10/04/2026
It’s Filipino American History Month 🇵🇭 and what a time to be Filipino! Ube is everywhere, we’re being recognized on a global scale in sports arenas (thanks, Alexandra Eala !), BINI_ph played at Coachella, and Forgotten Island Movie recently came out!
As someone who was born in the US, grew up in the Philippines, and is now back in the US, this film really resonated with me. It made me teary eyed, laugh, and cheer. It was amazing to see our culture and mythology represented in such a funny, colorful and relatable way.
I appreciated all the little details - baybayin on the storefronts, lip-pointing as a directional tool, the big celebrations with family and friends, gigil when they were faced with the cute dwende, barrel men, the Filipino accents “basaleen” (Vaseline), and all the music! Karaoke on the machine that grades you (brings back memories of Magic Sing), indigenous instruments and chanters, SB19 Official ‘s cover of “Mga Kababayan Ko”, Sophia Laforteza from KATSEYE’s cover of “Never Tear Us Apart”, RUBY IBARRA rapping, H.E.R. l and Liza Soberano doing double duty with voice acting and singing, Manny Jacinto as Bungi (though they should’ve pronounced it as boo-ngee) and so much more.
I loved that even with all the inside jokes and references, the film doesn’t make you feel like you have to be Filipino to get in on the fun. It invites everyone to laugh with us and enjoy the culture. The universal themes of friendship and memories are things everyone can relate to.
Please see this film in the theater and bring your friends and family! It’s a great time, and it means so much to see stories like these on the big screen. Januel Mercado Joel Crawford DreamWorks
Salamat! 🇵🇭❤️
Photos from the three times I’ve seen this movie: at a surprise mystery movie screening, a Filipino community premiere with Rodney Salinas and at my own office that had a screening for it too. And of course, Spirited Ink Studios’ original poetry art 🎨
