David Maquiling - first fil-am to receive national distribution in the US

The son of a surgeon from Placer, Surigao del Norte (Dr. Renerito Maquiling, graduate of Siliman University and UST who immigrated to the US in the 60's) and an American nurse, David Maquiling grew up in Holmdel, NJ, which was then fairly isolated from the Filipino and other Asian culture. His father being a avid story-teller, David grew up listening to Juan Tamad and Maria Makiling. He would later credit such story telling as a major influence in his filmmaking career.

When he went to school in NYU, he started exploring his heritage. He was exposed to Asian filmmakers and was profoundly affected by Lino Brocka's Macho Dancer, the first Filipino film he ever saw.

With his parents' encouragement, he entered the film program and later graduated magna cum laude from New York University's Tisch School of Arts. He has directed plays and has received numerous awards for his short films (Nine Feet Tall, Grand Jury Prize at the USA Film Festival, and Old English Cal, Best Short Film of the Providence Film Festival) and feature-length scripts (The Little Blue Man, Asian American Film Society's Prize).

His first full-length feature Too Much Sleep started filming in 1995 and was shown on international film festivals in 1997. His story of a sleep-deprived night security guard, whose search for his missing gun takes him on a quirky odyssey through suburbia, was praised by critics. In October, 2000, Angelika Entertainment presented a limited run at New York's Anthology Film Archives to rave reviews and sell-out audiences. The film was selected to be a part of the Shooting Gallery Loews Cineplex Entertainment Film Series joining a list of acclaimed independent films shown at Loews Multiplex theaters in 16 U.S. cities, including New York and Los Angeles. As such, David became the first fil-am to receive national distribution in the U.S.

David was nominated for the 2002 Independent Spirit Awards "Somebody to Watch" Prize and was awarded the 2002 IFP Project Involve: New York Fellowship Grant. For several years, he served as the Festival Director of NewFilmmakers, the weekly film series hosted at Anthology Film Archives, and was the Co-Festival Director for the 25th Anniversary of the Asian American International Film Festival in July 2002.

His next feature film is currently in production. Whereas Too Much Sleep was criticized by some groups for not having any Asian character, Another Deep Breath will explore the struggling marriage of a Filipino American husband and wife. Will this be the film that will introduce the Filipino to the American movie audience?


References:
Director's Feature Debut First Film by Fil-am to Receive National U.S. Distribution
David Maquiling at zoominfo

Ramona Diaz - Director/Producer

Ramona Diaz grew up in Manila and studied documentary filmmaking at Stanford.

Her first film, Spirits Rising is an hour-long documentary about women's role in the 1986 People Power revolution in the Philippines. Spirits Rising received a Student Academy Award, the Ida Lupino Director's Guild of America Award, a Golden Gate Award from the San Francisco International Film Festival, a Gold Apple from the National Educational Media Network and a Certificate of Merit from the International Documentary Association. It has been screened internationally and broadcast on public television stations in the United States and Australia.

In 1993, Diaz first interviewed Imelda Marcos for the film Spirits Rising. From the interview came the idea to make a documentary about the former first lady. In 1998, after raising money for the product, mostly from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, she went back to Mrs. Marcos to film her for the documentary. Shot in 16mm film by cinematographer Ferne Pearlstein, Imelda won the Excellence in Cinematography Award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004. Amidst the initial protest from Mrs. Marcos, the film had a very successful showing in the Philippines, becoming the first documentary to be distributed nationwide.

Her current project is The Learning which investigates the Baltimore city school system's experience with teachers from the Philippines.

Prior to pursuing a career as an independent filmmaker, Diaz was an associate producer for Cadillac Desert, a major PBS documentary series about the quest for water in the American West. She also line produced and edited an award-winning, 24-part television documentary series in the Philippines about the immigrant experiences of Filipinos residing in Europe and America entitled Apple Pie, Patis, Paté, atbp. Diaz has also worked in Los Angeles as a writer's assistant for Mary Tyler Moore Productions and as a producer's assistant for Lorimar Productions. She is a graduate of Emerson College and holds an M.A. in communication from Stanford University.

Pia Clemente - first Fil-Am Oscar nominee

Pia Clemente was born in the Philippines but her family emigrated to the United States when she was 3 years old. She grew up in New Jersey but has been in LA for the past 10 years.

She attended Lehigh, then transferred to Barnard College(1990), Columbia University where she was an English major with a minor in theater and creative writing. In 1993, while a senior at Barnard, she directed her first film. Four years later, she produced another short film, Christmas in NY. The film won an Academy Award for Dramatic Short Student Film for best director for Mark Millhorne who was a graduate student at the time.

Clemente received M.F.A. at the American Film Institute in 1997 and worked in theater for two years. In 2000, she was staff producer at Orbit Productions, a commercial production company. Later, she became a freelancer producer working for commercial companies like Villains, the Artist’s Company, BOB Industries and Subliminal Pictures. She worked on commercial campaigns for Volkswagen, Sears, Carl's Jr, Mandalay Bay.

