Ilo Ilo at Dubai International Film Festival. Singaporean director Anthony Chen and Filipino actress Angeli Bayani explain how the movie Ilo Ilo humanizes the Filipino domestic helper. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv
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00:00My film here at Dubai Film Festival, it's called Ilo Ilo, it's my first feature film.
00:14The film is set in 1997 against the Asian financial crisis and it's a portrait of a
00:19family struggling through the crisis by focusing on the relationship of a 10-year-old boy and
00:26his Filipino nanny.
00:27Ilo Ilo is loosely based on our director's childhood.
00:33He's the writer and director.
00:36He had a nanny from Ilo Ilo who took care of them for about 8 years or something.
00:45It's not completely autobiographical, he would say that it inspired his film.
00:54The film is very much inspired by a lot of childhood memories.
00:57When I was growing up in Singapore, I had a Filipino nanny as well of 8 years.
01:02She came when I was 4 and she left when I was 12.
01:05So the film is almost a homage to my own childhood and me remembering certain incidents, certain
01:16people, certain moments as I was growing up.
01:19I think this is the first time or one of the few times where the role of the maid or
01:27the helper is actually humanised.
01:30I think in a lot of films, particularly from Asia, the role of the helper or the maid is
01:37always very much tokenistic or patronising.
01:44This is not a maid where she just comes in and serves tea and go away or open the door
01:48and yes sir, yes ma'am, no.
01:51This is a maid with real character, real personality.
01:54She has her own hopes, her own fears.
01:57She really stands out on her own two feet amongst the other characters, even the employers.
02:04Well for me, I think the message varies according to the person but for me, I think what my
02:17takeaway is anyway is that I would like OFWs in particular to take their duties, take their
02:28job seriously.
02:29I mean, to me, based on my experience as well when I was shooting the film, it's not just
02:37a job that you're being paid to do, it's a huge responsibility taking care of someone
02:43else's children and raising them, helping to raise these kids and moulding their minds.
02:49I think it's really, really important and I think OFWs should pay attention to that
02:56because I think it's crucial.
02:58And in the same way, the employers must also realise that whoever it is that comes into
03:03their house to help them run the household and raise their kids is also someone who has
03:08a family of their own that they left behind.
03:10And that's what I would like for them to take away as well, for them to see each other
03:17as human beings, as collaborators, maybe as friends.
03:22I don't know, I've been hearing a lot of stories actually about employers and employees developing
03:27this very personal relationship and I think that is priceless really.
03:40I think that is priceless really.