Ramona Diaz has always been an observer. Inspired by her upbringing, the Baltimore-based filmmaker tells character-driven stories that often highlight the diversity of the Filipino experience. Ramona’s documentary credits include “Imelda,” about the former First Lady of the Philippines; “The Learning,” which follows Filipino teachers in Baltimore City; and “Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey,” which tells the story of the band Journey finding their new Filipino lead singer, Arnel Pineda, on YouTube, and Arnel’s first tour with the band. Most recently, Ramona directed “Motherland,” in which the viewer is a fly on the wall in Manila at one of the busiest maternity hospitals in the world. That film won the Special Jury Award for Commanding Vision at Sundance this year; Ramona also was awarded a 2016 Guggenheim Fellowship. Ramona talked about representation in filmmaking, drawing universal experiences out of minutiae and the stories she’s interested in telling.