Among her film credits is the independent Filipino-American film The Debut. In 2004, she line - produced Our Time is Up which received an Oscar nomination for Best Live Action Short Film at the 78th academy awards (2006). She got the distinction of being the first Fil-Am to be nominated for an Oscar. She also became the first filipina-american to be elected to the academy of motion picture arts and sciences.

Film Credits:
Whoo-Ya, 2008 - producer
Our Time is Up -2004- producer
The Debut - 2000 - line producer
Baby Geniuses - 1999- production assistant
The Daytrippers - 1996 - production assistant (2nd unit)
The Awakening Fire -2008 - producer

References:
Ivy Women in Sports: Pia Clemente
Clemente '93 is First Filipino-American Woman Nominee in Academy History

FilAm films at the Asian American International Film Festival, NY 2008

AAIFF 2008 continues the tradition of showcasing the best in Asian and Asian American cinema. Held on July 10-19, the series include 13 dramatic features, nine documentaries, and 10 shorts.

This year's list include.....


Giving Care: Director Clarissa de los Reyes' short film about an undocumented Filipino worker who must choose between staying in America as the family breadwinner or going back to the Philippines for her father’s funeral.


God Only Knows. Mark Reyes, Director. Nominated for AAIFF08 Excellence in Short Filmmaking Award. A woman decides to give up her son in hopes of a better life for him. However, his future does not seem much brighter. Click here to watch the trailer.


My Mother Said. In this 5 min film, directed by Jessica Sison, a grandmother looks back on her life and the legacy she will leave as she approaches her 100th birthday.


Santa Mesa, Ron Morales' feature film debut, winner of the Jury Award at the 26th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (March 2008). This is a beautifully filmed coming-of-age tale of a young Filipino American who must return “home” after the death of a loved one.


Slingshot. Shot on handheld digital video, director Brillante Mendoza's tale follows a series of characters in a Manila slum. Mendoza made history recently when his latest film, Serbis, became only the second movie from the Philippines to be nominated for the much-coveted Palm d’Or at the Cannes. Lino Brocka’s Jaguar was the first.

FilAm films at the 26th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival

The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (March 13 – 23, 2008), presented by the Center for Asian American Media, had an estimated attendance of 30,000, including over 225 filmmakers, actors and industry guests. It featured 113 including eight world premieres, three North American premieres and four U.S. premieres.


Santa Mesa, the feature debut of New York based filmmaker Ron Morales won the Special Jury Award in a tie with John Kwon's Always Be Boyz. This is the coming-of-age tale of a young Filipino American who must return “home” after the death of a loved one.

Other Fil-Am entries include...


Foster Child (John John), 98 mins. In English, Tagalog with English subtitles. Directed by Brillante Mendoza. Foster Child shows how stability can thrive amid the littered dirt alleys and ramshackle buildings of Manila’s slums. But stability does not preclude heartbreak. The film, which lingers on the rituals of a foster mother and son during their final day together, is buoyed by Cherry Pie Picache’s gorgeous performance.


Giving Care. Directed by Clarissa De Los Reyes. 11 mins. In English, Tagalog with English subtitles.
While taking care of an elderly man, a young Filipina receives devastating news from home. Torn between her life in the U.S. and family in the Philippines, she realizes how difficult it is to leave her economic and social circumstances.



Glory Boy Days. 100 mins. Directed and written by: Paul Justin Encinas.
Outfitted with a cast of characters as fresh as their wardrobe, Glory Boy Days follows a day in the life of a misfit crew through three interconnected stories.


God Only Knows. 17 mins. In Tagalog with English subtitles
Directed By: Mark V. Reyes.
Living in the squalor of a vast Manila shantytown, Maria has only one blessing: her son. As she walks him out of the slum and on a journey that may secure his future, she must consider the sacrifice she must bear. Only God knows how high the cost truly is.



Nagpapanggap. 20 mins. In Tagalog with English subtitles.
Directed By: Debbie Formoso.
Among a coterie of affluent women in the Philippines during the halcyon ‘60s, Lourdes believes she has one possession superior to all of her friends’ baubles: an honest husband. But when the fog of denial begins to lift, she must appraise the true value of her marriage, and decide whether to write it off or see what divi­dends it may yet pay.


Slingshot. 86 mins. In Tagalog with English subtitles
Directed By: Brillante Mendoza.
Shot on hand-held video camera, Slingshot follows characters in a Manila slum as they lie, cheat and steal- capturing their desperation with a documentary-like intensity.

Music Videos:
1) Embarcadeo Blues—Goh Nakamura. 3mins Video. Directed by Dino Ignacio.


2) Keep Up - P.I.C.. Steven mallorca, director.