Gina Alajar

The Debut -- Coming-of-age comedy with Filipino-American cast. A young man struggles with his desire to study art when his family thinks he's headed for pre-med studies. Conflicts between Filipino traditions and expectations vs. personal dreams in the contemporary world erupt at his sister's debut.

A heart-warming film by Heather E. Connell, who spent several years documenting the struggles of the street and garbage dump children of Cambodia. She brings the film to life through the sights and sounds of Phnom Pehn and gives the film its soul through the voices of these children as they share stories of their lives and their dreams for the future. They are the first generation of children born to survivors of the Khmer Rouge and have learned to survive in an economy and society struggling to rebuild itself.

Coming-of-age comedy with Filipino-American cast. A young man struggles with his desire to study art when his family thinks he's headed for pre-med studies. Conflicts between Filipino traditions and expectations vs. personal dreams in the contemporary world erupt at his sister's debut.

High school senior Ben Mercado (Danté Basco) dreams of becoming an animator, and intends to go to art school instead of accepting a pre-med scholarship to UCLA. His father, however, is livid, and insists his son be a doctor, or else. Adding to the pressure is Ben's sister, Rose (Bernadette Balagtas), who expects him to show up at her all-important 18th birthday party. Although he agrees to attend, Ben's plan to duck out early soon changes when he meets and immediately falls in love with Annabelle (Joy Bisco), Rose's best friend. Which, of course, doesn't sit very well with Augusto (Darion Basco), Annabelle's possessive ex-boyfriend, a hotheaded thug.