TWO FILMS ON NANNY STRUGGLES

TWO FILMS ON NANNY STRUGGLES

Author and screenwriter Analyn Aryo

Analyn Aryo comes up with two films on OFW hardships & struggles

By Michelle Chermaine Ramos
The Philippine Reporter

Caregiver turned author/playwright turned screenwriter, Analyn Aryo, has her hands full this year as the brains behind Mangarap Ka, with two films in the series titled Forced to Let Go and Devotion premiering on March 3rd, 2018 along with the upcoming launch of the new edition of her book, “Nanny Tales.”

Airing on Net Global TV, much anticipation has been buzzing around Mangarap Ka, the first drama series written and produced by caregivers with many members of the cast and crew coming from the Filipino caregiver community. The series is based on the true stories of Filipino caregivers and their struggles and sacrifices in Canada in the hopes of building a better life. This venture was a natural progression for Aryo whose visually evocative writing style has found a fitting medium on the big screen.

Born the sixth of seven children in Benguet, Philippines, Aryo earned her degree in Agriculture from Benguet State University. There, she honed her writing skills as the editor-in-chief of the BSU student paper. She originally wanted to pursue Communications in another university. However, her family’s financial situation forced her to choose another course, as her elder sister who was working as a domestic helper in Hong Kong would not have been able to afford to put her and three other siblings through college and university.

Book cover

At the age 25, she left for Hong Kong where she worked as a domestic helper to support her family after her elder sister and brother became ill. Aryo recalls the hardships of that experience as work conditions for Filipino caregivers in Hong Kong are known to be tough where having one day off in a month is the norm for many.

“I was terrified at first. If I could have walked the miles from Hong Kong to my home back then, I would have done that during my first month,” she says.
There, Aryo met many fellow Filipino domestic workers whose personal stories she collected, most of which were staged in “The Migrant Collective,” a play directed by Luce scholar Sarabeth Berman at the Hong Kong Fringe Club in 2007.

Published by ResearchMate Inc., Nanny Tales – Voices from the Diary of an Overseas Filipina Worker, is an eye-opening collection of heart-wrenching short stories based on Aryo’s experience and that of the many nannies she had met. The book lends insight into the personal sacrifices that many caregivers endure miles from home to provide a better life for loved ones in the Philippines.

After working in Hong Kong for two years, Aryo made the leap to move to the place she originally had in mind – Canada, where she eventually earned her diploma as an Environmental Technician from Seneca College. She came in through the live-in caregiver program in 2007, which stipulated that she had to work as a caregiver for 24 months before being eligible to apply for permanent residency.

“I planned this carefully before I left home,” Aryo says. “I knew that Canada would offer me something better.” So why Canada and how was her experience here different? “Hong Kong is tough,” she explains. “You work almost 15 hours a day, six days a week. Household chores are never-ending and how they treat their help is different. You are treated as someone beneath them. In Canada, employers respect their nannies in general. Labour laws here protect migrant workers as well.”

The cast and production team of Forced to Let Go at Net Global TV.

When asked about the biggest challenges many caregivers and OFWs undergo that most people are not aware of, Aryo states the loss of sense of self, separation from family, lack of a support system and sometimes, the unrealistic financial burden that OFWs have to shoulder.

The real life stories translated into film for the Mangarap Ka series were sourced from Aryo’s interviews with individuals in the community, and selected based on the lessons that migrants can learn from them. She mentions the importance of casting real caregivers for the lead roles because they can draw from their own experiences to play the parts.

Knowing their struggles all too well, Aryo lends her strong writer’s voice to many who suffer in silence. As each story is brought forward, many come to the important realization that they are not alone. With her deep insider knowledge of lesser-known issues in the caregiver community, when asked about what she wished more outsiders knew, she says, “I wish those who never worked as an OFW would understand that sending money home is really a sacrifice. And those who belittle caregivers/domestic helpers should understand that their job is as decent and noble as any other profession.”

Authoring Nanny Tales to writing for the big screen for Mangarap Ka was an inevitable transition for Aryo. However, she emphasizes some concerns that come with the territory. “Back in our university journalism workshops, our adage was, “To write is already to choose.” And in the Mt. Collegian-BSU’s student paper (where I served as an editor-in-chief), our motto was to write what is right. I think when we write about something, it should be the stories that mean something to someone. To write is a responsibility. Nanny Tales prepared me for Mangarap Ka. I actually felt fearful of the responsibility that this show wants to tackle. But I am hopeful as well, that through this medium, our stories will at least make a mark. I hope to leave these stories for the generations that will come after us. The stories of how the common Filipino woman struggled and triumphed as a caregiver, as migrant worker for her family to do better.”

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For more info, follow Analyn Aryo’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Analyn-Doclan-Aryo-172332266193217/

Tickets to the premiere on March 3, 2018 at the Toronto Centre for the Arts at 5040 Yonge St., in North York are $35 each or $100 for 3 tickets, which includes admission to back-to-back screenings of Forced to Let Go and Devotion and the cocktail reception with the cast and crew.

SCHEDULE

3pm-5:30 p.m. – First back-to-back screening of Forced to Let Go and Devotion

5:30 p.m – 6:30 p.m. – Post cocktail reception and cash bar

6:30 p.m – 8 p.m. – Pre cocktail reception and cash bar

8 p.m.-10:30 p.m. – Second screening

Contact: 416 317 0967 or 416 570 1568.