Be Not Afraid
Los Angeles, California | Film Feature
Documentary
A migrant Filipino family finds community after a racist attack. Made by an all-AAPI filmmaking team, our feature-length documentary is a story about hope, trauma, and the sacrifices immigrants make for a chance at a better life.
Be Not Afraid
Los Angeles, California | Film Feature
Documentary
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $44,334 for post-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
455 supporters | followers
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A migrant Filipino family finds community after a racist attack. Made by an all-AAPI filmmaking team, our feature-length documentary is a story about hope, trauma, and the sacrifices immigrants make for a chance at a better life.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Nerissa and Gabriel Roque, a married Filipino couple, come to California to work. They send wages back home for their kids Patricia, Ysabel, and Patrick who live with their Lola in the Philippines. After a decade apart, the family reunites in Los Angeles and hopes to live the American dream. One night outside a fast food restaurant in 2022, their lives are upended by a stranger. He yells racist slurs and assaults the elder Roques, breaking Gabriel’s rib and bruising Nerissa’s neck as their youngest daughter desperately tries to help.
Be Not Afraid follows the Roques’ journey from victims to leaders as they seek justice for the attack on their family. The family inspires a spirited, multicultural cast of community organizers to support their case and launch a campaign called “Justice for the Roques.” Through intimate access to the Roque family, our film explores the family’s past ghosts and daily struggles as their case tests the limits of the U.S. court system and the Philippine State. Ultimately, Be Not Afraid is the story of an immigrant family finding dignity and strength in their community and each other.
Millions of Filipinos and immigrants like the Roques have faced the difficult choice to migrate abroad for the chance to make a decent living—opportunities that no longer exist in their home country because of governmental corruption and continued U.S. imperialism. Once they arrive, immigrants often struggle with labor exploitation, family separation, and discrimination. On top of that, anti-Asian and anti-immigrant rhetoric by politicians and the pandemic fueled a surge in anti-AAPI hate crimes across the U.S.
Yet Filipinos have a history of challenging injustice. In the 1960s, Larry Itliong, a Filipino American labor organizer led a multiracial coalition of farm workers in the Delano grape strike and won higher wages and safer working conditions for workers. Our film provides a modern day example of the power of collective action. Community strength helped the Roques find a pro bono lawyer, raise the visibility of their case as hundreds of community members came to court hearings, and gain an audience with the Philippine Consulate after months of being ignored. The Roques’ story can help other hate crime survivors navigate the court system and bring awareness to shortcomings in the judicial process. The family and their community’s determination, joy, and bravery will inspire audiences and provide a blueprint for other communities to stand against the tide of anti-Asian hate.
When Patrick “PJ” Roque found out his parents had been attacked, Co-director John Zafra-Haas was one of the first people he called. John met PJ years earlier through organizing in the Filipino community in Los Angeles and mentored him in filmmaking. Co-directors John and Tiên both contributed to the grassroots campaign “Justice for the Roques,” documenting the campaign and teaching community organizers how to connect with journalists. They saw first-hand how challenging it was for everyday people to navigate complicated legal proceedings.
Over the years, our filmmaking team has built a relationship of mutual respect and trust with the Roques and have witnessed the family’s joy, frustration, compassion, and unrelenting efforts to change their situation and others. The film is a co-production with SIKLAB Media, a Filipino multimedia collective dedicated to uplifting stories within the Filipino community and whose lived experiences are invaluable to telling an authentic and resonating story. As both filmmakers and members of this community, our team is deeply committed to sharing this story with the world.
For nearly three years, co-directors John and Tiên have documented the Roques’ experience. We’ve donated our own time, money, and equipment to complete ~90% of the filming. We couldn’t have made it this far without the support of the entire Roque family, first of all, as well as countless community members, organizers, friends, and family. We want to especially thank our collaborators Siklab Media as well as our filmmaking team and dear friends Mic Zerda, Kady Le, Michael Flores, and Karen Roxas who have so generously offered their time and expertise. We’ve filmed more than 70 hours of incredible footage that we need to mold into the best 90-minute film that it can be, full of joy, tension, hope, drama, and humanity.
