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Manilatown was once a bustling community for more than half a century before the city of San Francisco decided to move from ‘Blight to Bright’ (a non-fictional campaign slogan).
This image is used for illustrative purposes only. I do not own the rights to this image, and its use here does not imply endorsement or grant of any rights by the copyright owner.
Despite the community coming together to fight for affordable housing, Filipinos living in the area - some for decades - would be inched out of their homes and low-income housing units, and scattered in the wind.
Our story picks up in the months leading to the final stand - the fight for the International Hotel - and we meet our characters in the middle of their chase for the American dream.
Our short film "The Jungle" is just the beginning. It's part of a larger vision of an anthology series made for streaming, that explores Filipino American stories surrounding historical events that shook our communities.
But breaking through to tell our authentic story about a piece of real American history that this country would rather forget - is an uphill battle. We cannot make this on our own.
This image is used for illustrative purposes only. I do not own the rights to this image, and its use here does not imply endorsement or grant of any rights by the copyright owner.
As of July 19, 2024, we've raised more than $21,000 of our collective $35,000 goal! All this is thanks to donations, contributions, and sponsorships from our community. Everyone with the same heart to tell this underrepresented story at the best possible caliber, and make sure this piece of our Filipino-American history is never forgotten.
Become a part of our journey towards our episodic series for streaming:
Updates:
Creator's Bio and Statement:
Twenty-four. That’s the number of times I’ve moved before I finally settled in Dublin, California. I’ve been an immigrant three times over despite being born in Canada, so my concept of “home” is complicated.
Born to first-generation Canadian immigrants, I left everything I knew in Winnipeg Manitoba, to migrate back to the Philippines with my family as my father makes the decision to study evangelical ministry and become a Christian Missionary. This decision would have us moving every two years for the next decade accumulating to more than twenty times before I finally plant my roots in the Bay Area in 2004.
Moving and constantly adjusting to new environments has sharpened my ability to simply listen and empathize with cultures very different from my own. Writing became my sole companion as I tried to make sense of everything, but understanding these perspectives has sharpened my ability to be a keen observer of universal themes that transcend language and borders.
But I didn’t have a choice.
Perhaps it’s what drew me to the I-hotel, a building, a home, being destroyed, the residents all helpless. Why go back? Making this show won’t change the past or return what was lost. Telling this story won’t magically rewire the circuits or migration trauma deeply embedded into my soul. But it’s a choice. In a past full of helplessness, we can make something beautiful out of our pain. We can learn, we can teach, and we can heal.
If there was a thesis to The Jungle, it is how far will you go to protect the home you built. In the first season, our multi-generational characters must examine their relationship to the homes and lives they’ve built in San Francisco and make decisions about whether to fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.
This show exhumes lost Filipino American stories and reclaims their humanity. There is universality in specificity. As we tell our stories in the most cinematic way possible, we’re holding up a mirror to everyone beyond the Asian American community to start conversations that can bridge healing and empathy. My goal is to humanize immigrant stories and drive conversations and move to communal learning and catharsis.
Where your money goes:
One of our dreams in creating The Jungle was to use it as a platform to uplift up-and-coming Filipino talent. We’re proud to say that ninety percent (90%) of our cast and crew is Filipino American, and we, the above-the-line team, waive our professional fees to ensure that our cast and crew are paid first.
- Costumes
Budget: $1,000
Wardrobe is a huge factor in speaking to the status and state of our characters. Our young ingenue, Erlinda, is all about the glitz and glam; her mother Chacha is stuck in 50's during her beauty queen heydays; our main guy Manny is a rockstar hustler with a heart of gold; and his queer uncle Jilario is an elegant Manong with a colorful past. We thank local artist Claire Adamos for her initial sketches, we hope to do justice to her vision.
- Look and Location
Budget: $10,000
Going back in time isn't free. Fortunately, we've found a soundstage that takes care of both set design and props! We are hoping to book the beautiful Honeymoon Inn.
We would need to shoot there for at least two days.
- Cast and Crew
Budget: $12,500
With shoots both in the LA soundstage and exteriors in the San Francisco Bay Area, executing the vision with integrity means two sets of crew (DP, sound, AC, PA's, HMU, at minimum) in addition to the cast's travel, lodging, and craft services.
- Competitions and Festivals
Budget: $2,500
Part of our journey of finding the right champion for our ultimate goal of putting on an anthology series about the Filipino American experience is getting into festivals. The opportunity to get in front of industry professionals and potentially get qualified for huge awards like the Oscars, BAFTA, and Canadian Screen Awards, makes this element of our fundraising the biggest return on our investment.
- Post-Production
Budget: $10,000
This includes a team of colorists, foley, assistants, and supervisors that will take the footage and elevate it to a caliber that's worthy of our target platforms - HBO, Netflix, Prime, and Apple TV.
- The Manilatown Heritage Foundation
Creator, Mariel Miranda Gutierrez, has pledged to donate 10% of the funds raised to the Manilatown Heritage Foundation, to help aid in community service. We do encourage you -- even if you decide not to donate to our fundraiser -- please donate to the Manilatown Heritage Foundation, linked above.
Bayanihan Spirit: We rise, carried by our community
- Our Production Team
Our above-the-line team for this short film is comprised of a majority Filipino American, award-winning professionals in the entertainment industry. We're also joined by seasoned allies, who share our spirit in equitable storytelling. They are all donating their time and effort to this endeavor with the unified intent of representation at the highest caliber.
- Our Partners in Research
We’ve done our research. After 30+ hours of interviews with a variety of experts, artists, poets, professors, and activists - we learn about the stories that live on after the demolition of the original Manilatown. All of them donated their time and knowledge without any compensation, just the kindness of their hearts.
Where else could we use your support?
What else is left to do?
We have three shoots left!
✅ Ready! The final interior scenes on the soundstage; aka 'the hilarious suitors' scenes. This shoot is budgeted at about $10,000 and because of your generous donations, we are good to proceed.
✅ Almost there! The interior of the i-hotel scene is an important one to our story. This shoot is budgeted at about $4,600 and we are about a third of the way there.
❌ Still manifesting! The biggest exterior scene we need to shoot is the protest scene outside of the i-hotel. We need to recreate a lot of signage and this scene involves the biggest cast of protestors. This shoot is budgeted at about $9,000.
Our dream doesn't come true without you! We appreciate all your help, support, and contributions. If we want to see this story materialize, we lean on our community to help lift us up.
Salamat po!
- Mariel
