PagBabalik/”Homecoming” is a hybrid documentary narrative film that follows a Filipino-American in her search to return to her ancestral roots. As children of immigrants, many of us share the experience assimilating at the cost of our identity, whether we were forced to, or whether we forged the distance ourselves. Homecoming is an attempt to reconcile my cultural hiya (shame) of my past assimilating into America, with my deepening embrace of Filipino identity in the present - all while sharing the incredible parts of our history and culture I’ve discovered along the way. This film embraces and highlights the culture of our third main island, Mindanao (specifically Tawi-Tawi) of which I’ve had the privilege of traveling to in 2019.

THE PLOT

In Ang Pagbabalik (Homecoming) Ariel, a Filipina dancer, experiences visions of her recently deceased Nanay (mother) during a ballet class. Urged by her best friend Evangelista, Ariel decides to take a Filipino dance class. What follows is an emotional and personal pilgrimage back to Ariel’s ancestral Filipino roots where she reconnects with the beauty of her identity, while overcoming grief and childhood internalized hiya (shame). 

What makes this film special?

This story is a reflection of my and our lived experiences growing up in America as children of immigrants who had to assimilate and grow up among peers who did not look like ourselves. This is also a film that is an homage to the dance styles and wardrobe Indigenous to the Southern Philippines.

There are few films that tackle our search for identity as Filipino-Americans and the subsequent shame we felt having to hide and adapt our identity. There are even fewer that show the rich culture of Mindanao. This film will showcase a dance from the Sama tribe of Tawi Tawi called Igal, as well as other dances. Taken as a whole, this will be a unique narrative film with documentary elements, combining scripted sequences with real experiences and interactions of a living and breathing dance community.

This is a Film By the Community FOR the Community

Our film portrays Indigenous Filipino dances and features the Parangal Dance Company, a heritage dance institution that has been propagating Indigenous dance for almost 20 years. The film’s protagonist, Ariel, returns to her roots through one of many Indigenous Filipino dances, Igal, a sharp departure from ballet. Parangal will also showcase other types of dance that may be new experiences for a wider audience.

Homecoming would not be possible without Parangal’s knowledge and counsel, as well as their cast of dancers who will be featured throughout the film.

WE ARE A 90% FILIPINX Crew!

As Director, I intentionally selected Filipinx crew in key roles to convey the nuance of our film’s themes and our culture, but also to have emotional resonance to our story. As 1st generation immigrant children who share struggles around identity and reconnecting with our heritage, we resonate with the feeling of loss of, and yearning for an understanding of our cultural roots.

Making this film is an opportunity for our Filipinx crew to have a stake in telling our own story, while finding a way to reconcile our upbringing.

Importantly, investing in this film is investing in future Filipinx artists and filmmakers, who can continue to tell more of our stories.

Seed & Spark requires that we raise at least 80% of our goal for the project to be funded, otherwise we will not receive any funds to shoot the film.

This is our collective story and we need your help to tell it. In a time of rising AAPI cinema, there is still a dearth of Southeast Asian and Filipinx stories. Even though this growing representation is an important start to showing who Asians are, the diversity of the Filipino narrative as one of the largest and earliest Asian immigrant diasporic groups is still unknown.

This film is an opportunity to showcase a rarely seen part of our Filipino Culture, while bringing a talented crew of Filipino artists together.

The money will go towards paying our Filipino  crew and cast, equipment rentals, and food for our large crew (~12 on production + our actors and dancers!). And most importantly to Parangal Dance Company for their educational, personnel, and wardrobe!

After spending the last couple years working with Filipino chefs dive into our heritage discovering our cuisine, I believe that now is the time to continue show even more aspects about our rich and diverse culture.

NO donation is too small. Kapwa is in our culture and this is a film that will truly not be made without the support of our community. We are relying on you to give what you can, the price of a coffee, the cost of a meal,

and spread the word to others who are struggling with identity.

Follow @pagbabalik_film

STRETCH GOALS

Meeting our target goal will go towards production costs and paying out our crew to make the film. But that is only step 1.

If we’re able to reach $10,000 over our goal we will be able to;

•  Have a more equitable payout to our crew.
• Create a unique musical score that incorporates a lot of Indigenous Philippine instruments, such as the Kulintang which is endemic and often used in Southern dance.
• Submit to film festivals and have community screenings to showcase more of our culture!

FISCAL SPONSORSHIP

Filmmakers Collaborative SF, an SF based nonprofit filmmaker cohort is our fiscal sponsor, so all donations will go through them and are tax deductible to the extent allowed by tax regulations. Last year I participated in their incubator program in partnership with Re-Present Media, which helped me produce my last film, Sammy’s Last Arrangement.

NON-PROFIT PARTNERS

As a community film for our culture, we are also proudly partnering with the following organizations:

Parangal Dance Company

Parangal’s mission is to give tribute to Philippine heritage by preserving and promoting ethnic attire, music, and dance through research, workshops, and performances. We aim to serve as a bridge,inspiring and connecting Filipinos in diaspora to their roots to give them a sense of pride and identity, while educating diverse communities to foster awareness and appreciation of Philippine culture.

As our partner, Parangal has helped develop this film through providing their knowledge, cast, wardrobe, and time. Ang Pagbabalik would not be possible without them in more ways than one (our protagonist Jazlynn used to dance with Parangal)! A portion of the budget will pay it back to Parangal for their contributions to this film.