Jessica Zepeda

Jessica Zepeda is a performance artist based in Tkaronto with a diaspora from Kuskatan, known as Central America’s post-colonial El Salvador. Jessica is a Humber Theatre Alumni and has toured with Roseneath Theatre’s Dora nominated production of La Maleta. They are also a co-creator, performer and producer of The Empty Orchestra Dreamland which opened The Rhubarb Festival, both in 2018 and 2019. Jessica has made an appearance as their alter-ego “Sinvergüenzilla” in Volume 9 of 10X10 100 Portraits Celebrating Queers In The Arts by 10 Queer Photographers. In 2021, Jessica produced and starred in their short film Sinvergüenzilla in First Kiss which had its world premier at The 31st Annual Inside Out LGBTQ Film Festival. Catch Sinvergüenzilla in First Kiss at the 2021 CAMINOS Festival presented by Aluna Theatre.

Collaborator Anita Abbasi is a writer-director based in Tkarón:to (Toronto). Hailing from two disparate immigrant backgrounds — Pakistan & El Salvador — Anita’s work explores diasporic identity, (dis)connection to the “motherland”, our desire to be loved and Western popular culture. Cinema, music and laughter have always been places of belonging for her. As such, her stories, though mainly drama, often cross genres into comedy and dance musicals. She holds a BA in Creative Writing and Art History, and studied film directing under Deepa Mehta. She has produced three short films with co-director, Martin Baena: The Talent Scout (2015), French Poutine (2016) and Mariah ¡qué baile! (2017), the latter screening in several U.S. cities in 2018. Her first feature, Saturday Fuego Diablo, is in development with Eagle Vision Canada and was written with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Watch this page for project updates.