In 2017, my Greek colleague, Ersi Danou, excitedly told me that there is “a film project about two young Filipino sisters living in Greece. The film is titledA Greek indie drama with a mostly Filipino cast and story? I could hardly believe it. is a reality. After a long time struggling to make her dream project come true, Araceli finished her feature directing debut.
Araceli, an Athens native who is based in Los Angeles, worked as a documentary film editor and directed several shorts, includingwas screened in this year’s Locarno Film Festival and won the First Cut+ Award.Finding an affinity for the Filipino community in Greece since she was young, Araceli went on to get her MFA in film directing at the California Institute of the Arts as a Fulbright scholar.’s story was inspired by Araceli’s memories of healers coming to her house.
“That led me to a Filipino church and when I witnessed a healing ceremony, it resonated with me. That was how I decided to set the sisterly relationship within this spiritual/ medicinal space since it brought up memories from a time that was scary and formative to me.” “While being prayed on, a woman fell flat on her back. That was the first time I saw, with my own eyes, a healing ceremony. I didn’t know at the time that there is a rich tradition of healers. I was in awe.”“I lived in Ampelokipi, which is the Filipino neighborhood,” she recounted. “On Sundays, many of the basements get filled with Filipinos who belong in self-organized fellowships or small churches.
“I had spent many years looking for the right person to play Emy,” Araceli recalled. “The casting team found Abigael Loma at the Philippine School in Greece.”Born in Quezon City, Abigael and her family immigrated to Greece in 2008. “She never read the script. I withheld it from her as much as possible in order to keep her performance present and fresh. Every day, Abigael entered into a new challenge, without holding back, always a perfectionist and very professional.”
, for which she earned best actress honors from several award-giving bodies and film festivals, including Asia Pacific Screen Awards, Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, Hanoi International Film Festival, FAP and Gawad Urian. “Most of the participants in the scenes were employed full-time, many as live-in caretakers or cleaners but they made time for the many auditions, rehearsals, wardrobe fittings, etc. that were required.”
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