Vancouver, B.C.
Brings power of dance and of Filipinas
Mildred German
Vancouver, BC – “We Don’t Dance for Nothing” has been described as “a love letter to Filipina Domestic Workers of Hong Kong”. The film was Honorable Mention, Best Documentary at the recent DOXA Documentary Film Festival 2022 (May 5-15, 2022), and is back again in Vancouver on November 7th as part of the Vancouver Asian Film Festival 2022 (November 3-13, 2022). https://2022festival.vaff.org/product/we-dont-dance-for-nothing/#
“We Don’t Dance for Nothing” features montages and real footage captured on Super-16 amidst the Hong Kong protests. Director Stefanos Tai has explored beyond the “freedom” protests in Hong Kong and artfully presented modern history without being political or apolitical.
Yet, the film is queer, courageous, and visionary. It tackles LGBTQ+ themes, issues of workers’ rights, and the Hong Kong political landscape including its migrant labour policies.
In Canada, particularly in Vancouver, protests in solidarity for Hong Kong fill some corner streets. Yet, as fellow Commonwealth nations and the rest of the world watch the news on what is happening in Hong Kong, much is unknown on the plights of those who cannot leave, including migrant workers who remain stranded.
In Canada, too, in 2013, Franco Orr, was sentenced to 18-months in jail for human trafficking. Letecia Sarmiento was the Filipina caregiver who was employed by Orr and was brought to Vancouver from Hong Kong. Sarmiento won Canada’s first human trafficking case in a month-long trial by jury in Vancouver in 2013. Her story testifies to the trafficking of Filipino women to Canada and many other countries, and the commodification of Filipinas as breadwinners, domestic workers, and as cheap labour.
WE DON’T DANCE FOR NOTHING (2022)
Starring Filipina actors Miles Sible and Xyza Cada, “We Don’t Dance for Nothing” is a montage film following the lives and struggles of two Filipina domestic workers in Hong Kong. Their stories highlight the plight and struggles of thousands of Filipinas across seas, including moments of their joys and hobbies- such as meeting up with fellow overseas Filipinos in the squares of Hong Kong, eating, dancing, and enjoying each others’ company as a community.
The film’s montage, street-dancing, and high beat energy express the power of dance as a tool for change, the role of community amidst adversities and losses, and of the undeniable strength and fierce nature of Filipinas.
The film also shows the lack of safe space for many Filipina domestic workers, that the dire freedom they had once found on the streets of Hong Kong as they gathered and danced before is now disturbed by the riots and heavy police presence. Such reflects the reality that many migrant workers in Hong Kong remain stranded, if not in their employers’ mercy, that in reality many workers too have their passports taken and withheld.
VIRTUAL FILM SHOWING
Greek-Chinese-American director Stefanos Tai was present in the in-person showing of his debut film at the Cinematheque (1131 Howe Street) during the DOXA Documentary Film Festival 2022. However, during VAFF 2022, “We Don’t Dance for Nothing” will be shown virtually.
VAFF noted in its website that “ALL VAFF VIRTUAL are available to watch for the entire duration of the festival (Nov 7 – Nov 13, 2022) after purchase. However, once you press play to start watching a film, you have 24 hours to finish watching. Only accessible by viewers anywhere in CANADA.”
In addition to DOXA and VAFF, Tai has screened at Tribeca, BAM, Cinequest, Woodstock, and Savannah, amongst others. He has received an Impact Doc Award, a Scholastic Gold Key, and the “One To Watch” award from Asian American Film Festival.