Canadian Premiere
From the 1990s, the Live-In Caregiver Program attracted thousands of Filipino women to Canada as migrant workers, enabling them to send money back home and gain permanent residency. In Inay (Tagalog for “Mama”), director Thea Loo and cinematographer Jeremiah Reyes (a husband and wife duo) turn the camera on themselves to explore the cultural and psychological impact on the children who were abandoned by their mothers out of economic necessity. With remarkable frankness, Jeremiah and their friend Shirley testify to similar narratives of secrets, anger, a lack of belonging, and the depression that results from intergenerational trauma, revealing that childhood wounds linger even into adulthood.
The documentary examines the repercussions of systemic policies and government legislation which are only now being felt and spoken about by generations of Filipino Canadians. Deeply personal and self-reflective, Inay reveals the hidden pain behind the lives of women who sacrificed themselves to take care of Canada’s children and elderly, and the loved ones they had to leave behind.
Oct 2 & 4: Q&A with director Thea Loo; cinematographers Jeremiah Reyes & Christian Jones; and executive producer Chelsea Birks
Presented by
Supported by
Media Partner
Thea Loo, Jeremiah Reyes, Shirley Lagman, Rowena Loo, Patrick Loo, Elvira Gangte
Canada/Philippines
2024
In English and Kapampangan with English subtitles
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Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Patrice Ramsay, Priscilla Galvez, Chelsea Birks
Producer
Thea Loo, Natalie Murao
Cinematography
Jeremiah Reyes, Christian Yves Jones
Editor
Anna Chiyeko Shannon
Original Music
Moses Caliboso, Jeremiah Reyes
Thea Loo
Thea Loo is a producer and director from Vancouver, BC. Her work has played at Sundance, Palm Springs ShortFest, CAAMFest and distributed on the digital TIFF Bell Lightbox. She is an alum of the Reelworld Producers Program and TIFF Series Accelerator. Her debut TV 1-hour documentary, Inay (Mama), will premiere in 2024.
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