2:00 - 4:30
A not to miss screening of ‘Lasa and Legacy,’ a captivating docuseries showcasing pivotal chapters in Filipino American history within the San Francisco Bay Area. Following the screening, engage in a panel discussion and Q&A session.
Part documentary, part cooking show, Lasa and Legacy is a docuseries highlighting four stories in Filipino American history in the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Filipino farm labor movement, the struggle for the International Hotel in the 1960s and ‘70s, activism in Filipino punk culture, and the SF-based anti-dictatorship movement during Martial Law in the Philippines. The show’s special touch? Each episode features a mouthwatering cooking segment of a Filipino dish related to that history. The docuseries was primarily filmed in the SOMA Pilipinas Cultural District of San Francisco.
Directed and Produced by Rachel Bundoc Lucero. Director of Photography: Scott Gonzales Cooper. Featuring Vivian Bejarin, Rupert Estanislao, Estella Habal, Jeanette Lazam, Daniel Lazo, Jorge Octaviano, Romeo Pagdilao-Reyes, Andrew Paguio and Nilo Van Tassel. Funded by Balay Kreative Studios and Patrons of The Sago Show.
Rachel Bundoc Lucero is a Filipina-American artist and community organizer based in San Francisco. Through her online video series, “The Sago Show”, she challenges viewers to explore topics in Filipino history and current events through the lens of food. Lucero's most recent project, "Lasa and Legacy" is part documentary and part cooking show, and delves into the history of Filipino American activism through community interviews, archival photographs, and cooking segments. Through her work, Lucero empowers Filipino viewers to connect with a history of activism and to take action for their community and homeland. Lucero's work has been exhibited in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and profiled by Taste Cooking, Tatler Asia, and The Filipino Channel. Lucero is a member of Malaya Movement San Francisco, an organization that works towards democracy, human rights, and sovereignty for Filipinos in the diaspora and in the Philippines.
Dr. Estella Habal, activist and scholar, Professor Emerita, at San Jose State University, taught courses in Asian American history and Women Studies from 1999-2014. She was a member of the KDP (Katiupunan ng mga Demokratikong Pilipino), a Filipino revolutionary organization which fought against the Philippine President Marcos's dictatorship and for democratic rights in the U.S. in the 1970s and 1980s. She also fought to stop the eviction of its tenants, and told the story in a book, San Francisco’s International Hotel: Mobilizing the Filipino American Community in the Anti-Eviction Movement (Temple 2007). In the 1990s, she helped to resurrect low-income housing at the new International Hotel and open up the International Hotel Manilatown Center in 2005. She has four children and nine grandchildren.
Jorge Octaviano is a writer and community member who has resided in San Francisco since 1973. Octaviano was born in 1941 in Intramuros, Philippines, and grew up in Pasay City. Octaviano attained a degree in Electrical Engineering from Mapua Institute of Technology and served as a seismic observer and satellite navigator in the 1960s. Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, California in 1972, Martial Law was declared in the Philippines. Octaviano’s short play “Bato bato sa Langit” was performed at San Francisco’s Bindlestiff Studio for Senior Arts Moment, the culminating event for Restorative Theater Arts for Seniors (RETAS). His motto is “Survival is not enough. We must have a sense of purpose”.
Romeo Reyes-Pagdilao is a cultural worker who plays guitar and sings for the hardcore punk band Silakbo. He has been involved in activism in the Filipino community with organizations such as Anakbayan and the Justice For Brandon Lee Coalition. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and daughter. He really loves Tofu. Photo by Danny Pineda.
Connect:
The Sago Show Website | The Sago Show - Instagram | The Sago Show - ouTube
Malaya Movement - Website | InMalaya Movement - Istagram
Silakbo - Instagram | Silakbo - Bandcamp
Film & Video
Watch party and film discussions.
One City One Book
Events and workshops curated around SFPL’s One City One Book selection. One City One Book: San Francisco Reads is a citywide literary event that encourages members of the San Francisco community to read the same book at the same time. For more information, see sfpl.org/onecityonebook.
AANHPI Interest
Weaving Stories: Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Interest
Connect with AANHPI heritage with programs and workshops, book recommendations and more.
Weaving Stories is the Library's celebration of the many diverse histories and cultures from Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities.