MAHAL

A FILIPINO LOVE STORY INSPIRED BY MY PARENTS, TOLD IN 2 VERSIONS, ONE FROM MOM AND ONE FROM DAD.

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OUR SUCCESSFUL CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN

“MAHAL” is inspired by my parents and the stories they told me about how they met in the Philippines. I am a Filipino American student filmmaker and I’ve loved cameras ever since I was a baby, running around with a little camera everywhere I went. My parents were the original storytellers in my life and this project is a surprise gift to them. Directing and creating this project is a way for me to express how grateful I am for their hard work and everything they have done for my family. It’s a way for me to celebrate my culture and to bring Filipino representation to the industry, which is something I always wanted to see more of as I grew up.

This film is a way for me to connect to my parents, my identity, and my community. I was born in America, I’ve never been able to go to the Philippines, so my idea of my homeland is from my parents. I’ve felt stuck between identities, seen as too American or too Filipino, so creating this film that is so intertwined with my culture and my family is my way to accept my identity. The visual inspiration behind this film is inspired by old filipino romances, which include colorful images and close up shots.

A lot of my previous shorts have been inspired by my own emotions and my own experience, so I wanted to take a step out of my comfort zone and imagine a different experience. The story of how my parents met was one they told throughout my childhood and I wanted to take what I heard from that to create how I imagine their love story went down.

This project contributes to the further development of my career and experience, because there have been so many moving parts to this project. “MAHAL” is a narrative short film that follows a married Filipino couple telling their young daughter how they fell in love in two versions. The first version is spectacular, action-packed, and clearly exaggerated to entertain a young child. The second version is sweet, slow, steady, and honest. It’s the kind of story that they tell their kid once they are a little older. There is so much variety in this story and a handful of people involved that I’m learning how to effectively work with the community.

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT AFTER POST-PRODUCTION

"My parents saw the film first and it was cute to see their reaction, because they are just giggling to themselves and pointing at the screen. My parents are the type of people who never want to make the event about themselves which I like about them. They are selfless people. They are the type of people that deserve a film about them.

None of this would be possible without them. They always believed in me and supported me even when I didn't always believe in myself. They hadn’t even seen my projects and would say, “oh anak (kid). I want to be an extra in your film. Do you need a Filipino couple walking the dog in the background?” The answer is yeah mom and dad, I think I need that for every film actually.

Showing love in Filipino culture isn't like your average American sitcom where everyone is sitting at the dinner table together every night. I used to think it was supposed to be like that, but it doesn’t. It can be a little less direct. Like it's mom getting the pastry that I said I liked years ago out of the blue. It's dad knocking on my door giving me sliced apples randomly. I guess this film is my own sliced apple pastry to my parents.

I started creating films, because I wanted to see myself in films. People with my identity. And when I watch Mahal, not only do I get to see myself. I get to see my childhood. I get to see my family. I get to see my culture. And I get to see the faces that helped me put this idea to reality. So to me, Mahal isn’t really over at all. All I have to do is press play and there it all is."

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