Hey guys,

So I called the whole program: The Daydream Believers

And here are the films!

DEAR WATSONVILLE

Dir: 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

Dir: 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.

WINNER: Sundance, Grand Jury Prize - Short Film

WINNER: SxSW, Special Jury Award - Texas Short

FIDEL

Dir: 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.

Dir: Jole 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!

Dir: Katja!

NOTE: The title is always stylized in all caps with an exclamation mark: DOG, BRUH!

SECONDARY NOTE: Katja’s name is always stylized as a mononym with an exclamation mark: 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

Dir: 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.

WINNER: Aspen Short Fest, Best Short Short