It isn't easy to be me: Young Filipino-Canadians face identity crisis - Action News
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ManitobaCreator Network

It isn't easy to be me: Young Filipino-Canadians face identity crisis

What does it mean to be a young Filipino Canadian? Watch as three Winnipeggers grapple with the push and pull of hanging on to their Filipino roots. This new video was created by students with Sisler High School's Create program and CBC Manitoba's Creator Network.

Cultural identity is complicated, 3 young Winnipeggers say in new short film

Being Filipino isn't one size fits all

2 years ago
Duration 3:40
Meet three young Filipino-Canadians who are defining their identity on their own terms. Video: Aaron Reyes, Erin Tierney, Laura Gross

What does being Filipino mean?

Is it speaking a language? Eating traditionalfood? Wearing certain clothes?

For three young Winnipeggers, the answers are complex and definitely not one size fits all. And it's made more complicated as a young person straddling the Filipino and Canadian sides of their lives.

"Growing up I would always be toldI just don't look Filipino, that I don't look like my culture," said Carmen Acuna, an 18-year Filipina-Canadian who loves metal music and favours a more goth aesthetic in her makeup and clothes.

"People assume that I am whitewashed, or assumethat I was trying to rejectmy culture, and I find it weird."

Acuna, along with fellow post-high students Gino Villaceran and Mark Mariano,open up about their personal struggles with identity and retaining their culture.

Those revelations are at the heart ofthe new, short filmBeing Filipino.

The film delves into the push and pull of being both Canadian and Filipino, particularly as a young person. The three students open up about the pressure to understand their culture; how they hold on to it; and what they hope to retain over time. They also talk about not acting or looking Filipino and how that has affected them.

Being Filipinois the work of Aaron Reyes, Erin Tierneyand Laura Gross,three filmmaking students fromtheCreate programat Sisler High School in Winnipeg, which offers multimedia training and experience.The three filmmakers worked incollaboration withCBC Manitoba's Creator Network.


Meet the filmmakers

A young man wearing glasses, a shirt and tie and a zippered jacket smiles at the camera in a black-and-white photo.
Aaron Reyes is a graphic designer, video editor and motion graphic student. He loves working with his peers and teachers to improve his skills. He has a passion for digital design and wants to take it to the next level. (Carmen Acuna)
A young fair-haired woman smiles at a camera in a black-and-white photo.
Laura Gross has a homeschooling background and loves to be creative. She has been interested in the film industry for a while and has made a few short films, music videos and animations. If you don't find her working on a new idea, you'll find her out walking her dog. (Carmen Acuna)
A young person with curly hair smiles at the camera in a black-and-white photo.
Erin Tierney loves editing and working behind the camera. They went to Sturgeon Heights Collegiate and took media production, graduating in 2020. They spent two years at the University of Winnipeg majoring in theatre and film before joining the Create program. If they are not editing, you can find them playing Dungeons and Dragons with their friends. (Submitted by Carmen Acuna)

More about Project POV: Sisler Create

black and white logo for project POV by CBC
(CBC)

CBC Manitoba's Project POV: SislerCreate is an ongoingstorytelling collaboration that partners filmmaking students with CBC journalists to produce short videos.

During fall 2022, CBC journalists led storytelling and producing workshops over several weeks with filmmaking students at theCreate program at Sisler High School. Since then, nine filmmaking students have produced original videos for CBC Manitoba.

The Sisler Create program focuses on education and career pathways into the creative industries. Students can take courses in animation, film, game design, visual effects, graphic design and interactive digital media.