Filipino-American filmmaker Myles Aquino's (Kuya/Ate, Sino Ako, Shapes of Home) newest short film features the struggle some second-generation Filipino-Americans face when displaced from their culture and language. The film meditates on the resilience of family in spite of this conflict.

I Really Wish I Spoke Tagalog is a short drama that follows Lando—a young Filipino-American making a life for himself while living away from his family—who travels home for several days to take care of his sick Lolo (grandfather) in the short absence of his mother, Juliette. Witnessing the state of his Lolo, Lando prepares himself for the coming days of caretaking that will be indescribably difficult, stirring, and insightful to his own identity and relationship to his heritage—all the while trying desprately to learn basic Tagalog to facilitate this connection.

 

I Really Wish I Spoke Tagalog is a senior capstone film for the University of Colorado Boulder's Department of Cinema Studies and Moving Image Arts. The crew consists of B.F.A. Film Production students and Film Production Honors candidates, mentored by Geoff Marslett (The Phantom 52, Quantum Cowboys) and Skinner Myers (The Sleeping Negro, Before You Float Away Into Nothing). Despite being a student-made film, the film is being made for individuals and families in similar situations as Lando and Lolo, and we feel the film carries a message that can deeply resonate with a lot of people in these difficult sitations.

Creative expression, dutiful storytelling, and professionalism are at the core of I Really Wish I Spoke Tagalog's team. The project is led by Myles Aquino, an interdisciplinary and multi-talented director experienced in every cycle of production. The producing team consists of Misha Kuetemeier, Austin Reed, Frico Ahendts, and Audrey Faue, who have each overseen a variety of successful films, ensuring the room for each crew member to create at the best of their abilities. The rest of the crew consists entirely of B.F.A. students, most of which are also Honors candidates in Film Production, experienced in the camera department, lighting, composing, editing, and everything in between.

 

I wrote this script by my Lolo’s bedside over the course of several days. A lot of experiences during my time with my Lolo and a trip back home in the midst of the semester inspired a lot of the dialogue and acted as the foundation for what is essentially every scene in the script.

One thing that I’ve struggled with since I was a child was the language barrier between my family and I. As a Filipino-American born in the States, my family wanted me to speak English instead of learning Tagalog so that further generations would have a better springboard of opportunities in the States—and learning English was a part of that. As a result, that led to my sister, my younger cousins, and I to have a hard time understanding our family that didn’t speak English at all or very well. Like my Lolo.

Lola and Lolo raised my sister and I since birth. Mom and Dad were always away working to make sure we would stay afloat, and so Lola and Lolo took care of us either when we were dropped off at their house before school or taking us out through the nearby Target to grab some food. Lola spoke English very well because of her time at the Subic Bay Naval Base. Lolo, despite working in the printing section of Subic Bay, never really got the hang of English, which led me to know the quiet yet caring man he was.

So this leads me back to my time with Lolo by his bedside. I’ve never seen him in this way after COVID weakened his respiratory system further than the fibrosis was already had. During that time, where he would have a hard time speaking, I felt that I understood everything he wanted to say, despite his return to speaking only Tagalog and my limited understanding. I want to illustrate that in the family, despite these generational differences, you are still family and that the familial connection never fails and is beyond the limitations of most things, despite language barriers and other obstacles—and that stories and memories across generations can lead to this enlightened understanding.

 

• July 31, 2022 - September 16, 2022
  • Preproduction (Production materials, Camera Prep, Casting, Location Scouting, Shot List and Storyboards)
• September 15, 2022 - September 18, 2022
  • Production (The cast and crew will film over a period of four days on location!)
• September 18, 2022 - October 30, 2022
  • Post-Production I (Film Processing and Development, Film Scanning at Colorlab)
• November 1, 2022 - March 31, 2023
  • Post-Production II (Editing and Visual Effects/Graphics)
• April 1, 2023- May 4, 2023
  • Post-Production II (Color Grading, Audio Editing, Music Composition)
• May 5, 2023
  • Delivery of I Really Wish I Spoke Tagalog
• May 2023 - January 2024
  • Film Festival Circuit
• January 2024
  • Release of I Really Wish I Spoke Tagalog

 

We aim to properly compensate our talented cast and wonderful crew for their involvement and hard work. It is also critical to ensure everyone's safety and comfortability on set while realizing the story and message of the film in the best way possible. We've structured the campaign to help fund certain parts of the production that will best reflect our goals for the film, and your donation will go directly towards these parts of the production. See the film's wishlist for a specific breakdown of these portions of the film.

 

For the film's style, we'd like to follow in the footsteps of some key members of contemplative cinema for this meditative piece on cultural identity and loss. Lav Diaz's Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan (Norte, The End of History, 2013) and Manuel Silos' Biyaya ng Lupa (Blessing of the Land, 1959) inspired the realism of the story and the characters, as well as the aesthetic of longer takes and realistic visual content. Céline Sciamma's Portrait de la jeune fille en feu (Portrait of a Lady on Fire, 2019) and Petite Maman (2021) had influenced the initial storyboarding of deep compositions with natural lighting to reflect the realism of the story, as well as the proposed minimal and quiet soundscape of the film. Other influences include Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Drive My Car (ドライブ・マイ・カー, 2021), Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story (2019), and a myriad of short films by Donald Glover, Renee Zhan, and Akanksha Cruczynski.

 

Of course, any and all donations are greatly appreciated, and we can't thank you enough! If you're unable to pledge, the best way to continue your support is to sharing this campaign, sharing our links, or tagging us on social media helps us out greatly. Spread the word! If you have any questions on how to support the project, please feel free to email the team!

Instagram: @ireallywishispoketagalog

Contact:

• Frico Ahrendts (Producer/Fundraising Coordinator) - [email protected]
• Myles Aquino (Director/Writer) - [email protected]