female: The American English word "boondocks" signifies something far and unknown.

male: But was actually termed from the Tagalog word for mountain, boondock.

female: Like the duality in these words, the Filipino experience is one of hidden strength.

male: But their mountainous presence always has and always will be there.

female: These are Filipinos who create, innovate, and influence.

male: Bringing the Filipino story-- both: Out of the boondocks.

♪♪♪ Signe Ditona: I think it's really important for everyone to kind of dive into their own culture, their families' cultures and see what it's about, experience it, because, you know, that's yours to reclaim.

Paul Jimenez: It feels really good to be able to be painting Dominican people on the walls, or Japanese people on the walls, or Mexicans on the walls, and that really means a lot to us.

We have this slogan inhouse, and we say, "We're painting the town with hands that are brown," and that really means a lot to us because we see the little kids looking up.

We didn't get to look up at those, but they are, and I think that helps a lot with cultural self-esteem and self-esteem in general.

Jay Jay: The art of painting, bringing color to a blank slate.

Signe and Paul, the creators at Ground Floor Murals, make art that empowers communities.

I came across their work because of my love of San Diego sports and its icons.

I met with the team in Chula Vista to chat about their life and culture while I take a shot at painting with them myself.

Signe: I'm Signe Ditona.

Paul: And I'm Paul Jimenez.

We're Ground Floor Murals.

Jay Jay: How early can you go back and think about, like, when you wanted to get into art and making murals and being creative in this sort of fashion?

Signe: I've always known I wanted to be an artist just because I thought it's the coolest thing to be an artist.

I used to draw on the walls.

I was that kid.

But I also was just really into doodling, sketching.

Jay Jay: How about you?

Paul: I would draw a lot on my homework.

That's kind of where most of my practicing came from.

My math class was probably my best art class.

Maybe I would draw on, like, sticky notes at work or like on coaters at work.

And then I met Signe, and she had paintings, and I thought it was really cool.

And so, hey, maybe I'll try painting like an actual piece, like actually dedicate some time rather than just doodle.

And so I started to, and I was like, oh, I'm not too bad at this, and I kind of just kept on going with it, and then when the pandemic happened, we got laid off from our jobs in like the same week.

So we were drawing a lot on our iPads and getting better and kind of just like nothing else to do.

We were just in lockdown.

And then one day I was like, you know, I've been saying I want to try spray painting.

I've been wanting to try a mural, even though I'd never really done anything like that.

So, I bought some pain online.

It came.

And then I painted a rooster in my parents' backyard.

And when I finished, I was like, I want to do this forever.

I want to figure out how I can do this forever.

And so that's kind of what started that for me.

Signe: Our first date, we went to go get ramen, and we pulled out this huge sketch book from my trunk, and we were just drawing in it.

So, from the first day on, our relationship has been pretty centered around art.

♪♪♪ Jay Jay: So, Signe, with being from a Filipino family, when you wanted to become an artist, what was their reaction and the rest of your family's reaction.

Have they always just seen you as an artist?

Signe: My family's always seen me as an artist, but they've also seen me really struggle with coming up with exactly what I wanted to do career-wise.

I've had a lot of different ideas, but I never said, "Hey, I'm gonna be a painter.

I'm gonna be a muralist."

Once I started doing it, everyone let me know, "Hey, I'm proud of you.

Like, you're doing something, and you seem to be really into it, so that's good."

I was always told, growing up, "For sure, you need to be a nurse or a pharmacist."

Jay Jay: Really?

Signe: Yeah.

But when it comes down to it, my family's just glad to see me happy.

Jay Jay: That's awesome.

Was it the same way with you, Paul?

Paul: Yeah, just like Signe, like, I'd never really expressed aspirations about painting murals or even being an artist, and I was kind of struggling with that, too.

That was like probably my--like, I was just like really concerned with like, well, what do I want to do?

Because every job I had, I liked it, but I wanted to see what's next.

And this is the first time I've found something that I like, and I want to keep doing.

And once I started doing it, and then my family saw that we could keep it going and do something that had such an impact, they started getting really behind it, and they're probably one of our biggest supporters.

Jay Jay: Like Signe and Paul turning to art to support themselves, so many people turned to art during the initial moments of the pandemic to stay connected and grounded.

I asked which murals are their favorites for the impacts they bring.

Signe: Tony Gwynn was definitely one of my favorite murals.

If a community is going to welcome us and allow us to paint on such a big space in their territory, we should honor just the community, the neighborhood around us.

So, a lot of people felt really connected to it because, you know, if you're from San Diego, you know Tony Gwynn.

Paul: It just happened at such a crucial point in the pandemic.

Everyone was kind of just feeling like lost, and like I just knew that we had to do something and like that was going to bring people together.

To me, Tony Gwynn represented hope.

He was just such a charismatic person, such a good person, and someone that San Diego is really proud of.

So, I think we really brought a lot of people together in a time that was just like crucial.

Signe: And another one of my favorites is the Yu Darvish mural we just did.

I feel like it's representation that was much needed in San Diego.

Jay Jay: Showing more love to the Asian American community around town?

Signe: Yeah, yeah.

