Philippine Consulate General in New York Marks Filipino American History Month Through 18th Sinehan sa Konsulado
NEW YORK, 28 October 2026 — In celebration of Filipino American History Month, the Philippine Consulate General in New York held the 18th “Sinehan sa Konsulado” on 27–28 October 2026 at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center, bringing together members of the Filipino-American community, filmmakers, students, and supporters of Philippine cinema for two evenings of film screenings and conversations.
This year’s “Sinehan sa Konsulado” complemented the observance of Filipino American History Month every October by presenting films that explored migration, identity, family, memory, service, belonging, and the Filipino experience in the United States.
During the two-day event, feature-length films which feature stories of the Filipino diaspora in the United States, namely “Faith Healer”, directed by Regina Aquino, and “Pinay: American Style”, directed by Elwood Perez, were screened. Short films by film students from New York University and Columbia University, namely “Binubuong Bukas”, “The Third Estate”, “Lourdita”, and “Kahit Maputi Na Ang Buhok Ko”, were screened as well.
Opening the first evening, Acting Head of Post and Consul Juan Carlos Borromeo highlighted cinema’s ability to help communities see and understand themselves more clearly. He also noted that, in celebration of Filipino American History Month, this year’s programme presented films showing different facets of the Filipino experience in the United States. He also expressed appreciation to the filmmakers, artists, and audiences whose participation helps sustain spaces for Filipino cinema, creativity, and storytelling in New York, and expressed the hope that the screenings would continue to prompt reflection and conversation long after the films had ended.
In her remarks during the second evening, Consul Anna Guerra emphasized that the programme brought together different voices and generations of Filipino and Filipino-American filmmakers. She noted that the participation of emerging filmmakers reflected one of the aims of Sinehan sa Konsulado: to provide a space where younger creatives can share their work, develop their voices, and connect with audiences in the Filipino-American community.
She further underscored that there is no single Filipino story, and that Filipino identity continues to be expressed in many different ways across generations, places, and experiences with cinema providing an important means of preserving these stories, sharing them with wider audiences, and allowing both established and emerging filmmakers to contribute to the continuing narrative of the Filipino and Filipino-American experience.
Through the “Sinehan sa Konsulado”, the Philippine Consulate General in New York continues to promote Philippine and Filipino-American cinema as a vehicle for cultural diplomacy, community engagement, intergenerational dialogue, and the preservation of Filipino heritage and history in the United States. END
