for my birthday, i thought i would share about my current project: my third documentary film “hilaga hanggang timog” (tagalog for “from north to south”)
this film seeks to answer the question: from north carolina to the philippines, how is climate disaster displacing and destroying rural places & people, and how are communities able to adapt, rebuilt, and resist?
this project is supported by @myspnn ’s 2025-26 New Angle Fellowship. i’m so honored to be part of such a talented cohort of filmmakers & storytellers. films will debut at a screening on june 6, 2026 at SPNN
this project is still in pre-production but will be entering production soon! ISO people who were impacted by hurricane helene and/or typhoon tino that are willing to be interviewed & share their stories on camera (virtual option for those not in north carolina/minnesota). more criteria for interviews on the slides.
if you are interested or have questions, please email director Len Sanqui at [email protected]
please share widely! north carolina friends, please let me know if you would like to support production as part of my crew :) thank you!!! more updates to come
my four-page multimedia collage spread “connective tissue” from @brenda.thuytien ’s “midwest fobcore” zine, featuring art & stories about the midwest experience by creators from the asian diaspora 🧵🌾 comment if u want a copy!
i enjoyed scanning & photographing items to represent the threads between all the places i’ve called home, from the philippines where my family is from, to ohio where i was born, to rural NC where i spent most of my life, and finally back to the midwest here in minnesota.
collaged together with photos of me & my family & loved ones and all of these places we have spread our roots, it can be a confusing map, making it difficult to answer the question “where are you from?” - but the connections come together almost in a full circle, and i can’t help but feel lucky to have parts of me tied to all these beautiful regions of the country & the globe and their rich histories & unique cultures.
i’m southern! i’m midwestern! i’m filipino! and proud
my documentary short film “Free Zhi Kai” has been selected for @film.score.fest ! join me on April 26 at downtown St. Paul’s @history_theatre to see 24 short films along with original movie scores – performed live by the FSF orchestra & guest musicians! my score was created by the talented Seth Pioske
my film was chosen as one of the TOP 8 films, so it will be shown in both the 1pm and 7pm screenings! i’m so honored to be featured alongside other amazing films! get tickets before they sell out at filmscorefest.org.
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thank you so much to the @freezhikai Coalition for collaborating with me on this project, especially @reschmeck who i interviewed for the film. your love & dedication to Zhi Kai is so moving and i’m lucky i get to take part in capturing your organizing efforts.
and of course, thank you to Zhi Kai himself. ever since i first sent him a letter, he has sent me so many touching letters back including drawings, photos, & lots of jokes. we’ve conversed back & forth via email (which you can do at jpay.org with the ID # 145673), and i even got to talk to him on the phone! i hope to get on his visitation list to meet him in person soon. his resilience is incredibly inspiring to me and other artists/activists in the queer & Asian communities.
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included here are some stills from the film + photos from his parole hearing back in October. all these people, dressed in purple, showed up to support Zhi Kai. other photos are from the “Bobalition” event that the Free Zhi Kai coalition held at @xiagalleryandcafe with @paperlanternproject & @releasemn8 showcasing all the art he has made while incarcerated & discussing abolition over boba & collage-making. (thanks @michellemeiphotography for the pic of me)
thank you everyone who was a part of this project! i’m so excited to share my work and Zhi Kai’s story 💜
portraits of @spellling ’s heart, 3.20.26 at the whole music club🪞a truly magical show, thank you for letting me shoot these SPELLLING 🤎 in my concert photography era lately
dreamy night shooting @dreamivorydream 🔮 at @7thstentry (one of my fav venues!!)
thank u so much to my filipino kings for the opportunity 🫡🇵🇭 and to @marisdaga for convincing me to reach out & for shooting alongside me! the show was so fun & my first time getting a press/photo pass
turned 26 but cosplayed myself at 14 👽 tumblr party was epic, thank u to my sweet friends for celebrating and bringing back the 2010’s with me
cutie cake by @bbylondonstar
pls comment what fandoms u were in during this era. i was deep into boybands, superwholock, & @danandphil ….and i still am a phan to this day ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
practicing loving the people, the land, and myself more than i hate the empire🌹(but still hating the empire - fuck ICE, fuck the US government !!!)
oppressors are constantly confused about how & why we are able to respond so quickly, fight back, and support each other. it’s because our love for each other will always be stronger than their hate for us.
violence & fear tactics will never make us stop protecting, feeding, & loving our neighbors, if anything it makes us want to do it more & more & more!
i love you minneapolis and every person in my community that keeps that fire of love burning ❤️🔥
happy 28th birthday and happy early 6th anniversary to the cooliest roommate/bestie/fiancé!! i love u so much jason 😵💫🖤 u keep me full of hope & joy & love during these trying times 🦾👾🪄🎹🫧🧇🎸🦿🎟️🏹🎶🥧🪗🎤🎃🧮💿👞♟️🚀💤👻🔸🃏🇵🇭🫃🏻🫰🏼 (here are a bunch of jason-coded emojis)
first pic 🎞️: @coughingdrop
bookstore/cafe pic 📷: @marisdaga
