Filipino Canadian filmmaker Kent Donguines travels back to the Philippines to reconnect with his roots. In a nation with over 134,000 years of history and centuries of colonization — under Spanish, American, and Japanese rule — Donguines notes a shared feeling of weakened traditional identity among many Filipinos he knows and meets. A vital part of their heritage, the centuries-old practice of tattooing, was banned by colonizers and even shunned by Filipinos.
Canada
A Priest Walks into a Bar
When Caleb runs from his shame, it is to the local tavern. Drinking alone, he is surprised to be joined by the last person he expected.
In the Morning Sun
In a quiet Toronto apartment, an immigrant mother finds comfort in her Alexa—weather updates, love songs, and the time back home become a lifeline to the Philippines, reminding her of the family she left behind. In the Morning Sun is a gentle portrait of aging, migration, and memory.
Parallel Gazes
Madeleine, Jean-Jacques, and Félicien orchestrate a car theft to break free from their financial and social constraints. During the act, they kill a witness, drawing the public's attention. Hunted by all, this decision leads them down a bewildering path between love and violence, one they can no longer control.
Give and Take
A schoolteacher and an artist, two newlyweds, leave their lives in Hong Kong and wrestle with the promise of freedom in Canada.
The Man in the Second Story Window
A Man sits at a desk, typing. Another Man sits across from him in a chair, sleeping. Outside, beneath them, reality plays out, as it has forever. Today, however, that changes.