Jay Jay: And with the Padres having someone like Yu Darvish, that's a great thing that you two have showcased.

Signe: Yeah, exactly, yeah.

Jay Jay: So, the Mexican and Filipino community here in San Diego, they really love to get together, and there's a lot of similarities within the communities.

Now, you're Mexican American.

You're Filipino American.

And like, what type of similarities do you see within the cultures?

Signe: Well, there are a lot of really beautiful aspects of both of our cultures that we can really bond over, like I guess the family, get togethers, values, ancestors in common.

So, I think that a lot of that derives from history, having family members who are immigrants in America.

We can relate in those ways, too.

Jay Jay: Do you guys feel like there's always room to learn more about your heritage and where you came from, whether it's Mexico or the Philippines?

Like, do you still have that curiosity?

Signe: Two years ago, we went to the Philippines to meet my family members I've never met before to just connect to the land that my family lived on.

So, it was this very spiritual experience, and we need to go to Mexico to kind of do the same thing.

Paul: That does matter a lot to us, especially as artists.

We want to be able to represent who we are and our roots.

Jay Jay: I've personally been in situations where I was the only Filipino represented, so I often felt disconnected from being Filipino.

I asked Paul and Signe if they've experienced the same in their community and the art world.

Signe: I've always felt that way growing up, for sure, just because my family was never really trying to help me learn Tagalog.

They'd speak it around me, but to me they-- it just wasn't a priority of theirs.

It was kind of just seen as like un-American, and that's what everyone wanted to be.

So, I feel like with my peers at school, I was never as Filipino as the Filipino kids, which was a bummer.

I was always kind of trying to think of ways that I could connect with them, you know, my heritage more.

In terms of artists, I have never really met too many Filipino artists.

So, when I do meet other people who are Filipino doing art or just anything in general, I get really excited because now that I'm an adult, I'm more responsible for my education.

I feel like I can relate more if I want to.

I've been reading a lot about our indigenous roots, and that helps me feel more connected, despite what other people think of me.

Jay Jay: What you can control is in the future, right, educating yourself more about the Filipino culture, educating yourself more about the Mexican culture.

And that's the beauty of it because you're willing to learn more about where you came from.

Paul: Yeah, I mean, even my parents, my mom was raised to kind of push the Mexican culture aside, to assimilate, but I feel like now that we're more accepting and more proud and more able, it's a lot easier to be able to want to dive into your culture.

Jay Jay: How can we ensure that, you know, generations to come, people are still celebrating certain things within our cultures?

Signe: I think it's only getting better.

I think as time goes on, we, as a country, at least, are becoming more aware of the importance of, you know, doing your own research, connecting with your own roots.

Everyone has some sort of generational something inside of them.

So, if you kind of tackle it, it's gonna be easier for your future family, generations, to be more at peace with that.

Paul: I think just being somebody represented, and we're trying to do our part by representing cultures that, you know, more or less don't get represented.

So, I think being a kid and seeing somebody on a huge wall or seeing somebody on TV that looks like you, that'll really do a lot for your confidence and your self-esteem, and I think that representation will go such a long way.

It was hard even for us to see representation, there are people that look similar to us.

So, it feels really good to be able to be painting Dominican people on the walls, or Japanese people on the walls, or Mexicans on the walls.

We have this slogan in-house, and we say we're painting the town with hands that are brown, and that really means a lot to us, because we see the little kids looking up, you know, that more or less we didn't get to look up at those, but they are, and I think that helps a lot with cultural self-esteem and self-esteem in general.

Jay Jay: Well, Paul and Signe, thank you so much for talking a little bit about culture and about the San Diego community.

And you guys really are doing a great thing around town.

Paul: Thank you.

We had a blast too.

Signe: Thank you.

Paul: Thank you very much.

Jay Jay: You want to show what you've been painting the last 30 minutes?

Signe: I'll show mine first, since it's not finished.

It's just gonna be a picture of me when I was younger.

Paul: And I actually made a gift for you.

Jay Jay: What?

That's crazy, dude.

Paul: Be careful, it's pretty wet.

Signe: It's going to take a couple of days to dry.

Jay Jay: Dude, that is crazy, look.

It's me.

I was not gonna paint at first, but Signe kind of, you know, she encouraged me to, and I ended up doing the Filipino flag.

I know the stars aren't as aligned as I'd like them to be, but yeah, this is the best I could do guys.

Signe and Paul: It's beautiful.

Jay Jay: Thank you.

♪♪♪ Signe: I like that the whole crew is Asian.

Jay Jay: That's us.

Signe: Yeah.

Crewmember: Listen, they're flying circles over the house.

Jay Jay: Now that we're ready to start this whole thing.

♪♪♪ Benito Bautista: I think a little bit of our experience growing up in the Philippines, we have no idea that we are actually experiencing cinema.

It's the experience of cinema.

Emma Francisco: We want to teach sustainability and, you know, in the filmmakers' careers.

We didn't have anything like this, and we wanted to be that, you know, to our mentees.

We want to be there for them.

Rio Villa: As the sun begins its evening descent, I set up shop on the rooftop of San Diego Filipino Cinema's headquarters.

