For Undas (All Saints Day and All Souls Day), on Tuesday, November 2, 2021, a remembrance ceremony and the premiere of the film We Are They took place at Frank D. O'Connor Playground, in front of Elmhurst Hospital. May Madarang of the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns opened the event with a prayer to honor the dead and explained the significance of Undas—a cultural tradition that means “to honor”—in the Filipino community,
Film Composer Will Simbol and Co-Director Jaclyn Reyes followed to introduce the film and share their journey in making it. Reyes called attention to Elmhurst Hospital behind her saying, “this was the epicenter of the epicenter last year.”
Simbol, a teacher, faced his own challenges, having contracted the virus early in the pandemic and managing his own recovery while enduring the difficulties of supporting his students.
Reflecting on care, Reyes stated “Filipinos are acknowledged for their resilience, dedication, and humility. However, perpetuated is a model immigrant narrative that simultaneously normalizes an indifference to routine sacrifice…this shows us that these narratives we internalize play an important role in shaping our attitudes and social interactions when it comes to trauma, grief and mental health.”
Simbol added: “to process our own grief, after day jobs and making a living, artists worked to create, find comfort, meaning, connection, and tribute, [making the film was helping] in the way we knew how.”
When the film began, the sun had already set, and scenes from Woodside illuminated on a canvas screen hung from two trees over a park bench. The opening song “Sa Ugoy Ng Duyan,” a popular Philippine lullaby, echoed in the park. At least forty attendees watched the film and stayed even as it began to drizzle on the event. One remarked that traditionally it is believed that if it rains on Undas, the dead are crying with you.
Following the film, healthcare workers were invited to share their reflections. Nurse and artist Potri Ranka Manis, nurse educator Sally Trinidad, and healthcare worker Ariane Meliton (one of the protagonists of the film) spoke to the crowd.
The event closed with a performance by Will Simbol and singer Ezra Undag of “Hindi Kita Malilimutan,” a song oftentimes sung at funerals in the Philippines.
Afterwards, there was a communal meal at the Foundation for Filipino Artists Inc., located one block from the event, where food from Elmhurst-based Filipino restaurants Lahi, Sariling Atin, Kuya’s Lechon, Juan 4 All, Kape Torta, and Tindahan was served.
EVENT TEAM
John Bahia
May Madarang
Jonathan Rampagoa
Potri Ranka Manis
Jaclyn Reyes
AJ Santos
Ezra Undag