About

Ash Verwiel (he / they) is a trans & queer filmmaker and editor from the Netherlands, based in Oakland. His first feature documentary edit ASSEMBLY (SXSW, BFI Flare, Frameline49) has been a worldwide success, with 47 festival screenings in October 2025 alone. His focus on documentary film, often through an experimental lens, mirrors his personal work which is often reflective of his own life.

SFSU’s Queer Cinema Project supports creators finish production of their LGBTQ+ film through the annual Barbara Hammer Award, which Ash received in 2019. Experimental short doc HEART WHISPERS (2020), which has won various festival awards, voices the struggle to find oneself as a trans person and immigrant from a rural small town. They received their BA in Cinema from San Francisco State University.

In May of 2021, Ash was granted the Marcus Culminating Funds by SFSU, towards completion & distribution of UNBOXING (2021). This film is the 2nd chapter of a trilogy finding his identity as a trans person. He often excavates such topics of rebirth and belonging in his films, as well as in commissioned work and collaborations with other artists.