Beyond its aesthetic role, one of the purposes of cinema, especially in a present dominated by globalism and multiculturalism, or in an industry oversaturated with mainstream standards, is to “accredit” an ethnicity. Andrew Acedo thus joins the line of directors for whom cinematic language is a means of not only artistic but also identity affirmation. His short film, ‘Good Filipino Kids‘, is, from this point of view, a duty to his own origins but also a manifesto to the American industry that privileges a limited number of cultural patterns. However, we must not see this project as a rigid and moralizing form of challenging a state of affairs. Nothing is strident, aggressive, ideological, or disputatious. On the contrary, this brief insight into the young generation of Filipino descendants settled in the United States exudes striking naturalness. Likewise, under the pretext of a love relationship not necessarily accepted by the family, the director illustrates with humor, irony, and a lot of human warmth the social kinetics of a rather ignored community.
Thus, starting from the differences in mentality between generations, the short film explores prejudices, discursive clichés or daily rituals in a way that impresses with its authenticity. Basically, nothing in the storyline shocks with its “uniqueness” – we’ve all seen those scenarios countless times. But that seems to be exactly what Andrew Acedo is aiming for: to talk about his own ethnic family with the same sense of normalcy we’re already used to watching the rest of the media-promoted teen dramas. It is a necessary step that fits into a larger discourse and deserves the same appreciation that, for example, Zadie Smith has won with her novels depicting the challenges of the younger generations in post-colonial Britain. Beyond this essential thematic background, ‘Good Filipino Kids’ is a professionally made short film heralding a mature directorial vision that we are extremely happy to reward in our festival.
For the naturalness, suggestiveness, and technical professionalism with which it provides us a brief chronicle of a community ignored by the mainstream cinema of the moment, ‘Good Filipino Kids’ was awarded with the Film of the Month distinction in the February 2023 edition of TMFF.
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