Ilo Ilo at Dubai International Film Festival

Gulf News

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

Transcript

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.

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