A 2019 foreign film that hits close to home is, well, finally coming home.
“Yellow Rose” directed by Filipino-American Diane Paragas tells the story of an undocumented Filipino girl in Texas named Rose whose country music dreams are threatened by deportation.
“Her world is shattered when her mom suddenly gets picked up by immigration and Customs Enforcement. Rose, facing this new reality, is forced to flee the scene, leaving behind the only life she knows, and embarks on a journey of self-discovery as she searches for a new home in the honky tonk world of Austin, Texas,” the movie’s website detailed. Eva Noblezada and Princess Punzalan play the role of daughter and mother, respectively.
Eva, known as a stage actress in the musical theater “Miss Saigon” both in the West End and Broadway, shines a light on the multi-layered issues of immigration and dream-chasing in a foreign place.
“I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. As much as it is an American film, it is definitely a Filipino film. I’m just really excited for people to see it there. It’s been many, many years trying to get this thing made so this is a big moment for me to have the film come out for our Filipino people,” she said via a digital presscon on Thursday.
“Yellow Rose,” which also casts Lea Salonga and American country singer Dale Watson, was first shown in 2019 and has won Grand Jury awards from three film festivals. Members of the cast and the director herself are excited to finally bring the film to the Philippines, akin to the experience of returning home.
The film was co-produced by ABS-CBN Global’s Cinematografo Originals and distributed locally by Cinexpress. Catch it on Jan. 29 on ktx.ph and iWantTFC and on Cignal and Sky Cable pay-per-view.
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Still from “Yellow Rose”