To take that next step into post-production, we need your help. Our full post-production and distribution budget is more than our fundraising goal of $50,000. But this amount will ensure that our team can dive into the editing process early next year to finish the film by the end of 2025. Once the film is completed, we'll be submitting our documentary to film festivals and offering community screenings near and far.
If you can help us bring this powerful story to the world, please pledge your support and share our campaign with your friends on social media. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook so you don't miss out as we share updates, testimonials, and snippets from the film!
With Seed & Spark, we need to reach 80% of our goal in order to receive any of the funds. Note that you'll only be charged if we get the green light. But together, we'll get there!
- If we raise $60,000, we’ll be able to put it towards audio mixing and more editing.
- If we raise $70,000, we’ll also be able to bring on an animator and colorist.
- If we raise $80,000, we’ll also be able to commission a music composer and help cover our legal review to clear the film for distribution.
- If we raise $100,000, we’ll be able to cover our filmmaking team’s deferred pay for their invaluable labor during production.
*If you are a major donor interested in making a tax-deductible contribution via our fiscal sponsor Visual Communications Media, please contact us directly by emailing [email protected].*
**Campaign page graphics designed by Alec Figuracion**
THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Editing
Costs $10,000
This will go towards our editors’ labor costs as they transform 70+ hours of footage into a poignant and powerful feature-length film.
Writing & Directing
Costs $20,000
This will enable our team to thoroughly review all the footage, develop storylines, and provide a strong script to our editors.
Producing & Cinematography
Costs $20,000
This will go towards filming the last scenes we need for the film and also cover deferred fees for our producers and cinematographers.
Share this update!
About This Team
John Zafra-Haas, Co-Director/Producer/Cinematographer/Editor
John is documentary filmmaker, cinematographer, editor, and community organizer. His work focuses on human rights and as a Filipino American himself, is centered around the many issues Filipinos face. He has a decade of experience as a commercial videographer and video journalist. John’s work also takes the form of advocating for migrant workers who have been the victims of wage theft, labor trafficking, and housing insecurity. He has become a trusted member of the Filipino migrant community with his efforts to amplify their voices through multimedia. In 2022, John directed the film “Liwanag” about the experiences of Filipina migrant workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Liwanag” premiered as the opening film at the 39th LA Asian Pacific Film Festival. In 2022, he also co-founded SIKLAB (Sining at Kultura-Arts and Culture), a collective of Filipino filmmakers and artists committed to producing community centered art that uplifts the stories of everyday working-class people.
Tiên Nguyễn, Co-Director/Producer
Tiên is a Daytime Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker, multimedia journalist, and reformed PhD chemist. Born in Saigon, she left Vietnam at 11-months-old by fishing boat with her family. Her family survived an open sea crossing that claimed many thousands of lives, and reached a refugee camp in the Philippines before resettling in North Carolina. This formative experience taught her a lasting lesson on resilience and luck. It fueled a lifelong desire to question the political forces that shape our world. Her work spans history, science, and human rights with a focus on marginalized communities. She has produced stories for outlets including PBS Digital Studios, KCET, ITVS, Nature, New Scientist, Science Careers, Scientific American, and VICE News. She co-wrote and produced the history and pop culture show Historian’s Take, which was nominated for a 2023 Daytime Emmy as well as a 2023 NAACP Image award.
Karen Roxas, Consulting Producer
Karen was born in Manila, Philippines, and immigrated to the U.S. when she was 13 years old. As a first-generation immigrant, she experienced various issues including being a formerly undocumented youth. She is also a former fast-food worker who experienced workplace exploitation and wage theft. Roxas earned a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Since 2014, she helped lead campaigns against labor trafficking, wage theft, and immigration detention and deportation, and has tackled discrimination and hate issues faced by migrants. She is currently leading the "Organize to Stop Asian Hate" campaign for the Filipino Migrant Center, including supporting hate crime survivors like the Roque family. She currently serves as the national vice-president for the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON), an alliance of 28 organizations and institutions campaigning for immigrant, health, hate, and disaster-relief issues. Roxas served as producer and translator on the short film Liwanag. Karen played a critical role in realizing the film, bringing her deep empathy and knowledge of Filipino migrant issues to the subject matter as well as her community relationships cultivated through years of service and trust building.
