Faculty of Art
Join us on March 16 (Sunday) at 3pm at 411 Seniors Centre (3502 Fraser St.) for an afternoon of Merienda and Movie featuring the documentary Inay, directed by Thea Loo!
About the film: With the desire to help answer unresolved questions and heal lingering wounds, INAY investigates the flawed immigration pathways between the Philippines and Canada that kept so many Filipino children from their mothers. Inay, which means “mama” in Tagalog, is an intimate and personal look at the experiences and trauma endured by many Filipino Canadians. Filmmaker Thea Loo and her husband Jeremiah Reyes, who is also the film’s Director of Photography, explore the intersections of mental health and migrant labor and the effects that continue to be felt years later. Through intimate conversations, this self-reflexive documentary aims to bridge the silences and disconnect between the first and second generations of the Filipino community.
The movie screening will be followed by a discussion featuring Director Thea Loo in conversation with esteemed community organizers and panelists Erie Maestro (Migrante Canada and NPC3), Kiana Tom (Migrante BC and International Migrants Alliance), and Darla Tomeldan (Pinoy Pride Vancouver). The discussion will be moderated by Dr. JP Catungal (UBC ACRE).
This Merienda and Movie event is part of the “Browning Asian Canada”, a public research and engagement series convened by Dr. JP Catungal, Co-Director of UBC ACRE, and is co-sponsored by Migrante BC.
This event is free and open to all. Space is limited so make sure to register to reserve a seat! A light merienda will be served!
Thea Loo is producer and director from Vancouver BC. Her work has played at Sundance, Palm Springs ShortFest, CAAMFest and distributed on TIFF Digital Bell Lightbox. She has produced multiple short films such as SMOKE EATER (Dir. Gloria Mercer), which premiered at the Whistler Film Festival 2022 and is available on CRAVE. She produced the hybrid animated short documentary BLUE GARDEN (Dir. Natalie Murao), selected for Telefilm Canada’s Not Short on Talent program at Clermont-Ferrand 2022 and now streaming on CBC Gem. She produced and directed her first feature documentary “Inay (Mama)” for the Knowledge Network, which won the Arbutus Award for Best BC Film at the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival. She is producing an upcoming short film called TEARS BURN TO ASH which was shot this past December in Japan and is currently in post production.
