3500+ Films - 2.5 million words – 1 million viewers! Founder and Curator Carmela selects some of our most entertaining, powerful and inspiring FilipinX films at We Are Moving Stories. These include documentary and drama, shorts and features about Filipina lives, queer pride - and the diaspora.
Total length of this section: 19 Films.
FILIPINA LIVES
Good Girls Don't - A Filipina-Canadian girl defies her mother's warning that she'll turn into a boy if she plays sports. Length: 15 minutes. Writer/Director Ana de Lara:
“Good Girls Don’t is breaking barriers on many levels. The film offers a Filipino-Canadian perspective that has never been seen on the Canadian screen. While Canada prides itself as a cultural mosaic, one would never know that watching Canadian films.
The under-representation of ethnic roles in leading roles and of women in the director’s chair is at the forefront of criticism and debate in the film industry. Good Girls Don’t showcases what a diverse cast looks like on the Canadian screen and the unique stories that are possible from ethnic female voices. It is an original heart-warming comedy that leaves you wanting more. But I could be biased.”
Diwa - A hard, realistic look at the plight of immigrants victimized by violent crimes and the obstacles they face - told through the eyes of one victim. Length: 18 minutes. Co-writer/Co-director Aina Dumlao:
“Since I was born and raised in the Philippines - a country where opportunities for a good life are scarce (and often the only choice to help your family is to leave home and work abroad) - our story, Diwa was written into being from the Filipino, immigrant perspective.”
Joyce - Joyce, an immigrant Filipino nanny living in NYC, makes a friend that puts an end to her loneliness, when she needs it the most. Length: 30 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Nora Jaenicke:
“Sadly, this story is the story of many Filipino nannies who, at a very young age, are already conditioned to aspire to overseas jobs. The script is sad but quite telling about the hard work of women who are so far from home to work for wealthy families. Ultimately it is a story about the connection between two lonely immigrant women in New York city, their longing for home and the hope for a new beginning. I think these themes are quite universal.”
The Fever and the Fret - A troubled young girl is tormented by bullies and enters an altered state. Length: 76 minutes. Writer/Director Cath Gulick:
“Shirley, who plays the grandmother, took me to a Mother’s Day party at the Bayanihan Filipino Cultural Center in Queens, New York. The center was giving a party for the mothers because they had all left their children behind in the Philippines in order to come work in the U.S. The mothers at the party brought pictures of the children they hadn’t seen in years, and the white children they now cared for as nannies. I was floored. This dismantling of families is partly the result of the Philippines’ Labor Export Policy, the current solution to unemployment in the Philippines. There are more Filipino nationals living abroad than at home.”
<PRIDE>
In This Family - A teenage boy is outed by his teacher and revisits raw audio recordings of his Filipino family’s reactions. Length: 12.16 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Drama Del Rosario:
“Aside from helping people know more about the coming out process, I want people to see the talent in Filipino documentary films. The Philippines is a gold mine for thought-provoking documentary subjects, and Filipino filmmakers are gradually embracing the documentary film as an art form.”
Tomgirl - A young Filipino boy in Western Sydney gets an enchanting crash-course in his homeland culture when his uncle reveals himself to be a cross-dresser in the 'Bakla' tradition. Length: 10.00 minutes. Writer/Director Vonne Patiag:
“Tomgirl is a celebration of Filipino and bakla culture, set in Blacktown (Western Sydney), arguably one of Australia’s most diverse areas, that I grew up in. I was interested in creating a film that celebrated Filipino culture from within, showing the nuances of the diasporic experience of being a migrant in Australia. Creating more QPOC works is vital for me as I often didn’t see stories reflecting my own experience onscreen.”
Act Like A Woman - A transgender actress fails to book acting gigs in Hollywood for not being a “passable” woman. Length: 14.57 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Drama Del Rosario:
“The feedback has been pleasantly surprising thus far, but of course, I would love to hear what people outside the LGBTQ community and the Filipino community think about the documentary too!”
<DIASPORA>
Kicks - Four Amerasians get together for Kicks. Length: 12 minutes. Writer/Director Maria Soccor:
“I am half Filipino and half American. The personal theme of being multiracial has a steady presence in all of my work. I strongly believe that non race specific or multiracial characters must have some form of inclusion. Often times this group is not represented and it’s my social responsibility to represent and support diversity in my films. Being multiracial has been a gift to explore identity and all of its unique nuances and distinctiveness.”
Forget Me Nots - In the wake of their parents' untimely death, twins Lucy and Leo must re-evaluate their relationship, or risk losing one another forever. Length: 12:56 minutes. Writer/Producer/Actor Danice Cabanela
“The story is inspired by true events within my own life, but it’s not just a FilAm experience, it’s a human experience. There’s a lot of complicated layers of intergenerational trauma, universal disagreements about handling matters of mental health (course of action v. denial), but at the heart of it all, it’s rooted in love and how our love can manifest in different ways.”
I am JUPITER I am the BIGGEST PLANET - Silence in the Red Light District of Manila. Length: 14 minutes. Writer/Director Matthew Victor Pastor:
“Outside of making films I don’t have much of an identity. As a Filipino who has spent most of my life in Australia I am still figuring it out, but I need to make films. I’ve made many films that go unseen, just for me. I do think I made this particular film for an audience though.”
