Philippine American Writers and Artists

The Filipino Arts & Cinema International or FACINE is a community-based, volunteer-driven nonprofit media arts organization that promotes and advocates for the interests of Filipino cinema, both from the Philippines and the Filipino diaspora.

[Philippine American Writers and Artists is FACINE's fiscal sponsor]

 

The FACINE Film Festival is the premier showcase of Filipino films in the United States, the longest-running festival of its kind outside of the Philippines. For almost 30 years, we have been dedicated to empowering emerging artists and diverse storyline to create films that speak about Filipino communities globally.

 

We strive to engage generations of artists to portray the complexities of Philippine realities, evolve the craft of filmmaking, and develop audiences for Filipino cinema in the United States and across the world.

 

Our Film Festival Format

 

FACINE has thrived throughout the years and has evolved amidst the most challenging of times. Today, we risk losing the longest running Filipino film festival in America. This festival is a lifeline to so many Filipinos in US and across the world. It is our direct connection to our homeland. The stories that our festival brings, creates a community that fosters a spirit of appreciation for our culture and heritage.

 

This year, we are shifting to a fully virtual film festival.  Next year, we are exploring a hybrid festival approach, to provide halo programming and a reception at an in-person venue in San Francisco, in addition to our digital programming. 

 

For this festival season, we hope to raise $10,000 to help support the costs of our current festival, and to provide a secure foundation for our 2022 festival season to continue promoting cinema as a social document of Filipino culture, heritage, and medium of artistic expression.

Core Festival costs:

$1,500 – Virtual film festival platform (for our digital programming)
$2,700 – Theatre rental (for our in-person programming)
$3,000 – Travel for our filmmakers from the Philippines
$1,800 – Accommodations for our filmmakers
$1,000 – Marketing materials, social media ads, email campaigns, banners, flyers, swag, etc.

 

Please help us continue to preserve the voice and craft of Filipino independent filmmakers.

Donate to our GoFundMe today to allow us to continue to provide a stage for Filipino filmmakers to share their stories on the global stage. Once again Maria Isabel Lopez here and Mabuhay!

Philippine American Writers and Artists (PAWA) needs your help! Our all-volunteer board is raising funds to produce the Sixth Filipino American International Book Festival in partnership with the San Francisco Public Library from October 14 to 16, 2022. We anticipate an audience of 1,000 from the greater Bay Area and beyond for this hybrid event. 

The Filipino American International Book Festival is the only festival of its kind in the country dedicated to Filipino/a/x authors and Filipino/a/x books. Attendees from the successful 2019 book festival shared that they were introduced to new authors and new books, inspired to read more Filipino/a/x authors, and felt a sense of community and connectedness. 

This year’s theme is “Hiraya/Emergence: Writing Toward the Future” as we emerge from an ongoing pandemic and look ahead to our identities as Filipino/a/x and Filipino/a/x Americans in the diaspora.

Keynote speeches will be delivered by award-winning novelist Gina Apostol, award-winning journalist and author Meredith Talusan, and Newbury Medalist and New York Times bestseller Erin Entrada Kelly. They will be joined by 30 - 40 authors from the Philippines, Europe, and major cities in the US for a weekend of literary events for adults, young adults, and children; performances; a film screening; and activities for book lovers of all ages.

100% of donations will support airfare, accommodations, and honoraria for invited authors. 

Thank you for your donation of any size. We hope to see you at this year's Filipino American International Book Festival!

About PAWA:

Philippine American Writers and Artists’ (PAWA) mission is to create and encourage literature and the arts for the preservation and enrichment of Filipino/a/x American historical, cultural and spiritual values.

PAWA is a nonprofit literary arts organization and independent publisher based in San Francisco, California. Founded in 2004, our programs include free and sliding scale community events such as book launches, author talks, poetry readings, and workshops. Since 2011, PAWA has produced the biennial Filipino American International Book Festival, the only book festival in the country dedicated to Filipino/a/x American writers and Filipino/a/x American books. As an independent press, PAWA has published 11 books and anthologies featuring Filipino/a/x American voices in the diaspora. Learn more at http://pawainc.com/.