About
Through group therapy, Canadian Adobo explores the emotional struggles of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families striving to reconnect amidst the challenges of immigration.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
As a filmmaker, my primary goal is to create a contemplative atmosphere for viewers, providing a reflective space where they can deeply engage with the experiences of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families. Through the motif of group therapy, I aim to offer an intimate and honest portrayal of the raw emotions, intricate family dynamics, and profound impact of immigration. Group therapy serves as a powerful canvas where these deep emotional currents are openly discussed and intimately portrayed.
As a son of a caregiver, my upbringing was filled with questions about my mom’s work and the sacrifices she made for our family. Understanding her experiences sparked a desire to explore the emotional landscapes navigated by Filipino families who have moved to Canada. This film serves as a dedicated space for children of OFWs and their parents to share their stories, express their emotions, and navigate the complex journey of reunion and adaptation. Featuring personal struggles, such as those faced by my sister Khryz, who recently moved to Canada and has had difficulties co-existing with our dad, this film seeks to offer a platform for addressing mental health and family dynamics. It is a space for honest communication, aiming for reconciliation and mutual understanding.
After watching the film, I want the audience to call their parents and be grateful; especially immigrant children. I want them to feel the emotional rollercoaster and reflect. It’s really important for me for Filipino-Canadian audiences to see their stories reflected on-screen. This is my love letter to both the parents and the kids; I want them to feel like they’re not alone that their experiences are valid and that there’s a promising future on the horizon once they’ve acknowledged each other’s experiences. The REAL first step.
FILM TEAM
Kent Donguines | DIRECTOR
Kent Donguines is a Filipino-Canadian narrative and documentary filmmaker based in Vancouver, BC. He is the CEO of Aimer Films Inc. and produced the award-winning CBC short documentary, THIS INK RUNS DEEP, which premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. He also wrote, directed, and produced the Telus Storyhive short film KALINGA (Care), a documentary about the sacrifices Filipina nannies make to work in Canada. The short documentary had its World Premiere at the DOXA Documentary Film Festival and won the Kathleen Shannon Award from the Yorkton Film Festival. In 2022, Kent went back to Yorkton Film Festival with his short documentary BROWN ENOUGH and took home Best Multicultural Film (under 30mins) and Best Short Subject (Non-Fiction) awards.
Kent has worked for production companies in Canada and the Philippines, including Cedar Island Films Inc., Black Cap Pictures (Ten17p), Viva Entertainment, and Star Cinema. His latest short film, funded by the Harold Greenberg Fund, BC Arts Council, Canadian Film Centre, CreativeBC, and the National Film Board of Canada, PACO received the Grand Prize in this year’s Stage32 Annual Film Contest and has secured a broadcast license with CRAVE Canada. He’s currently developing the feature films, FOUR FOUR and ERROR 404, and is currently in post-production for feature documentaries, TREASURE OF THE RICE TERRACES and CANADIAN ADOBO.
MACKENZIE STANNARD | CO-WRITER / PRODUCER
Mackenzie Stannard is a documentary director and producer. The first documentary that he wrote and produced along with Kent Donguines, THIS INK RUNS DEEP, premiered at TIFF. Since then he has produced numerous short and feature-length films. His producing credits include IDA-nominated JOE BUFFALO and Leo-winning PRECIOUS LEADER WOMAN. Mackenzie has produced commercials for brands such as Audi, Specialized Bikes, and Arcteryx. His commercial production has allowed him to build a network of talented craftspeople across Canada that help elevate his documentary and narrative work. Mackenzie has a passion for telling true stories that reflect and influence the fabric of Canadian society.
Josli Rockafella | Impact PRODUCER
Josli Rockafella has built on her skills as an event coordinator, marketing designer, and film producer into impact producing. She has worked independently and with the not-for-profit Story Money Impact on various Canadian documentaries, facilitating screenings and producing impact campaigns, since 2020. She thrives on bringing films into communities and partnering with organizations to use the film as a tool to create meaningful change. Relationship building leads to unique events; thinking outside the box is not uncommon – for Josli, impact producing is a natural component of any documentary film that aims to affect not just individuals’ lives, but systemic issues and social injustices. Josli has been working with KALINGA (Care), by Kent Donguines, since 2020 and has produced screenings, special events, and discussions, both in person and virtual, bringing together community members, large organizations, and diverse audiences to better understand the effects of migration on families in a Canadian context.
