The immense success of Jo Koy's new movie "Easter Sunday" has garnered phenomenal acclaim for not only its balance of heartfelt drama with side-splitting comedy, but also for its accurate representation of the Filipino community. Aptly set in Daly City, this film follows Koy as Joe Valencia as he reconnects with his traditional family during the religious gathering, which comes complete with accurately highlighting familiar cultural gestures, generational differences, authentic food, and of course, clever relatable humor.
“Finally our stories, our faces are front and center on the big screen,” co-star Tia Carrere said, which Jo Koy also emphasizing, “there’s this responsibility that they put on their shoulders when they make it to this country,” describing those predecessors who immigrated to America to provide greater opportunities for their next generations. “I see that with a lot of Filipino families and I wanted to show the world that’s how important this is to us.”
Koy's efforts to platform what he calls a "love letter and celebration of the Filipino-American culture" onto mainstream cinema has even bestowed him with the key to Daly City, which sits just below San Francisco with a large Filipino-American population. Recognizing the overall community within the SF Bay Area, here are five more films that put the Filipino diaspora and genuine Filipino-American narratives front and center, with most set here as well.
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Amazon Prime / Website
"Bitter Melon" by local creative Filipino visionary H.P. Mendoza depicts the intergenerational trauma from perpetuated toxic attitudes and beliefs, all in bitingly sardonic dark humor. When a family gathers together from Christmas in San Francisco, the party becomes an inside look on generational and gender differences as the belligerent antagonist Declan is revealed to have been physically abusing his wife while some in the family choose to act oblivious.
What follows is a cunning plot to reprimand him, along with poignant and visceral conversations all balanced together in a playfully devious tone.
Hulu / Website
"The Fabulous Filipino Brothers" stars prolific actor Dante Basco as the eldest brother among three other siblings (who are all of his actual brothers) who reconnect and recollect during a contentious Filipino wedding in this romantic comedy. Set right in Pittsburg, the charming, yet moving film follows each brother's life and relationships, and is another brilliant inside look on familial relations and the dynamics they maintain that may not be overt seen but are just as relatable.
Disney+ / Website
"Float" is a beautifully captivating animated short film that shows a father caring for his son who has the ability to float. As a magical metaphor for the challenges of understanding your child as they mature, it also successfully depicts the dynamics of raising a child on the spectrum, which reflects Director Bobby Rubio's personal experiences. This is a wonderfully cute and whimsical tale with touching parenthood aspects that also provides representation on the perspectives families of color have with an autistic or neurodivergent member or child.
Amazon Prime / Website
"The Debut" is a y2k era coming-of-age tale, but it remains as a teen classic both for early 2000s films, and for Filipino American representation. Also starring Dante Basco among renowned Filipino actors Tirso Cruz III, Gina Alajar, Eddie Garcia, and his other real-life brothers, Basco plays Ben Mercado who finds his identity against his family's wishes of him becoming a doctor (a truly understandable intergenerational and diasporic premise). This is a delightful watch that perfectly captures the feeling of coming into your own and the difficult, yet cathartic conversations you have along the way.
Amazon Prime / Website
Also by H.P. Mendoza, "Fruit Fly" is an outstanding must-watch that is entirely filmed in San Francisco and showcases the city's vibrant gay and Asian community through the eyes of Bethesda as she resides in a familial queer artists' commune. This is a catchy and gripping musical that was funded by the Center for Asian American Media and has been numerously awarded for its empathetic portrayals and storyline, notably winning the 2009 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival's Best Narrative Feature Audience Award.
The San Francisco Bay Area has long been known as a diverse haven for the Filipino American community, and the increasing number of films that depict their real voices and narratives amplifies representation to positively shift accurate perceptions away from enduring antiquated stereotypes.
Here is the trailer for "Easter Sunday" which premiered in theaters on August 5, 2022.
See also: The Best Filipino Restaurants In The Bay Area
Photography by: Unique Nicole/WireImage
