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Ernie Gawilan‘s story is a genuine triumph of life. He was born in the Paquibato district of Davao City, with underdeveloped extremities resulting to him lacking both legs and an underdeveloped left limb due to surviving an attempted abortion and poor pre-natal healthcare. His mother died of cholera and his father abandoned him to his grandparents who were the ones to raise him. Eventually, when he was 9 years old, he took up swimming, which eventually became his way out of his life. After many international awards, in 2015, he satisfied the Olympic qualifying time that allowed him to compete for the 2016 Summer Paralympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“Gawilan” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative

Kelsy Lua’s 5-minute documentary focuses on his current situation through a number of scenes showing him training in the pool and walking in the streets, with his narration communicating his thoughts about his life,...

The language barrier, particularly when added to the generational gap between parents and children, can be significantly high to overcome, while creating a number of issues. Kelsy Lua explores the issue by placing it in a relationship between an American-born teenage daughter and a Chinese immigrant single mother, adding a few other levels in her 6 minutes short.

“Please Translate” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative

The film begins during a breakfast the two share, where the aforementioned problems are presented in all their glory, since the differences between the two women are revealed not just from their language but also from the way they look. Frustrated daughter Mei cannot handle the fact that her mother, Wang Yu does not have enough money, and actually accuses her for not learning the language in order to get a better job than the florist’s she works at. Wang Yu...