Sam Lauranilla

Christian filmmaker/screenwriter/drama teacher.

Try to live a simple life." Been my motto for a while now. Always loved a good story, especially the ones my family would tell at the dining room table during supper time. Growing up in a third generation Filipino-American home, my cultural background is flavored with many good anecdotes of history and laughter. As a born again Christian believer, I have found virtually no books that speak to my cultural identity. I know that the bible states that our identity is in Christ Jesus, and not ethnic backgrounds, but I wrote this little novella Marina's Fella as a outreach tool to speak  specifically to my Filipino-American community, as well as my brothers/sisters in Christ. 

 I have a B.A. degree in Radio/Television with a concentration in Writing for the Electronic Media, from San Francisco State University, and worked in various aspects of video production for more than 15 years. Wrote, produced, and directed my first feature length movie "Roses for Magdalena" (2007), and learned a great deal about how not to make a Christian movie in the process.

Marina's Fella is written from the perspective of her 17 year old daughter Siobhan Perry Elustrado, looking back at the life of her mother Marina Sundang before she married her stepfather Regino Elustrado as her Creative Writing class  assignment .