SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2026 REVIEW! In Ralph Torrefranca’s short film Fil-Am, it’s 2003, and Jonah (Deuce Basco) has carved out a somewhat comfortable life in Milpitas, California, as the son of Filipino immigrants. By day, he somehow manages to stay out of trouble—though today he took quite a beating from some bullies. At night, he argues at the dinner table with his stepdad, Thomas (Hunter Striebel), his mother, Gloria (Madeleine Humphries), and his sister, Stephanie (Emerson Basco).
Tonight, the conflict has ratcheted up: Thomas’s company has been bought out, and the family must move to Santa Barbara. Jonah and Stephanie are visibly upset by the news and beg to stay with their dad, Arnel (Darion Basco), who recently lost his job—and whose struggles were the reason for the divorce in the first place. In an instant, Jonah faces the choice of leaving his school, friends, and potential gang-banger life behind.
The family shares a tense ride in Fil-Am (2026).
“In an instant, Jonah faces the choice of leaving his school, friends, and potential gang-banger life behind.”
I’ll just say that, watching Fil-Am, I thought the story was going in a different direction, given the modern narrative about immigration and what it means to be American today. Instead, I found a story that was refreshingly authentic—a story that’s not too far off from my family’s journey to America.
No one—immigrant or not—is guaranteed an easy life from cradle to grave. Life will be filled with adversity. You’ll get bullied for being different, your parents will work hard at a job they didn’t think they’d take in a new land, and all that hard work is so you can have a better life. Success is never guaranteed, so you roll with the punches…and yet, sometimes even your stepdad has a bit of wisdom stored in him.
Fil-Am is a beautiful and authentic portrayal of being a second-generation immigrant in America. Writer/director Ralph Torrefranca has a great command of visual storytelling, and damn, that entire Basco family can act.
Fil-Am screened at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
"…refreshingly authentic…"
