A protégé of
Lino Brocka, Guillen began her first major work as a director with
Kasal in 1979, followed by ''Kung Ako'y Iiwan Mo
in 1980. In 1981, she made Salome'' for Bancom Audiovision with
Gina Alajar in the lead, establishing herself as director with depth and substance. The movie was a critical success, and she won Best Director at the Gawad Urian. The same film was shown at the
Toronto International Film Festival and described as "the kind of cinematic discovery that single-handedly justifies the festival's existence". as was
Dahil Mahal Kita: The Dolzura Cortez Story in 1993, Her first new production was
Tanging Yaman, released in 2001, which won several awards at the
Metro Manila Film Festival. Following 2002's
American Adobo, Guillen directed
Santa Santita in 2004, which represented the Philippines at the
Bangkok International Film Festival. In 2006, she was awarded the Gawad Tanglaw ng Lahi by Ateneo de Manila University for services to the Arts. In 2009 she directed
I Love You Goodbye, following it up with ''
Sa 'yo Lamang'' in 2010, starring
Lorna Tolentino. As well as working as a director, Guillen also served as Chief Executive Officer of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, before her appointment was unexpectedly not renewed in 2005. After breaking away from the previous Filipino directors guild due to a desire for reform, Guillen helped found the Directors Guild of the Philippines, resigning on March 26, 2001, due to her feeling that this reform had not been carried out. ==Personal life==