Mic Zerda, Cinematographer
Mic Zerda is a cinematographer and camera operator from Manila, now based in Los Angeles, with a passion for storytelling that focuses on real-life narratives. His journey into documentary filmmaking began as a production associate on Lauren Greenfield’s The Kingmaker, a pivotal experience that shaped his career. With over a decade of experience, He has worked with both local and international news organizations, NGOs, and on a wide range of commercial projects. He has created impactful content across various mediums, from music videos and commercials for brands like Nike, Cartier, and National Geographic to documentaries with VICE and Bloomberg. He is committed to visually capturing the stories that matter most.
Michael Flores, Associate Producer
Michael’s storytelling journey has been marked by a commitment to amplifying voices of the unheard. He has lent his voice as a journalist for LAist/NPR 89.3, the Pulitzer Center, and Pacifica KPFK 90.7, telling the stories of veterans, indigenous matters, and Asians. Equally comfortable behind the camera, he was the Director of Photography for Wage Theft, a UCLA Labor Center production helping undocumented laborers, and the producer of Philippine Father, a film about dictatorship. Driven by his experiences in Iraq as an Army medic, he co-founded a non-profit supporting veterans in the Pacific Islands. He is a graduate of UC Irvine and Columbia University School of Journalism.
Kady Le, Associate Producer
Kady is based in Los Angeles and has worked in many facets of the film industry. She's worked in studio animation development, live-action TV, and documentary. Alongside producing, Kady is a director and writer. Her short film, “Like Mother, Like Daughter,” has screened in film festivals in major cities across the US and internationally, such as Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, London, and Dublin. She is a graduate of UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. While there, she was the recipient of the Dustin Lance Black Award for Diversity and Inclusion and the Peter Stark Memorial Scholarship.
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SIKLAB Media, Co-Producer
SIKLAB Media is a collective of Filipino filmmakers and artists dedicated to producing community-based multimedia that uplifts the stories of everyday working people. Their debut documentary, Liwanag (Light), premiered at the 39th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Siklab's current projects address a range of issues, including amplifying the voices of labor trafficking victims, documenting the experiences of communities displaced by reclamation projects in the Philippines, and exploring the ongoing housing crisis in Los Angeles and its impact on the Filipino community.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Nerissa and Gabriel Roque, a married Filipino couple, come to California to work. They send wages back home for their kids Patricia, Ysabel, and Patrick who live with their Lola in the Philippines. After a decade apart, the family reunites in Los Angeles and hopes to live the American dream. One night outside a fast food restaurant in 2022, their lives are upended by a stranger. He yells racist slurs and assaults the elder Roques, breaking Gabriel’s rib and bruising Nerissa’s neck as their youngest daughter desperately tries to help.
Be Not Afraid follows the Roques’ journey from victims to leaders as they seek justice for the attack on their family. The family inspires a spirited, multicultural cast of community organizers to support their case and launch a campaign called “Justice for the Roques.” Through intimate access to the Roque family, our film explores the family’s past ghosts and daily struggles as their case tests the limits of the U.S. court system and the Philippine State. Ultimately, Be Not Afraid is the story of an immigrant family finding dignity and strength in their community and each other.
Millions of Filipinos and immigrants like the Roques have faced the difficult choice to migrate abroad for the chance to make a decent living—opportunities that no longer exist in their home country because of governmental corruption and continued U.S. imperialism. Once they arrive, immigrants often struggle with labor exploitation, family separation, and discrimination. On top of that, anti-Asian and anti-immigrant rhetoric by politicians and the pandemic fueled a surge in anti-AAPI hate crimes across the U.S.
Yet Filipinos have a history of challenging injustice. In the 1960s, Larry Itliong, a Filipino American labor organizer led a multiracial coalition of farm workers in the Delano grape strike and won higher wages and safer working conditions for workers. Our film provides a modern day example of the power of collective action. Community strength helped the Roques find a pro bono lawyer, raise the visibility of their case as hundreds of community members came to court hearings, and gain an audience with the Philippine Consulate after months of being ignored. The Roques’ story can help other hate crime survivors navigate the court system and bring awareness to shortcomings in the judicial process. The family and their community’s determination, joy, and bravery will inspire audiences and provide a blueprint for other communities to stand against the tide of anti-Asian hate.
