Film on OFWs premieres in Vancouver

Film on OFWs premieres in Vancouver

VANCOUVER, BC.–Migrante BC, a community-based organization of Filipino migrants and immigrants,  is proud to be the co-presenter of the Canadian film premiere of “The Learning” at the 15th Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF). “The Learning” is a powerful documentary that explores the real cost of the sacrifices made by Filipino overseas workers (OFWs). The film, directed, produced and written by Ramona S. Diaz, will be premiered on Sunday, November 6 at 3:00 p.m. at the Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinema in Vancouver.

“We have a vibrant Filipino community here in Vancouver,” says Festival Director Peter Leung. “I’m sure “The Learning” will not only speak to this community, but also to the public at large because the raw emotional aspects of the film are universally human and are emotions we can all relate to.”

In 2009 alone, 1.4 million Filipino OFWs left the country; that would be roughly 4000 Filipinos leaving the airports every day! There are roughly 8.2 M Filipinos working overseas, in 197 countries and territories. Currently, the Philippines is the top source country for immigrants and temporary foreign workers in Canada. In 2010, Filipinos around the world remitted $21.3 billion to the Philippines which support not just their families but also help to prop up an ailing economy. When the daily minimum wage in the Philippines is around P300 a day or roughly $7, it is easy to understand why men and women will brave the isolation, loneliness and even danger in working abroad.

“The Learning” documentary chronicles an emotionally charged year in the lives of four Filipino women from the time they leave the Philippines to when they arrive to  teach in the inner-city schools of Baltimore. A shortage of teachers in American public schools called for the need across the United States to hire foreign teachers. In search of highly qualified teachers, the Philippines emerged as a recruitment hub for American-based education system, and its English-speaking population.With their higher American salaries, the women hope to transform the lives of the families they have left behind. The women also bring idealistic visions of the teacher’s craft and of life in America, which soon collide with the tough realities of Baltimore. The trailer can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPocrzBTd3A

Tickets for “The Learning” are CA $8.00 each. Tickets are available online and at the Cineplex Odeon at the International Village Cinema box office (88 West Pender St.) starting October 20th.  VAFF Festival All Access VIP passes are available online right now at www.vaff.org at special early bird prices.

Canada’s oldest Asian film festival, the VAFF is a not-for-profit organization that celebrates diversity in film by providing a forum for independent Canadian-and American-Asian filmmakers to showcase their work to audiences in Vancouver. The VAFF was founded in 1995 by independent filmmaker and writer Barbara K. Lee and debuted in September 1997. Organizers expect over 3,000 people over the four-day film festival.

For more information, please contact Barbara Lee, Founder and President of VAFF, telephone 604.728.7739.  For Migrante BC, please contact Jane Ordinario 604-961-7794.

(PRESS RELEASE)