Taylor Sheesh, a Swiftie Love Story
Mac Coronel as Taylor Sheesh (Photo courtesy of Quonco Productions)
Taylor Sheesh is the drag persona of Mac Coronel, a Manila-based performer who began building a following through live appearances and social media, where his Taylor Swift lip syncs quickly stood out for their precision and emotional detail. What started as performance–part homage, part fandom–grew into something more expansive as audiences responded not just to the accuracy, but to the feeling behind it. Over time, Taylor Sheesh evolved from a niche act into a recognizable presence within Filipino pop culture, fueled by fan communities that treated each performance as both concert and collective experience.
At the helm of the short film is Ramona S. Diaz, one of the most important documentarians of the Filipino experience today. Over decades, Diaz has brought a rare blend of rigor and tenderness to her work, from Imelda to Motherland, which won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award at Sundance, to A Thousand Cuts, her Emmy-winning chronicle of journalist Maria Ressa’s fight for press freedom. With Sheesh, A Taylor Love Story, Diaz continues that tradition, finding in Taylor Sheesh a story that is joyful on the surface and deeply rooted in something more.
She’s joined by Academy Award-nominated producer Diane Quon, whose work on Minding the Gap and Finding Yingying reflects a long-standing commitment to human-centered storytelling. The collaboration is a natural fit: a film that feels celebratory and sincere, but grounded in something real.
Why Taylor Sheesh?
Taylor Sheesh (Photo courtesy of Quonco Productions)
For Ramona Diaz, the answer came quickly.
“I have always been drawn to spectacle, both big and small,” she says. “Throughout my career, I have focused on stories about gender and identity. So when Mac Coronel, also known as Taylor Sheesh, captured my attention in 2024 during the widely publicized Eras Tour, I was immediately intrigued.”
As Taylor Sheesh began to gain traction across Instagram and TikTok, Diaz trusted her instincts.
“I jumped right in without overthinking it–sometimes overanalyzing can lead you to miss important moments, and this was one of those times.”
For Mac Coronel, the persona speaks for itself.
“Filipino drag excellence,” he says simply.
His manager, Drew Pillerva, sees it through a different, complementary lens–one rooted in resourcefulness.
“Accessibility and adaptability,” he says. “The main reason why the Errors Tour happened is because there was no Eras Tour in the Philippines. So let’s just make one. Let’s just enjoy the one we made up.”
It’s a mindset that feels distinctly Filipino: making something out of nothing, and doing it with joy.
The Making of the Film
Filming a performer like Taylor Sheesh means capturing both spectacle and stillness–onstage presence and off-camera reality. For Diaz, that meant leaning into the same intimate, character-driven approach that defines her work.
“The interplay between Taylor Sheesh and the audience was irresistible, and I was thrilled to capture the enchantment,” she says. “To stand among Swifties who were there for pure experience and community felt authentic. It was devoid of cynicism and irony, and that was refreshing.
For Coronel and Pillerva, the experience of being filmed at this scale felt different. While both are used to cameras, this marked their most significant international production.
Drew describes the process as requiring awareness, but ultimately says “everything was very natural,” a reflection of his long-standing partnership and friendship with Mac.
What Taylor Sheesh Means
(Photo courtesy of Quonco Productions)
Taylor Sheesh is, on one level, a performer. But understanding her also means understanding the cultural context she comes from.
Long before drag entered the global mainstream, impersonation and gender performance were already a part of everyday Filipino entertainment. You didn’t have to go to a club to see it–you just had to turn on the TV. It was embedded, accessible, and familiar.
That history makes Taylor Sheesh feel both new and continuous, a modern expression of something deeply rooted. At the same time, that visibility exists alongside ongoing gaps in legal and social acceptance for LGBTQ+ communities in the Philippines, a tension that quietly underpins the story.
For Quon, Coronel’s journey resonates in a more universal way.
“I have always been a fan of coming of age stories,” she says, “and I think folks will resonate with Mac Coronel’s journey to be his authentic self. By following his dreams, Mac has not only found personal happiness–but as a result, has also unexpectedly given happiness to so many others.”
Coming to America
The film’s U.S. premiere arrives during Pride Month, a timing that feels especially relevant.
“During a time when the LGBTQ+ community is experiencing increasing persecution and violence in the U.S., I hope this glimpse of Mac’s life can encourage understanding and empathy among audiences.”
For Coronel and Pillerva, bringing Taylor Sheesh to an American audience comes with both excitement and uncertainty. Their Australian tour offered a glimpse of what’s possible, but the U.S. remains largely untapped.
Taylor Sheesh evolved from a niche act into a recognizable presence within Filipino pop culture, as fan communities treated each performance as both concert and collective experience.
“We just haven’t permeated through it yet,” Drew says, his tone hopeful. What feels certain is why the story resonates. “It may just seem like a person imitating someone,” he starts, “but they still go to the show. They still follow and constantly interact with the social media accounts.” Something about Taylor Sheesh connects beyond the performance itself. For Mac, it comes back to the journey. What began as a response to a missed concert has grown into something much bigger: a cultural moment that has started to travel beyond Philippine borders. That arc–from local ingenuity to something global–is exactly what Sheesh, A Taylor Love Story sets out to capture. Mima Holt is a strategist and storyteller who, as co-founder of Dusty Films and a campaigns lead at the Natural Resources Defense Council, champions stories and causes that inspire change and expand visibility for underrepresented communities. To support the campaign to bring Taylor Sheesh to her U.S. premiere, visit bit.ly/sheeshtaylor, and follow @sheeshataylorlovestory for updates.
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