Direk Eileen Cabiling and Darlene Malimas were among the featured panelists in the 43rd Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF 43) last October 10, to represent Basurero in the In the Moment Shorts Q&A.
Moderated by Annie Ning, Programmer at the AAIFF 43, they were joined by Alex Phuc Khang Nguyen (Ephemeral) and Joseph Mangat (Bidyoke).
It was a great engaging chat amongst filmmakers sharing their respective stories about their vision, struggles, and plans moving forward.
Asian Movie Pulse featured Basurero for its festival run at the 43rd Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF 43), on October 1-11, and the 36th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAPPFF 36), on October 1-31.
Written by Adam Symchuk, the article highlighted Basurero’s participation at the AAIFF 43 and LAPPFF 36, as well as introduce the film’s lead actor, Jericho Rosales, and Eileen Cabiling, the writer-director, to the readers.
Asian Journal features Direk Eileen Cabiling last October 1 as part of its spotlight features for the 43rd Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF 43).
The article highlights Eileen’s experiences growing up as the only Asian in her class in Richmond, Virginia, her motivation for doing Basurero, and that of becoming an independent filmmaker. She also discusses her future plans, including her project with the film’s lead actor, Jericho Rosales.
Watch Direk Eileen Cabiling as she engaged in a fun and lively conversation with other great Fil-Am female directors at the AAIFF 43: Filipino Filmmakers Roundtable Discussion last September 30.
She conversed alongside some amazing fierce Filipina filmmakers – Diane Paragas (Yellow Rose), Isabel Sandoval (Lingua Franca), and Andrea Walter (Empty by Design). It was moderated by the uber-cool Jeremiah Abraham (Founder/CEO – Tremendous Communication).
The past few years have seen a boom in Filipino diasporic films, with many films and filmmakers entering the mainstream. This roundtable gathered Filipino filmmakers at different points in their careers to discuss their work, process, and what it’s like to create now.
Basurero OPENS TODAY at the 36th Los Angeles Pacific Film Festival and the 43rd Asian American International Film Festival (New York City). Hope you can catch it along with all the amazing films showing this year!
October 1- 31
36th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival Online
Kudos to Direk Eileen Cabiling and the whole AMAZING TEAM:
Darlene Catly Malimas, Sascha Rice, Jose Carlos Mangual, Eva Husson, Nikie Esmero, Globe Studios, Jericho Rosales Official, and and CAST! Philippines, US, Korea and France!
A BIG THANK YOU to all our CROWD FUNDERS and SUPPORTERS!
Lia Chang, author of the Bev’s Girl Films blog, has featured Basurero and Direk Eileen Cabiling last September 27. Chang highlights the film’s continued critically acclaimed run in the international film festival circuit, focusing on its inclusion in the 43rd Annual Asian American International Film Festival on October 1-11, and at the 36th Annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival on October 1-31.
Our next #AAIFF43spotlight is on Filipino-American filmmaker Eileen Cabiling. Her short film “Basurero” is her directorial debut (but you definitely wouldn’t think that from first watching it!).
She’s been described by mentor Anna Thomas as “an artist whose stories magically come to life like in a painting.”
First in her immigrant family to be born in the United States, Eileen grew up as the only Asian in her class in Richmond, Virginia–the historical capital of the Confederacy. Her vision is to tell stories about the global Filipino diaspora and history, the many layers of the Filipino face along with the deeply complex nuances of colonial psychology and Filipino identity.
Now she’s in development with Jericho Rosales on a feature film titled: “Manhid” (which means numb in Tagalog).
Read our full interview with Eileen here:
.
.
Q) How has 2020 treated you? How has this pandemic affected your work as a filmmaker?
A) It has been a tremendous pause for me and although challenging and scary, I feel it has given me the space to reset and to dig deeper into my visions for where I would like my stories to go as a filmmaker. It has given me space to also understand what is important to me in life and to achieve some healthy balance after making my directorial debut which is Basurero.
.
.
Q) What does this film mean to you?
A) “Basurero” is inspired by an actual Filipino fisherman, who in an Al Jazeera interview reveals that he has been dumping bodies of drug war victims for the police into Manila Bay. This infamous drug war was instigated under current President Rodrigo Duterte, when he took office in June 2016. With the official death count in 2020–now above 5,000. Whereas, human rights groups are quoting over 27,000.
What attracts me to Bong’s story is not only the inhumane killings and the vilification of drug-users, sellers, and the poor in the Philippines but how this character’s circumstance is a window into the complex Filipino psyche’s search for value. I have been exploring this within myself, as a Filipina, firstborn in the United States–growing up with parents who immigrated to the superpower that colonized them.
My own cathartic trajectory has been deciphering this identity, finding meaning in self-value, and owning a voice as a storyteller of color.
In filming “Basurero,” we kept an observational stance, thus creating space for contemplation as we move with our main character through his day.
I strongly feel that the wounded psyche of the colonized needs to be explored, the stigma is broken and the pain healed. How can we be vulnerable, heal the past, feel deeply–own, and fight for our self-worth? How do we claim and embrace this value and take up space in this world?
.
.
Q) Who is a totally underrated API person that we should all know about?
A) Although he is well-known in the Philippines, I believe my lead actor, Jericho Rosales, is quite a talent and his excellent performances will be noticed more globally.
.
.
Q) Who would play you in a film or show about your life?
A) Maggie Cheung or Anais Nin
.
.
Q) What is an API-specific story that you want to see on the big screen?
A) About the thousands of Filipinos placed on display at the 1904’s St. Louis World’s Fair.
.
.
Q) What is the most iconic film moment or scene that you can think of right now?
Basurero Film – EAST COAST PREMIERE at the NYC – 43rd ASIAN AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL – proudly known as “The First Home to Asian American Cinema.”
In The Moment
October 1 — October 11
Thank you AAIFF and Cinevision for East Coast Premiering our film! Super honored to be part of all the amazing selections this year!
Kudos to our BRILLIANT TEAM, our Philippine Production Company – Autodidact Darlene Catly Malimas, AWESOME DP Jae Hyuk Lee (Korea), Globe Studios Jericho Rosales Official and Cast!
And — a GIANT SPECIAL SHOUT OUT to our NY/EAST COAST TEAM-MATES – Co Producers Melissa Tolentino Bruijneel and Christine Cabiling Leese and Associate Producers Angelica Locsin and Leandro Lachica, Consulting Producer Yasmine Gomez and our big-hearted Producing Mentors Robert Chang (Advantageous) and Kevin Chinoy (Florida Project) at Freestyle Picture Company and Director-Writer mentor Isabel Sandoval (Lingua Franca).
Forever grateful to every single one of you for all the love and support! It truly takes a village!
Organized by Asian CineVision, it’s the first and longest-running festival dedicated to showcasing the moving image work by media artists of Asian descent for and about the Asian diaspora experience. There are some brilliant compelling Filipino Feature Films and Documentaries showcased this year to watch too — Arumpac’s Aswang, Ramona Diaz’s A Thousand Cuts and Raya Martin’s Death of Nintendo! Plus many more! Grateful to all of you!
Join us as we intimately experience fire breathing on the hawker-lined streets of Saigon, the waters of Manilla amidst the Philippine’s drug war, and Filipino karaoke in a beloved restaurant in National City, California. These films illuminate the quietness in each moment to create portraits of family, places, and connection.
