‘Aloha Meets Mabuhay’ film screening showcases local Filipino stories

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Two local films are taking center stage this Saturday at the “Aloha Meets Mabuhay” screening at Kailua Cinemas, sharing Filipino American stories of resilience, culture and healing.

Read more Volunteers help Waiahole farm recover after third flood this year

Filipino Association of University Women President Michelle Cruz Skinner and filmmaker Angelica Yulo-Batin Quinn joined HNN’s Sunrise to talk about the showcase.

The event will feature Quinn’s award-winning short film “Sira” and “Along Comes Larry” by Rick Quan, which celebrates legendary Filipino American musician Larry Ramos.

Born and raised in Kauaʻi, he became the first Asian American to win a Grammy.

“FAUW’s mission is to educate the public on the arts, culture, history, traditions, and values of Filipinos,” said Skinner, author of two short story collections and a novel on the Filipino and Filipino-American experience. “We think it’s important to share the stories of Filipinos in Hawaiʻi. Filipinos make up roughly a quarter of Hawaiʻi’s population and are part of our diverse community. Films like these can lead us to more deeply understand each other.”

In Sira, a word that means “broken” in Tagalog, Quinn follows a survivor’s journey through domestic violence, based on her own experience.

Read more What’s Cooking: Waikiki restaurant Favorite Son offers all-day dining, discounts

“Sira came out of piecing together memories from my childhood — some poignant, some bittersweet, some traumatic,” Quinn said. “I was a domestic violence survivor as a child. My father had been critically ill and hospitalized. He was a quiet man who hid his illness, and I only learned how sick he was in that hospital room. Can I forgive him to help care for him?”

The film received the Hawaiʻi Filmmakers Collective Founders Award Grant.

“Aloha Meets Mabuhay” is open to the public. Tickets are available at KailuaCinemas.com.

FAUW invites the public to take part in its events, including the “Letter to My Parents” contest, which invites Hawaiʻi residents ages 14-22 to share their family stories for an opportunity to win $1,000. In December, the nonprofit also hosts a parol making event on Sakada Day at the Hawaii Plantation Village. Find more information at fauwhawaii.org.

Read more Medical system, employers scramble to meet demand for women’s mid-life healthcare