Audiences in Hong Kong will get the chance to watch Richard Soriano Legaspi’s documentary “Ang Walang Kapagurang Paglalakbay ng Pulang Maleta” (The Untiring Journey of the Red Suitcase) as part of the Migrant Workers Film Festival 2026.
Running from September 11 to 13, the festival brings community-focused cinema to several venues, namely the Chinese University of Hong Kong in Sha Tin, New Territories; KUC Space in Jordan Road, Jordan; and Bayanihan Centre in Victoria Road, Kennedy Town, Hong Kong Island.
Set against the backdrop of Biella, a quiet province in northern Italy’s Piemonte region known for its wool industry, the documentary captures how a community of migrant workers transformed a foreign town into a home. As local textile mills faced factory closures and economic shifts, Filipino families continued to weave their own vibrant culture into the fabric of daily Italian life.
The narrative traces back to Loreta Mercado, who arrived in Biella in 1978 carrying little more than her dreams and determination. Over time, her journey blossomed into a family legacy.
Her niece, Roan Asuncion, eventually opened a local mini-mart that grew into a gathering point connecting Filipinos, locals, and other immigrant groups through shared meals and familiar comforts.
Through intimate storytelling, the film moves past standard migration tropes. It highlights the quiet sacrifices, cross-cultural bonds, and resilience that define the global Filipino diaspora.
Aside from Legaspi’s documentary, this year’s lineup showcases a collection of landmark films spanning nearly four decades, namely “Migrante” (AsiaVisions, 1987), “Modern Heroes, Modern Slaves” (Marie Boti and Michelle Smith, 1997), “Gusto Nang Umuwi ni Joy” (JT Pandy, 2014).
“From historical narratives to contemporary stories, this festival brings together films that explore migration through the lives of the people who experience it. Stories of departure, separation, labor, and survival. Stories of women who build lives far from home. Stories of communities that organize and struggle,” organizer Rose Roque described the event.
Following the three-day screening series in September, organizers plan to bring the festival back to the Philippines in October with additional educational workshops, community discussions, and outreach programs to continue supporting migrant worker rights and advocacy.
Legaspi is an interdisciplinary artist and filmmaker whose creative work centers on social transformation and community dialogues. An alumnus of the University of the East College of Fine Arts, Architecture, and Design, where he studied Advertising Arts, he later honed his craft as a fellow at the Asian Film Academy in Busan, South Korea.
His work first gained international attention with his acclaimed film “Ambulansya” (Ambulance), which screened in over 40 international film festivals. In 2013, he was named a UNESCO Laureate artist bursary recipient, leading to a three-year residency at Università delle Idee (UNIDEE) in Italy, where he also received the Illy Design Prize for Art for Social Change.
“After the film’s festival circuit before the pandemic, ‘The Untiring Journey of the Red Suitcase’ documentary is continuously serving its purpose to share its narrative with a lot of Filipinos working abroad and now our kababayans in Hong Kong will be able to see the poetic journey of the red suitcase and hopefully will also inspire them to the colorful life of Loreta and Roan and the close-knit Filipino community of Biella,” Legaspi shared.
Produced through a collaboration among UNIDEE, Illy-Italy, GMA News TV, and Red Room Media Productions, “Ang Walang Kapagurang Paglalakbay ng Pulang Maleta” remains an enduring contribution to Philippine documentary cinema.
Mga Komento
Mag-post ng isang Komento