they move through the world.

From there, I think about behavior over explanation. How does this person cope? What do they avoid? Where do they soften or shut down? I’m drawn to characters who feel very human, a little messy, and deeply recognizable. I don’t approach them as symbols or statements, but as people. If I can understand them with empathy, even when they make choices I don’t agree with, then I trust the audience will too.

Do you find that your background in hip-hop has influenced or informed your work in the film industry? 

Absolutely. Hip-hop shaped the way I see the world long before I ever stepped onto a film set. At its core, hip-hop is about survival, voice, and truth-telling. It’s about taking pain and limited resources and turning them into something powerful, something beautiful, into art. Coming up in that space taught me how to be scrappy, how to trust my instincts, and how to speak honestly, even when it’s uncomfortable or scary.

It also gave me a deep respect for rhythm, tone, and point of view, which shows up in how I approach dialogue, pacing, and character. Hip-hop is rooted in lived experience, and that’s something I carry into my filmmaking. I’m not interested in polishing things to the point where they lose their edge. I want my work to feel grounded, uncomfortable, specific, and real, like it’s coming from someone who’s been there, listened closely, and understands the power of telling their own story.

Having been recognized by numerous awards, is there a moment or accomplishment that holds special significance to you?

While I’m incredibly honored and know that every award and recognition is meaningful, the moment that really sticks with me hasn’t been any trophy or certificate. It was the first screening of Miles Away at the Austin Film Festival with my family, friends, and colleagues. Sitting in that theater, watching both strangers and people close to me laugh, cry, and connect with a story that came from such a personal place, I felt the weight of everything I’d worked for finally pay off in a way that mattered beyond me.

That moment reminded me why I make films: to foster connection. For me, storytelling is about seeing how a story can move people, spark conversation, and even inspire real change in communities or policy. That’s the reward that makes every challenge worth it. Knowing someone saw themselves or someone they care about in my work, and that it made them think, feel, or act differently. That is the achievement I hope to carry with me every day. Awards are nice, but it’s that ripple effect, the tangible impact a story can have in that shared human experience, that matters most.

How do you decide on the projects you want to pursue, and what’s next?

I pursue projects I feel I have to tell. Stories I can’t stop thinking about that reflect truths I see in the world, or that highlight voices and perspectives that aren’t often seen. I’m drawn to characters and narratives that are messy, human, and emotionally rich, especially women or underrepresented characters navigating complex identities and relationships.

What’s next? I’m developing a few really exciting projects that I’ll be diving deeper into through the Rideback Rise program, which I’m honored to be part of this year. Founded by Netflix’s Dan Lin, the program challenges mid-level creators to stretch their vision and craft.

All of my projects continue to explore resilience and family, with a healthy dose of social and political questioning. I’m especially drawn to stories that spark conversation and, ideally, inspire real change in communities and policy. Projects that go beyond entertainment to make a truly meaningful impact.

Connect with Jackie on instagram @_jackiequinones_, her website www.JackieQuinones.com, and LinkedIn. 

(All photos courtesy of Jackie Quinones)