When Patrick “PJ” Roque found out his parents had been attacked, Co-director John Zafra-Haas was one of the first people he called. John met PJ years earlier through organizing in the Filipino community in Los Angeles and mentored him in filmmaking. Co-directors John and Tiên both contributed to the grassroots campaign “Justice for the Roques,” documenting the campaign and teaching community organizers how to connect with journalists. They saw first-hand how challenging it was for everyday people to navigate complicated legal proceedings.
Over the years, our filmmaking team has built a relationship of mutual respect and trust with the Roques and have witnessed the family’s joy, frustration, compassion, and unrelenting efforts to change their situation and others. The film is a co-production with SIKLAB Media, a Filipino multimedia collective dedicated to uplifting stories within the Filipino community and whose lived experiences are invaluable to telling an authentic and resonating story. As both filmmakers and members of this community, our team is deeply committed to sharing this story with the world.
For nearly three years, co-directors John and Tiên have documented the Roques’ experience. We’ve donated our own time, money, and equipment to complete ~90% of the filming. We couldn’t have made it this far without the support of the entire Roque family, first of all, as well as countless community members, organizers, friends, and family. We want to especially thank our collaborators Siklab Media as well as our filmmaking team and dear friends Mic Zerda, Kady Le, Michael Flores, and Karen Roxas who have so generously offered their time and expertise. We’ve filmed more than 70 hours of incredible footage that we need to mold into the best 90-minute film that it can be, full of joy, tension, hope, drama, and humanity.
To take that next step into post-production, we need your help. Our full post-production and distribution budget is more than our fundraising goal of $50,000. But this amount will ensure that our team can dive into the editing process early next year to finish the film by the end of 2025. Once the film is completed, we'll be submitting our documentary to film festivals and offering community screenings near and far.
If you can help us bring this powerful story to the world, please pledge your support and share our campaign with your friends on social media. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook so you don't miss out as we share updates, testimonials, and snippets from the film!
With Seed & Spark, we need to reach 80% of our goal in order to receive any of the funds. Note that you'll only be charged if we get the green light. But together, we'll get there!
- If we raise $60,000, we’ll be able to put it towards audio mixing and more editing.
- If we raise $70,000, we’ll also be able to bring on an animator and colorist.
- If we raise $80,000, we’ll also be able to commission a music composer and help cover our legal review to clear the film for distribution.
- If we raise $100,000, we’ll be able to cover our filmmaking team’s deferred pay for their invaluable labor during production.
*If you are a major donor interested in making a tax-deductible contribution via our fiscal sponsor Visual Communications Media, please contact us directly by emailing [email protected].*
**Campaign page graphics designed by Alec Figuracion**
THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Editing
Costs $10,000
This will go towards our editors’ labor costs as they transform 70+ hours of footage into a poignant and powerful feature-length film.
Writing & Directing
Costs $20,000
This will enable our team to thoroughly review all the footage, develop storylines, and provide a strong script to our editors.
Producing & Cinematography
Costs $20,000
This will go towards filming the last scenes we need for the film and also cover deferred fees for our producers and cinematographers.
Share this update!
About This Team
John Zafra-Haas, Co-Director/Producer/Cinematographer/Editor
John is documentary filmmaker, cinematographer, editor, and community organizer. His work focuses on human rights and as a Filipino American himself, is centered around the many issues Filipinos face. He has a decade of experience as a commercial videographer and video journalist. John’s work also takes the form of advocating for migrant workers who have been the victims of wage theft, labor trafficking, and housing insecurity. He has become a trusted member of the Filipino migrant community with his efforts to amplify their voices through multimedia. In 2022, John directed the film “Liwanag” about the experiences of Filipina migrant workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Liwanag” premiered as the opening film at the 39th LA Asian Pacific Film Festival. In 2022, he also co-founded SIKLAB (Sining at Kultura-Arts and Culture), a collective of Filipino filmmakers and artists committed to producing community centered art that uplifts the stories of everyday working-class people.
