The program presented here proposes five Filipino films, whose protagonists are the displaced, those who have left their country of origin, risking the consequences of the loss of identity that corresponds to the need to be part of another world that rejects them, until their rights are recognized. The displaced live the experience of systemic colonization and coloniality that cannot be alien to us. The great diasporas of the 20th and 21st centuries are not limited from the global south to the north, nor from east to west, but occur in all directions, transforming the international order in both the public and private sectors. Ilo Ilo reconstructs the story of one of the thousands of Filipino women who are hired for domestic work in Hong Kong and elsewhere in the world. Five titles to think about the great diasporas of yesterday and today and the exploitation of migrants in the labour market at the place of arrival. Stephanie Comilang metaphorically illustrates the constant migratory processes by evoking the journey of monarch butterflies from Canada to Mexico crossing Florida and Southern California every year in autumn where some disappear on the way, although most of them are characterized by their endurance and longevity living up to nine months. Islands, Transit, Big Boy and Nowhere Near illustrate this journey of travels of those who assume the orphanhood of the displaced, moved by precariousness and the will to survive. Casa Asia collaborates with TBA21 in the framework of the exhibition project of the Filipino-Canadian artist Stephanie Comilang, providing with images information that intends to expand the reflection that her proposal rises. – Menene Gras Balaguer 

PROGRAM

Saturday May 4th, 2024

 Ilo Ilo | Anthony Chen | 2013 | 100’ | Drama 

Set in Singapore during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Ilo Ilo chronicles the day-to-day drama of the Lim family – troublesome grade-schooler Jiale and his overstressed parents, Heck and Leng. Comfortably middleclass and with another baby on the way, they hire Teresa, a Filipino immigrant, as a live-in maid and nanny. An outsider in both the family and Singapore itself Teresa initially struggles to manage Jiale’s antics and find her footing in her new community. The two eventually form a unique bond, but just as Teresa becomes an unspoken part of the family, unforeseen circumstances in an uncertain economy will challenge the new normal yet again. 

Anthony Chen (born 18 April 1984) is a Singaporean film director, screenwriter and film producer. He is known for directing the feature films Ilo Ilo (2013) and Wet Season (2019). His debut feature film, Ilo Ilo, won the Camera d’Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, making him the first and only Singaporean to have been awarded at Cannes. The film also earned him the Achievement in Directing award at the 2013 Asia Pacific Screen Awards, and the Golden Horse Award for Best Feature Film, Best New Director and Best Original Screenplay. 

Trailer: https://youtu.be/ISovsVvX8Bg 

Saturday May 25th, 2024 

Big Boy | Shireen Seno | 2011 | 89’ | Drama 

Big Boy is a coming-of-age tale about a boy and his family in 1950s Mindoro, Philippines, and how he is groomed into becoming the poster boy for his parent’s home-based business. The film is an experimental portrait of a family amidst change – an experience that will engage audiences in something strange but familiar. 

Shireen SENO (1983, Japan) was born in Tokyo to a Filipino family. She studied architecture and film studies at the University of Toronto. Her photo and video work has been shown in various galleries. She has worked with filmmakers such as Lav Diaz and John Torres, for whom she took stills. Her debut film Big Boy (2012) screened at IFFR and won the prize for Best First Film at the Festival de Cine Lima Independiente in 2013. Nervous Translation is her second feature. 

Trailer: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1369911976687709 

Saturday May 25th, 2024 

Islands | Martin Edralin | 2021 | 95’ | Drama 

Joshua, a shy Filipino immigrant on the cusp of 50, has lived in the comfort of his parents’ home his entire life. With his parents now in old age, he pleads with God for a companion, terrified of being alone after they pass. 

Martin Edralin is a Canadian film director. His first short film, Hole, won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Live Action Short Drama at the 3rd Canadian Screen Awards in 2015, the Grand Prix at the 2015 Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in 2015, and a jury award at the 2014 Locarno Festival. His second short film, Emma, was named to the Toronto International Film Festival’s year-end Canada’s Top Ten list in 2016 and won First Prize at the 2017 Rhode Island International Film Festival. His feature film debut, Islands, premiered at the 2021 SXSW and was awarded Special Jury Recognition for Breakthrough Performance. Islands was nominated at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in the categories of Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and the John Dunning Best First Feature Award. 

Trailer: https://youtu.be/JsjjcYhd7p0 

June 1st, 2024

Transit | Hannah Espia | 2013 | 93’ | Drama 

Moises, a single Filipino dad, comes home to celebrate his son’s fourth birthday and learns that the Israeli government is going to deport the children of foreign workers. 

Hannah Espia (born 15 May 1987) is a Filipina director best known for writing and directing the 2013 independent drama film Transit. She married film editor Andrej Farba in 2017, and has directed three episodes (2020, 2023) of the series Almost Paradise under the name Hannah Espia-Farbová. 

Trailer: https://youtu.be/L2LxS75INlk 

June 1st, 2024

 Nowhere Near | Miko Revereza | 2023 | 96’ | Documentary 

A culmination of several years of shooting, editing, relocation, and reflection—acclaimed experimental filmmaker Miko Revereza forges a personal and profound portrait of immigration, disillusionment, and the elusiveness of home. 

Miko Revereza is an experimental filmmaker from Manila. Revereza lived in the United States as an undocumented immigrant; an experience which informs his work. He holds an MFA from Bard College but has no undergraduate degree. In 2021, he won the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Filmmaking and his short films have been featured by the Criterion Collection. In Nowhere Near, the filmmaker returns to the Philippines to reckon with a “family curse” and the legacy of imperialism. It was included in the Marché du Film de Cannes Docs Showcase. It received funding through a Purin Pictures grant, the Open City Documentary Festival’s Assembly Grant, and the International Film Festival Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund Bright Future Award. 

Trailer: https://youtu.be/oH8H7XYhRi8?si=8fz5gj4wTWBDXZyb