<IN THE PHILIPPINES>
The Big Fans - The Big Fans exposes the secrets behind the hit Philippine reality show Pinoy Big Brother. What does it really take to be a big fan of a reality show? At what point does a big fan lose his loyalty? From exploring the lives of big fans to exposing the show's controversial casting process, The Big Fans tackles what a reality show means to a Filipino. Length: 29 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Drama Del Rosario:
“Philippine reality television has always intrigued me. One of the top local reality shows, Pinoy Big Brother, is controversial for casting soon-to-be-actors instead of real people, and yet thousands upon thousands of Filipinos still line up to audition for the show. It’s easy to say that these Pinoy Big Brother fans are wasting their time, but I wanted to explore their side of the story. I created The Big Fans to tackle what a reality show means to a die-hard reality show fan. The documentary also exposes the secretive casting process of Pinoy Big Brother.”
Second Sight - Nestled in the rice fields of the Philippines, a family faces the life-inhibiting consequences of blindness until a doctor visits the village and gives the gift of sight in under five minutes. Length: 27.46 minutes. Director Cole Sax:
““The eyes are the windows to the soul” often describes the connection one feels when looking into another’s eyes. However, like windows, the eyes work both ways. They are not only valuable in seeing into another person’s soul, but they are also vital in how we view the world around us. When you lose this aspect of your life, you lose your identity. This is the harsh reality for Joanaly who is burdened by unfair, and unnecessary, cataract blindness. We wanted to bring one story of the 18 million, who suffer from cataract blindness, to light.”
In Santa Ana - Somewhere in Manila, there’s a house called Santa Ana, where elderly females who are intellectually disabled live out their remaining days. This film shows a glimpse of their lives and challenges our perception of what it means to be disabled. Length: 15 minutes. Director Chona M.:
“In a low-income country like the Philippines, limited attention is given to individuals with intellectual disabilities. They are often seen as burdensome – malas, or “cursed by God.” In some cases, they are considered dangerous and people think they should be locked away. This lack of understanding leads to social exclusion and oftentimes to physical abuse. As of the last official report, there are 30,000 people with intellectual disability in the Philippines, and most of them are abandoned or neglected.”
To Calm the Pig Inside - I never heard any stories on how to calm the winds of the typhoon, nor how to prevent a storm surge. Length: 18.30 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Joanna Vasquez Arong:
“After spending weeks line producing on a film production on the devastation super typhoon Haiyan wreaked around the Philippines in 2013-2014, I felt there was another layer to the stories which hadn’t been shared yet. Locals recounted to me their reflections, disappointments, dreams and even the jokes they shared with each other in order to cope with the trauma. And through time, they continued to express their growing frustration towards the government response to their plight.”
On The President's Orders - The searing story of President Duterte's bloody campaign against drug dealers and addicts in the Philippines, told with unprecedented and intimate access to both sides of the war. Length: 1 hour 12 minutes. Directors James Jones and Olivier Sarbil:
“We want the film to raise awareness about the killings in the Philippines. It’s a subject that can feel remote, but hopefully, this film will make it feel frighteningly close.”
Paglaki Ko (When I Grow Up) - Children caught in Duterte's drug war. Length: 6.16 minutes. Director Shallah Montero and Writer Sol Juvida:
“We made the film to shed light on the effects of the drug war on children who are caught in the middle. There is a lack of mental health programs to help them through trauma but with the help of small, private organizations that help them we see their admirable strength. ”
On the Brink: Uncharted Waters explores the whale shark tourism industry in the Philippines. The documentary takes an in-depth look at different practices in various parts of the country where whale shark interactions have become a staple of the economy. The film poses the question: Do these practices promote conservation or exploitation? Length: 54.38 minutes. Writer/Producer Neela Eyunni:
“My film is about whale shark tourism in the Philippines. I traveled to the Philippines in March 2015 after seeing some amazing photos online of people swimming with whale sharks in Oslob, Cebu. Upon arrival, however, I discovered that the whale sharks were being fed from boats in order to keep them in shallow waters and extremely close to snorkelers and divers. I was left with a number of questions: What impact were these interactions having on the sharks? Was this really ecotourism?”
Pangolin - is an intimate glimpse into the journey of a single pangolin; from the moment it is taken from the wild to its final destination in China. Filmed on location across three countries with the help of reformed poachers and wildlife enforcement officers, the film acts as a surrogate for an estimated hundred thousand pangolins that are poached and smuggled annually throughout Southeast Asia and Africa. Length: 13 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Katie Schuler:
“I was living in Palawan, Philippines during a one-year Luce fellowship with my husband. I had a meeting with Nino Rey Estoya, who combats illegal wildlife trafficking there. As he described the Pangolin and how it’s smuggled off the island, I began storyboarding the film in my head. I went home that day, wrote the entire script, pitched it to Nino and we began what would be over a year of production. We began interviewing undercover informants who were posing as active poachers. One of them told us, “I had an experience where I saw the Pangolin looking into my eyes as I was slitting his throat, he seemed to be begging me to stop.” His experience was a big inspiration for the film.”
<HISTORY>
The Sakada Series - Told through the stories of three individuals, The Sakada Series provides a glimpse into the world of the Filipino men, and their families, who immigrated to Hawai‘i between 1906-1946: Cipriano Erice, who worked for the Waialua Sugar Plantation; Angel Ramos, who worked for the Kahuku Sugar Plantation and Apolonia Agonoy Stice, who grew up in Lana‘i City in the 1940s. Length: 35 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Maribel Apuya:
“I created the series to capture and preserve an aspect of my Filipino heritage. The Sakadas are now a dying generation; they carry within them historical experiences and intrinsic Filipino values of hard work, perseverance, community and dedication to family that I find inspiring and wanted to share with the young generation. The film is dedicated to my late grandfather who worked as a plantation laborer in Hawaii with the dream of a better life. I am the product of his dream.”