Born in Quezon City, the Philippines in 1997, Maria Estela Paiso graduated with a degree in communication arts in 2016 and has since worked in post-production. After several music videos and visual experiments, she made Ampangabagat Nin Talakba Ha Likol, her debut film as a director. Maria Estela Paiso is known for Ampangabagat nin talakba ha likol (2022), A Short History of a Few Bad Things (2018) and When This Is All Over (2023).