Jela is born and raised in the Philippines, and is now based in Tiohtià:ke / Montreal since 2015. Their upbringing combined with their experience as an immigrant is a huge influence in their works.

They explore subjects like complexities of relationships in the worldview of a child whose mother left to work abroad when they're ten years old, the range of human sexuality as a byproduct of colonialism and its parallels to the pre-colonial world, and the speculation of what the future could be\should be.

Aside from filmmaking, Jela is also immersed in community work such as events organization for the queer, trans, BIPOC communities.