When COVID-19 first emerged, I faced unforeseen disruptions in my daily life. While watching the news, I witnessed every social injustice and inequity further amplify under a global shut down. And with the death of George Floyd and the continued violence against black lives, the escalating division across the nation under a Trump administration left me with a feeling that many shared – a sense of helplessness. However, looking toward my own Filipino American community in Texas, I gleaned a sense of hope watching the resilience of this younger generation rising to meet this unprecedented moment. Despite isolation and an uncertain future, these optimistic souls held an unwavering commitment to a better future and perhaps some found a sense of self and a sense of purpose in their pursuit of social change – and they were bringing their families along the way, despite differences of opinions and at times even politics.

With WHO WE BECOME: A Story of Kapwa, I hope to not only explore the self-reflections and critical conversations within Filipino families and communities this moment inspired, but also highlight the voices of this passionate generation bringing change to the forefront. ‘Kapwa’, afterall, is about togetherness, and together the stories of Lauren, Monica and Jenah build bridges across generations and communities.

Along with changing times, come new possibilities and new forms of storytelling. And what better way to capture one’s story than to collaborate closely with the protagonists themselves who are using their everyday tools to share their everyday stories. This community driven filmmaking approach gives us access into the most intimate and vulnerable moments we all experience. It is through these moments we uncover our universal truths of hope, struggle, and sometimes clarity. As our protagonists capture these unfolding moments of kapwa, we too hope the stories of WHO WE BECOME strengthen the bond that keeps us together.

It was at Sundance a few years ago when PJ and I got into a conversation about Filipino representation in the media, but it was mostly centered around our everyday lives and stories. We each grew up, children of immigrant parents from the Philippines, on opposite sides of the country (PJ in California and me in NY). Our experiences were different, but also similar. This seemed to be the case with everyone we spoke to within our community of artists. Although the experiences were very different, the one throughline was this idea of family and connection. This idea of togetherness and connection is often defined by our shared experiences. This desire to connect felt much stronger when COVID changed everyone’s lives.

Much like PJ, and the rest of the world, my everyday life was disrupted. I had to pivot so much of my work and personal life, but it was the isolation away from my family and friends that felt the most disruptive to me. I felt forced to look within and really reflect on what mattered the most. With the world on fire, racial tensions high, and the fear of financial instability I was also forced to reflect on what I stood for. It was in many ways a reckoning.

Developing the film over this period was almost therapeutic. Peeking into the lives of some incredible Filipinos in our community and how they were tackling this journey (we were all on) inspired me.  All their stories were different, but the same, with the common throughline of remaining connected to family through difficult times. While we only saw a fraction of their everyday lives, we saw their desire to connect, to be understood, and to understand.

For me, this film has come to mean so much more than telling stories of our Filipino-American community, but more so this desire to build community.