Filipino and Filipino-American Cinema

KINONEKTA. Filipino films curated by Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan.

Saturday, June 21 @ 1:15 pm —Wright Opera House

KINONEKTA (TRAILER)

Interlude (Are you having fun?). Directed by Mervine Aquino. When Kiko finally decides to sing at the videoke, the electricity goes out. Interlude is a portrait of a family gathering in a rural home.

A Sabbath on the Longest Day of the Year. Directed by Edmund Telmo. On the summer solstice, the long lost Blessed Virgin of Cotta will return to her home in the city. While their lives are about to change, Historia and Criselda spent their time in the most mundane way.

Beneath the Firefly Veil. Directed by Juvy Ann Clarito. The film delivers a story that bravely addresses the disturbing past and the burden of the present. A competently told tale of trauma, redemption, and revenge sprinkled with mythical elements that culminate in a mysterious turn of events.

Hito. Directed by Stephen Lopez. Between nuclear reactors and military curfews, 14-year-old Jani lives in a dystopian world oppressively devoid of empathy. Together, she and her slippery new friend Kiefer the talking catfish gear up to strike a surreal blow for freedom.

Intermission - Filipino Cuisine in the Tavern (Wright Opera House)
Provided by The Filipino-American Community of Colorado

The Daydream Believers. Filipino-American films curated by H.P. Mendoza.

Saturday, June 21 @ 4:00 pm —Wright Opera House

the daydream believers (trailer)

DEAR WATSONVILLE. Directed by Sondy Lucille. “Dear Watsonville” is a mixed-media documentary offering an intimate glimpse into the lives of the manong generation, the first generation of Filipino migrants to arrive en masse to the U.S., as seen through the eyes of their children. It unfolds in three distinct vignettes, each focusing on the migration stories and day-to-day experiences of three Filipino families. The film distinguishes itself with its experimental use of community-sourced oral histories, archival images, and hand-drawn illustrations. Together, these elements weave a moving narrative about resilience, placemaking, and childhood.

When You Left Me on That Boulevard. Directed by Kayla Abuda Galang. Teenager Ly and her cousins get high before a boisterous family Thanksgiving at their auntie's house in southeast San Diego in 2006. Filmmaker in attendance.

Fidel. Directed by Luke Lace. A young Filipino man learns to be the caregiver of his abusive grandmother who suffers from dementia, only to be mistaken as her old lover.

VS. Directed by Joel Sanchez. Set in 1992, a Filipino kid working at his father's liquor store seeks community through the arcade game Street Fighter II, but finds himself clashing with a local bully and ultimately at odds with his father.

DOG, BRUH! Directed by Katja! In 1995 Los Angeles, Filipino teen Shawn sets out to ask his best friend Nico’s sister to the prom that night. He does so by affixing onto himself a caricature of a Black person, and therefore must realize that doing so is wrong, on so many levels. Eventually, he gets help from his favorite rapper, and runs to apologize to Nico before Nico leaves for the prom himself.

An Ongoing List of Things Found in the Library Book Drop, Usually Being Used as Bookmarks. Directed by Kayla Abuda Galang. A lonely library worker discovers abandoned items tucked between returned book pages, sparking his imagination as he pieces together the lives and tales behind each mysterious memento. Filmmaker in attendance.

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