unseen

Unapologetically queer and undocumented, Set Hernandez is a filmmaker, writer, and community organizer whose roots come from Bicol, Philippines. An audio-centric film, Set’s documentary feature debut UNSEEN (POV/PBS, 2024) received an Independent Spirit Award among other accolades. The film is groundbreaking as one of the first media projects ever to be led by an intersectional team of queer, undocumented immigrant, and disabled/blind artists. Their past film work includes COVER/AGE (2019) about healthcare access for elderly undocumented adults, as well as impact producing for CALL HER GANDA (Tribeca, 2018) and IN PLAIN SIGHT (2020). Set is a 2026 USA Fellow whose filmmaking has been supported by the Sundance Institute, NBCUniversal, Firelight Media, Open Society Foundations, Ford Foundation, among others. Since 2010, they have organized around migrant justice issues, from deportation defense to healthcare access. They co-founded the Undocumented Filmmakers Collective, which promotes equity for undocumented immigrants in the film industry. In their past life, they were a linguist, focusing on bilingualism. Their writings and contributions have been featured on Rappler, Documentary Magazine, Democracy Now, and beyond. Above all, Set is the fruit of their family’s steadfast love and their community’s generosity.