When fourth-year nursing student Marie De Austria moved to Anaheim at the age of 13, it was a challenge for her to figure out what it means to be a Filipino American. She said people teased her about her broken English and her accent.
As part of Pilipino American History Month, Samahang Pilipino and the UCLA Pilipino Alumni Association will work together to put on the first Pilipino American Film Festival, “Halu-Halong Karanasan,” which translates into “mixture of Filipino experiences.”
De Austria, now the cultural coordinator for the Samahang Pilipino organization on campus, said that when she came to the United States, she realized how different her experiences growing up in the Philippines were from Filipino Americans who grew up in the United States.
“Our family is usually just a little more conservative than the families that are here. Growing up, there were no boys allowed, studying and going to school were top priority, and we were a more traditional kind of family,” De Austria said.
According to De Austria, growing up in the United States and trying to figure out one’s Filipino identity is one of the many obstacles and issues that Filipino Americans experience and share with another.
The festival, which will take place both today and Friday, will feature film shorts, documentaries and feature films that showcase the different cultural perspectives of being Filipino through the eyes of students, directors and filmmakers.
Both days will begin with student films gathered from the UCLA Center of EthnoCommunications and student submissions. Feature films from outside sources and Hollywood directors who have influenced the Filipino American community will also be shown throughout each day.
Denise Guerra, UCLA alumna and a board member on the UCLA Pilipino Alumni Association, said that the films will look at different perspectives of the Filipino experience.
“We’ll have a film about World War II veterans, people who are looking at the history of their parents in the Navy, or as migrant farmers in Delano, Calif., over in the farm field,” Guerra said.
There will also be a feature film screening of “The Debut,” as well as a discussion panel to follow afterward.
“”˜The Debut’ is one of the first breakout films within the American film scene that strictly had Filipino actors and about the Filipino experience that was critically acclaimed by Roger Ebert. … We’re going to show (the film) and have the filmmaker, Gene Cajayon, speak about it,” Guerra said.
The other feature film that will be shown is R.A. Mendoza’s documentary “Mosquito Filipino: A Bite of Spiritual Healing.” Both nights will feature DJ Icy Ice, a famous DJ among the Filipino community, as the master of ceremonies to introduce each film and the panels. Additional guests expected to attend who are popular among the Filipino American community include YouTube performer AJ Rafael, Disney Channel’s Leslie Ann Huff and Jennilee Reyes from NBC’s “The Sing Off.”
According to Guerra, the discussion will give students opportunities to ask questions and network with professionals in the entertainment industry. Expected to attend are “The Debut” directors Cajayon and John Castro as well as Giselle Tongi, UCLA alumna and an actress in the Philippines. Tongi will also be screening a film she directed, “Pinoy Grease,” which was filmed on UCLA’s campus last year and featured “The Debut” actor Dante Basco.
When fourth-year psychology student, Paolo Roca, moved to Los Angeles from the Philippines three years ago, he said that, similar to De Austria, it was a challenge for him to figure out what it meant to be a Filipino American.
“I hope that students that attend are able to see the different communities and what’s happening both here in the Filipino community at UCLA and outside the country,” Roca said.