Balikbayan

A Filipina immigrant grapples with the physical distance from the family she left behind and the cultural disconnect from her daughters in the United States.

Rebecca Rajadnya has been working in New York City as a 1st Assistant Camera and Camera Operator for the past decade on television and feature projects with visionary filmmakers.
She now finds herself at a juncture wanting to tell honest and personal stories from a perspective not often seen on screen.

Rebecca directed, wrote, and shot her first short film, Bookends. It was accepted to the Imagine This Women’s International Film Festival ’19, High Falls Women’s Film Festival ’19, and ME Film Festival 2020/2021, where it was also nominated for Best Actress and Best Directorial Debut.

Balikbayan, her 2nd short film is a marked increase in scale from her last project. It premiered at the Nitehawk Shorts Film Festival ’23 where it won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award. Since it has screened at the San Francisco International, Julien Dubuque International, Rochester International, Diwa Filipino, Manhattan, and the Asian American International Film Festivals.

Plays in

Shorts Program VII: DIASPORA

A Q&A panel with the filmmakers will take place after the screening. DIASPORA delves into complex stories of…