Filipina Sisters

2026, Short Documentary, 8:30 mins.
Directed, filmed & edited.

Official Selection and Award Winner — Austin International Film Festival.
Official Selection and Finalist — San Antonio FIlm Festival.
Official Selection and Nominee — Austin Under the Stars Film Festival.
Official Selection — Houston Asian American Pacific Islander Film Festival.
Official Selection — Diwa Filipino Film Festival of Seattle.

Filipina Sisters follows a group of Filipina women who immigrated to the United States and built a chosen family far from home. Through stories of culture shock, loss, and connection, the short documentary explores how Filipino community and shared heritage help transform displacement into belonging.

Background:

I grew up in a small town in Texas with very few Asians. That didn't stop my mom from finding other Filipinos in Texas. I would see her walk into HEB (grocery store) and somehow leave with a new Filipino friend who lived 50 miles away in another small town. Filipinos find each other. That's how my mom found her community, even though she lived in a rural area. So I basically gained a lot of unofficial aunties over the years. I love them, so much so that I made a short documentary about them. Filipina Sisters features my mom's Filipino crew.