STORY TO ACTION is a six month program that includes training and mentorship to support five Canadian documentary filmmaking teams to create strategies, build partnerships and organize screenings designed to educate and expand audience understanding of the social and environmental issues featured in their films.
produced by
KENT: Magandang umaga sa inyong lahat. Good morning everyone, I’m Kent Donguines, the Director of Kalinga.
ROBIN: And I’m Robin Macabulos, the Producer of Kalinga.
KENT: When I was six, my world changed forever. My mother left our family to become a nanny abroad. My sisters were 3 months and 3 years old. We were left with my grandmother. I didn’t have a clue what she was doing, where she was going, or when I would see her again. All I was told was she was going to get me some toys. Growing up, I remember feeling insecure at school when there were family gatherings and instead of my mother attending, it was either my grandmother or my nanny. I know my mother’s absence impacted me deeply. And I can only imagine what she went through alone in another country looking after someone else’s children while hers were 1000s of miles away.
Years later, I met these amazing women who helped me understand some of what my mom went through.
ROBIN: These brave women welcomed us into their homes and along with a delicious meal shared their stories about what it was like to be a nanny in a society that devalues the work they do. Here is our trailer.
KENT: These women sacrificed so much to take care of other people. How can we, as a society, take care of them?
Kalinga is a Filipino word that means care. I made this film in 2019 as a way to heal some of my own wounds. Learning about the experience of other nannies and the children they left behind, I no longer felt alone. There were many children like me and many mothers like my own. But during development and production, I realized this project was not just for me. It was also for my strong titas/aunties. I wanted to share their stories. Stories that deserve to be heard but are so often left untold.
Now, I hope to use this film to inspire others to honor and value caregivers and nannies not only in Vancouver but the rest of Canada and the world.
ROBIN: We also want to encourage Filipino workers to honor themselves; to see their labor and sacrifice as something valuable. Because being a caregiver or a nanny is often looked down upon.
KENT: We want to work with YOU as community partners to host in-person screenings and virtual events followed by discussions with caregivers, nannies, and their employers.
ROBIN: We want to facilitate these conversations to encourage emotional literacy in migrant workers and their families to help prevent estrangement and promote healthy communication between separated families.
KENT: In order to do this, we need financial support to hold events within and close to communities where caregivers and nannies live and work, not only in Vancouver but all of Canada. To bring this film and some of our participants to remote places to talk about their experiences, we also require funds to cover travel, accommodation, and speaker fees.
ROBIN: Currently, there are not adequate resources that fight for caregiver rights in Canada. We would like to use this film to support the creation of a unified caregiver labor organization that advocates for caregiver rights, the improvement of employment conditions, and other issues. This would allow migrant workers to aggregate their voices and power.
Ultimately, we want to contribute to reforming existing policies that impact the caregiving industry. We will engage with celebrities and influencers (Filipino or not) to support our cause, amplifying caregiver voices and therefore reaching a wider audience.
KENT: Being a nanny is a demanding profession that requires so many of its practitioners physically emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. This profession shouldn’t be devalued. Kalinga features stories that remind us of exactly that. Our film is a testament to the fact that they are not JUST caregivers and nannies. THEY ARE OUR CAREGIVERS AND NANNIES.
ROBIN: We really wanted to make a movie that’s close to home. A piece that we can easily relate to and a film that we can take to the Filipino-Canadian community. We want to educate and inspire Filipino caregivers and nannies to be proud of what they do, and we want to invite you to join us in this work.
KENT: This profession continues to be frowned upon. People including our fellow Filipinos still find this job degrading and it’s time for that to stop. This job deserves to be respected.
This global pandemic has made it even more evident that caregivers and nannies are important. As the borders slowly open up again, 1000s of Filipino caregivers and nannies are coming into Canada. The exodus is turning the Philippines into a motherless society. These women are coming in to take care of Canadians, but as Canadians, how do we take care of them?
WHO ATTENDED?
Annette Frymer - SMI Board Member
$100 towards the impact campaign costs.
Archierose Natividad - Filipino Fridays
Pledged to extend their platform and have the film team speak on the show, to help facilitate and promote screenings, and promote on social media and network.
Clarizze Truscott - Migrante Canada
Will bring the film to the council members at Migrante Canada to see how they can use the film in solidarity with their members.
Deanna Okun-Nachoff - McCrea Immigration Law
Will discuss with the film team about how she can leverage the film in her field and be of help to the impact campaign. Would like to have Kent and Robin on her podcast to discuss the issue.
Don Schafer - the conversation lab
Offered a 30 to 60 minute interview at The Conversation Lab, a weekly radio program and podcast that supports the work of not for profit organizations, community groups and change makers about the work they do. The audio is shared with dozens of podcasting platforms and all audio and video can be repurposed for promotion and marketing.
Esther Chetner
$600 towards impact campaign costs.
Ida Lucila - Philippine Arts Council
Will create awareness and help promote the film on social media. would like to help host a screening and panel discussion in Edmonton.
Imogene Lim - Vancouver Island University
Will try to get a screening at Vancouver Island University and will try to get the film incorporated with classes at the University as a learning tool. And will put forward the film as part of a Federation of Post Secondary Educators, Human Rights and Solidarity Committee university speaking series across BC.
Iona Fresnoza - Kapé Philippine Coffee
Will meet with the film team to discuss how they can assist the impact campaign in regard to migrant Filipino workers and could help organize community screenings or events. Can also bring the film to the immigrant employment council of BC.
Jeanna Villafuerte - Rise Tribe
Is interested in learning more about how RISE Tribe and the University Filipino Association they are associated with could share the film with different University community partners.
Jonathon Braun - Migrant Workers Centre
Can connect clients and members with the film and work to help bring people to and promote screenings in Vancouver.
Kathleen Zaragosa - Sliced Mango Collective
Will help introduce the film team with youth that might find the story relevant, to talk about mental health and intergenerational communication. Will try to host a community event with the youth and help outreach with their network as well as share and promote the film and screening.
Laura Dueñas - DOC National
Will set up a meeting with the film team to discuss how they can best help the project and discuss their advocacy plans.
Louroz Mercader - Rise Tribe
Personal pledge of $500 and will challenge his organization to match the donation. Interested in organizing a screening in Toronto.
Mary Barrol - Charity Village
Would like to host a screening and have a panel discussion with the film team and other thought leaders in the field.
Phil De Luna
Will promote the film on social media and in his network, and would love to help facilitate a screening. Will bring Kent and/or Robin forward as a nominee for a Ted Talk. And will share the film with the national research council. Donated towards the impact campaign costs.
Philip Kelly - York University
Will help organize a screening at York University and would also like to use the film as part of his Immigrant Integration course.
Tony Burke - OMNI College
Would like to host a screening of the film at Omni College. Would also help raise awareness about the film and issues on social media.
Trixie Ling - Flavours of Hope
Would like to help host a screening that can relate to foods from the Philippines as well. Will also help bring the film to the refugee women she works with.
Valentine Ostaszewski - Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society
Her organization would like to have a screening and a panel discussion sometime during the month of May which is Asian Heritage Month. Would also be open to doing marketing and promotions for the event and would have the possibility of giving financial compensation to the film team for coming to deliver a panel discussion.