Tiên Nguyễn, Co-Director/Producer
Tiên is a Daytime Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker, multimedia journalist, and reformed PhD chemist. Born in Saigon, she left Vietnam at 11-months-old by fishing boat with her family. Her family survived an open sea crossing that claimed many thousands of lives, and reached a refugee camp in the Philippines before resettling in North Carolina. This formative experience taught her a lasting lesson on resilience and luck. It fueled a lifelong desire to question the political forces that shape our world. Her work spans history, science, and human rights with a focus on marginalized communities. She has produced stories for outlets including PBS Digital Studios, KCET, ITVS, Nature, New Scientist, Science Careers, Scientific American, and VICE News. She co-wrote and produced the history and pop culture show Historian’s Take, which was nominated for a 2023 Daytime Emmy as well as a 2023 NAACP Image award.
Karen Roxas, Consulting Producer
Karen was born in Manila, Philippines, and immigrated to the U.S. when she was 13 years old. As a first-generation immigrant, she experienced various issues including being a formerly undocumented youth. She is also a former fast-food worker who experienced workplace exploitation and wage theft. Roxas earned a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Since 2014, she helped lead campaigns against labor trafficking, wage theft, and immigration detention and deportation, and has tackled discrimination and hate issues faced by migrants. She is currently leading the "Organize to Stop Asian Hate" campaign for the Filipino Migrant Center, including supporting hate crime survivors like the Roque family. She currently serves as the national vice-president for the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON), an alliance of 28 organizations and institutions campaigning for immigrant, health, hate, and disaster-relief issues. Roxas served as producer and translator on the short film Liwanag. Karen played a critical role in realizing the film, bringing her deep empathy and knowledge of Filipino migrant issues to the subject matter as well as her community relationships cultivated through years of service and trust building.
Mic Zerda, Cinematographer
Mic Zerda is a cinematographer and camera operator from Manila, now based in Los Angeles, with a passion for storytelling that focuses on real-life narratives. His journey into documentary filmmaking began as a production associate on Lauren Greenfield’s The Kingmaker, a pivotal experience that shaped his career. With over a decade of experience, He has worked with both local and international news organizations, NGOs, and on a wide range of commercial projects. He has created impactful content across various mediums, from music videos and commercials for brands like Nike, Cartier, and National Geographic to documentaries with VICE and Bloomberg. He is committed to visually capturing the stories that matter most.
Michael Flores, Associate Producer
Michael’s storytelling journey has been marked by a commitment to amplifying voices of the unheard. He has lent his voice as a journalist for LAist/NPR 89.3, the Pulitzer Center, and Pacifica KPFK 90.7, telling the stories of veterans, indigenous matters, and Asians. Equally comfortable behind the camera, he was the Director of Photography for Wage Theft, a UCLA Labor Center production helping undocumented laborers, and the producer of Philippine Father, a film about dictatorship. Driven by his experiences in Iraq as an Army medic, he co-founded a non-profit supporting veterans in the Pacific Islands. He is a graduate of UC Irvine and Columbia University School of Journalism.
Kady Le, Associate Producer
Kady is based in Los Angeles and has worked in many facets of the film industry. She's worked in studio animation development, live-action TV, and documentary. Alongside producing, Kady is a director and writer. Her short film, “Like Mother, Like Daughter,” has screened in film festivals in major cities across the US and internationally, such as Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, London, and Dublin. She is a graduate of UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. While there, she was the recipient of the Dustin Lance Black Award for Diversity and Inclusion and the Peter Stark Memorial Scholarship.
SIKLAB Media, Co-Producer
SIKLAB Media is a collective of Filipino filmmakers and artists dedicated to producing community-based multimedia that uplifts the stories of everyday working people. Their debut documentary, Liwanag (Light), premiered at the 39th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Siklab's current projects address a range of issues, including amplifying the voices of labor trafficking victims, documenting the experiences of communities displaced by reclamation projects in the Philippines, and exploring the ongoing housing crisis in Los Angeles and its impact on the Filipino community.