When the last Filipino community center in Ketchikan, Alaska, becomes a memory, a 50-year-old Filipina who spent her life resisting her heritage travels to the Philippines to rediscover her roots, preserving her community’s disappearing culture, and teaching indigenous Filipino dances. This is a story beyond just one culture; it is about the struggle of immigrants to maintain their identity in the United States, played out on the last frontier.
Presented as Part Of Program #14 – DOCUMENTARY SPOTLIGHT – WEST COAST TALES+
Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas - Aud 9
Nov 08
Credits
Director(s):
Rafael Bitanga
Biography(s):
Rafael is a 2024 Center for Asian American Media Fellow and receives mentorship from Tadashi Nakamura. In 2016, Rafael represented the Kodiak History Museum at the National Arts and Humanities Youth Programs Award, where Michelle Obama highlighted his contributions to photography and filmmaking. Rafael’s work has garnered support from the Alaska State Council on the Arts and the Alaska Humanities Forum. Beyond filmmaking, he teaches digital storytelling to youth and educators across Alaska through the nonprofit See Stories. The power of film and service fuels him to uplift others with dignity. Rafael is a Coca-Cola, Tillman, Horatio Alger, and Live Más Scholar with a B.S. in Hotel Administration from Cornell University and is currently a graduate student at Stanford University.
