Ep 070: How Family Separation via Migrant Labour Work Impacts Mental Health

Welcome back to another season of Braaains. We’re so excited to start the season with a fantastic interview with filmmakers Thea Loo and Jeremiah Reyes about Thea’s latest documentary, INAY.

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With the desire to help answer unresolved questions and heal lingering wounds, INAY (MAMA) investigates the flawed immigration pathways between the Philippines and Canada that kept so many Filipino children from their mothers. Inay, which means “mama” in Tagalog, is an intimate and personal look at the experiences and trauma endured by many Filipino Canadians.

In the film, Thea and her husband Jeremiah, who is also the film's Director of Photography, explore the intersections of mental health and migrant labour and the effects that continue to be felt years later. Through intimate conversations, this self-reflexive documentary aims to bridge the silences and disconnect between the first and second generations of the Filipino community. Today’s conversation is about their experiences making this intimate film and the impact it had on how they view mental health today.

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Music: Deppisch
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ABOUT OUR GUESTS

Thea Loo is a producer and director from Vancouver, BC. Her work has played at Sundance, Palm Springs ShortFest, CAAMFest, and distributed on the digital TIFF Bell Lightbox.

She has produced multiple short films such as SMOKE EATER (Dir. Gloria Mercer, 2022), which premiered at the Whistler Film Festival and is available on CRAVE. Her latest short is the hybrid animated documentary BLUE GARDEN (Dir. Natalie Murao, 2022), which was selected for Telefilm Canada's Not Short on Talent program at Clermont-Ferrand and is streaming on CBC Gem. She has also associate and co-produced two documentary features.

Loo is an alum of the Reelworld Producers Program, a cohort focused on developing BIPOC producing talent in Canada. As an educator, Loo has been on multiple panels as a guest speaker sharing her producing journey such as at the Banff World Media Festival, VIFF Catalyst Mentorship Program, and EXNW. Currently, Loo has two TV series projects and one narrative feature in development and recently participated in the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival’s Series Accelerator.

Her debut TV 1-hour documentary, INAY (MAMA), which she directed and produced for the Knowledge Network, premiered in 2024 at the Asian American International Film Festival in New York.

Jeremiah Reyes is a Filipino-born Canadian artist based in Vancouver, BC. As a recent Companion Member of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers, Jeremiah has notably served as the director of photography for "Inay," a feature documentary for the Knowledge Network under the direction of Thea Loo. His directorial works, such as "Like Minded," have garnered recognition at the Vancouver Asian Film Festival and found exhibition space at The Polygon Art Gallery.

About INAY: With the desire to help answer unresolved questions and heal lingering wounds, Inay (Mama) investigates the flawed immigration pathways between the Philippines and Canada that kept so many Filipino children from their mothers. Inay, which means “mama” in Tagalog, is an intimate and personal look at the experiences and trauma endured by many Filipino Canadians. Filmmaker Thea Loo and her husband Jeremiah Reyes, who is also the film's Director of Photography, explore the intersections of mental health and migrant labour and the effects that continue to be felt years later. Through intimate conversations, this self-reflexive documentary aims to bridge the silences and disconnect between the first and second generations of the Filipino community.

Inay (Mama) features an all Asian-Canadian cast and crew and filming took place in Ottawa and Cobourg, Ontario, and Vancouver, North Vancouver, and New Westminster, BC.

Inay (Mama) is produced in association with the Knowledge Network, Canada Media Fund, and The Cinematheque. The documentary features cast and subjects Shirley Lagman, Jeremiah Reyes, and Thea Loo. Priscilla Galvez (Islands, Sing Me a Lullaby) serves as executive producer, Natalie Murao (Blue Garden, No More Parties) is associate producer, and Jeremiah Reyes (Like Minded, Nanay) and Christian Yves Jones (To Make Ends Meat, Pride: The LGBTQ+ History Series) are co-directors of photography. Inay (Mama) will debut on the Knowledge Network in 2025.