Japhet E. Velázquez

Directing

Birthplace: Puerto Rico

Japhet E. Velázquez is a filmmaker from Arroyo, Puerto Rico, now based in Los Angeles. A graduate of the AFI Conservatory’s Directing program and a 2026 Sundance Ignite x Adobe fellow, he began making horror shorts in San Antonio, Texas, where he dropped out of college to focus entirely on filmmaking. He sold his own plasma and went door to door selling water softeners to fund Terrifeyed, his first short. Japhet continues to make horror that’s visceral, inventive, and personal.