Born of the theatre as an actress, dancer, writer and director, Regina has successfully transitioned her love of movement and character driven storytelling to filmmaking. Her passion for amplifying authentic experiences that can inspire positive social change is what drives her activism in both her leadership and cinematic worlds.
Ainsworth spent a year amongst West End productions in London, and upon returning stateside, began directing regional theatre. With an eye toward directing episodic television, she landed a job at Warner Bros. Television. WBTV was her film school, as she worked with and observed over 120 productions, including Arrow, The Leftovers, Blindspot, Pretty Little Liars, and Westworld. It was after auditing the Television Director’s Workshop (a program she helped launch) that she made the transition into directing full time.
Regina is an award-winning filmmaker, whose work has resonated internationally. Selected credits include two independent pilots The Project and Law & Order: The Musical, a supernatural horror short Perchance to Dream, two episodes of indie series Linked by Love and she’s just finishing Recombined's festival run (based on the YA Sci-Fi Tankborn Trilogy novels). Tankborn's pilot, which she co-wrote with author Karen Sandler, was a Second Rounder in the Austin Film Festival, a Semifinalist in Filmmatic TV Pilot Awards, and is in the top 12% of projects on Coverfly. When not directing live action you can find her on a sound stage directing voice actors for Netflix and Disney+
As a two-time DGA Latino Committee Co-Chair, and Co-Founder of los directores, a Guild-level collective of Latino directors and director’s team members, Regina is dedicated to making the invisible visible, via equitable employment. In addition to her activism, she is also a member of the Chicana Directors Initiative, NALIP, Women in Film, Women in Media, and Women of Color Unite. Regina has been selected and amplified by the #Startwith8Hollywood initiative. Ainsworth is mentored by Edward Ornelas, Mary Lou Belli, and Lily Mariye.
Just for kicks, she loves hiking, trail running, and chasing adventures in the great outdoors.