PARTICIPANTS
KHRISTIN DONGUINES
Khristin moved to Canada in 2015. He juggles multiple jobs to make ends meet in Canada just like any other OFW. For him, one of the biggest impacts of immigrating to Canada is losing his relationships with his children.
KHRYZ DONGUINES
Smart, bubbly, friendly female. Underneath her wonderful personality is an insecure, rebellious daughter who only wishes to have an acceptable family. Her relationship with both her dad and her mom is not the greatest at the moment but with the help of her brother, she’s hoping one of them finally hears her side as she is not the villain.
ANGELICA DE LA TORRE
Despite losing her mother to the immigration wave when she was 11, she still struggles to build a relationship with her while she figures out her academic path. She hopes to finally get the opportunity to ask her mom one question; “What is it really worth it?”
MARITES DE LA TORRE
Marites is Angelica’s mom. She moved to Canada under the live-in caregiver program. It took her 8 years to sponsor her kids. When she got reunited with her kids, she realized that so much time had passed and her kids were now adults.
KATE RUFINO
Since moving to Canada in 2017, she has been living with her mom. While she tries to uphold her identity as everyone’s favorite daughter, she struggles with getting seen as she just wants to be more than an intermediary when her parents are at war. She’s doing her best to strengthen the relationship with her mother.
JEIAH ABLASI
Jeiah is Kate’s mom. Finding herself repeating something she went through with her mother as a child immigrant, she tries hard to be there for her daughter even though it seems her best is not yet enough.
GLENNFORD DUMAGUING
As an expectant father, he struggles with building a relationship with his mother who had left him for a greener pasture in Canada two days before he turned 16. He wants to be the best father to his unborn child so he must heal by fixing the relationship he has with his mom.
MARY ANN PASICOLAN
Mary Ann is Glenn’s mom. She moved to Canada when Glenn was only six years old. When she got reunited with him, he was already 16 years old. Two weeks after moving to Canada, Glenn moved out and didn’t see Mary Ann as his mom.
SONIA BLANCO
She’s a Registered Clinical Counselor with a Master of Science in Psychology. With a deep background in helping others through an accumulation of work and volunteer experiences in the social services industry, she’s helping immigrant families and children become a better version of themselves.
Case Study: Kalinga (Care)
In 2021, with the support of Story Money Impact, Kent embarked on an impact campaign for his short film, Kalinga (Care). The objectives were to encourage Filipinos to honour their labour and sacrifice, upskill emotional literacy in migrant workers and their families to help prevent estrangement and promote healthy communication within separated families. This campaign started with a highly successful online Summit event with attendees from law, education, press, community organizations, and government; there were almost 20 pledges made at the event, resulting in press coverage, fundraising, and other partnerships made, which kicked off a series of community screenings & panel discussions. Shortly after, Kalinga (Care) was chosen to screen aboard Air Canada flights. Following this, the City of Vancouver granted Story Money Impact funds for producing two additional screening campaigns; during this time the film was also picked up by Crave. Story Money Impact summarized it well, when the film influenced future policy changes by the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada):
“This year, we witnessed something extraordinary — proof that stories have the power to transform lives, influence policy, and unite families. Thanks to your generosity, the work we do at Story Money Impact (SMI) has sparked meaningful change in communities.
Kent Donguines’ film, Kalinga (Care), caught the attention of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), leading to focus groups with caregivers and nannies, both featured in the film and others. These discussions influenced proposed policy changes. In 2025, a new policy is expected to be introduced, aiming to reduce the time immigrant caregivers wait to obtain permanent residency and facilitate family reunification — a dramatic improvement from the decade-long wait many have endured.”
Kalinga (Care)
At the age of six, director Kent Donguines’ mother left him and his family in the Philippines to become a nanny overseas. Now, his film Kalinga (Care) shares the stories of several Filipina caregivers and nannies in Vancouver, bearing witness to their sacrifices as they struggle to reunite with their children and families, and mapping out the emotional landscapes of migrant labour. Despite the sacrifice these caregivers make to support their families, the work of nannies isn’t properly honoured by their communities or themselves. We want to change that by telling this powerful story, and by providing resources to help workers stay in touch with the families they’ve left behind.
TESTIMONIALS