I'm honored to be in the presence of its Cofounders and leaders in the city's art scene.

We talk about their passion for films and fostering storytellers and film lovers.

Emma: I'm Emma Francisco.

I'm a film producer.

I write sometimes.

I'm also a Programming Director and Cofounder of the San Diego Filipino Cinema.

Benito: So, I'm Benito Bautista.

I'm an artist.

I'm an independent filmmaker, writer, director, producer, based in San Diego.

I'm also the, one of the Cofounders of San Diego Filipino Cinema.

Rio: So, what was it that sparked your interest in filmmaking as a producer and as a director?

Emma: For me, it started when I was little, growing up in Manila.

My dad was a journalist.

He would go to different places in the Philippines, and he would also go to different places in Asia, and he would come home, you know, full of stories.

I think that really planted a seed of the love for storytelling for me.

But what really sparked my interest in filmmaking was when we moved here to San Francisco, and I was taking this class called, "Philippine Studies Through Film," and my professor brought amazing films from the Philippines by masters Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal.

You know, it just affected me in such a way that, oh, this is a film, but it has tremendous impact.

And I wanted to be part of this whole process, and so from psychology, I switched my major to cinema, and then I met this guy, and the rest is history.

We've been making films since then.

He became actually my mentor.

He guided me.

It felt like destiny for me; because at that time, I felt lost, you know.

I was in film school, but classmates were all white and male, and I couldn't relate to anybody.

And Benito was just, you know, welcoming and so generous of his time.

And, you know, it's now sharing his knowledge to me.

And yeah, so thank you.

Benito: You're welcome.

But it's mutual respect, because I learned so much from Emma, you know, perspectives and design and inspiration.

That's why when I make a film, and you take me on as a director, I bring Emma as my creative consultant and creative producer.

I trust the arguments that she brings to the table.

So, I learn-- it's mutual respect.

I learned a lot from Emma, as well.

And not only in films, but also to become a better human, so-- Rio: Who were you before?

Benito: Yeah, so-- Rio: Before you met Emma.

Benito: Yeah, well, it was not like I woke up one day, and I wanted to make films.

It was not like that.

It was not innate in me, you know, in the beginning, but I had early impressions of storytelling.

That was very important to me.

You know, I grew up with a family of doctors, you know, but they're all storytellers.

When we sit down on the dinner table, my grandad will, you know, bring me out under a mango tree after lunch and tell me stories.

And we walked, you know, in different places along the side roads in the back of the farms, and he'd just share to harvesting season and dry season and everything.

So, those things are immersions, I suppose.

But then like Emma, I found the power and the beauty of storytelling in the medium of film.

I think a little bit of our experience, growing up in the Philippines, is we experience a lot of contradictions, contradictions in weather, contradictions in economic status, contradictions in government, you know, and so on and so forth.

We had no idea that we are actually experiencing cinema.

It's the experience of cinema.

And like a good example is the contradiction when there's flood, you know, and it's supposed to be calamity, and we're supposed to be staying at home, you know, and not go to school, but we found out that that's an opportunity to look for joyful, you know, experiences as a kid, like swimming in the flooded areas.

I mean, that's something that's amazing.

And everything is heightened experience, you know, growing up in the Philippines.

Rio: What was it exactly that inspired you to start San Diego Filipino Cinema?

It's very specific.

You know, it's San Diego Filipino Cinema.

So, I'm curious how that began.

Benito: Well, Emma and I were fortunate enough to travel with the films we made in different vessels.

[singing in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] male: Ask her if I'm her type.

♪♪♪ [woman screaming] ♪♪♪ Benito: Our films, fortunately, were presented at the San Diego Asian Film Festival.

When we came here from San Francisco, we moved here, we wanted to figure out what we can contribute as filmmakers here.

We found out that the Filipino population is the largest Asian population in San Diego.

And we, Emma and I decided we can contribute by inspiring the community to look at our younger generations that would like to participate in cinema and to give them the blessings instead of fighting against their probably, you know, creative outlet, you know.

Rio: Maybe they haven't seen creative models.

I think the way that your families had influenced you and your storytelling, you're also doing for so many people here.

I asked one of your mentees to say what she appreciates about you guys.

She says, "Benito and Emma have influenced my strong sense of identity and helped shape me as a filmmaker by believing in my vision.

They give me a sense of worth, inspiration, and motivation to pursue my dreams with their hard work and kindness."

Emma: Part of, you know, our mission, I remember in San Francisco when we were just starting off as filmmakers, we didn't have anything like this, like a platform that we can share our ideas and just, you know, let us know that we're on the right path.

And we wanted to be that, you know, to our mentees.

We want to be there for them, because even within their families, they're not supported.

And so we know that that's very important, that it has to start from our families.

We want to teach sustainability in, you know, in the filmmakers' careers.

So, we're here for them.

Benito: The person's generation should consider themselves as the trustees of the future generation.

I think it's our responsibility for the future generation not to disengage, you know, with our heritage.

And when they do disengage, our culture and heritage and stories will be diluted, will be taken away, and we'll go extinct, and we will no longer exist in representation.

Rio: Something that I really admire is that you are documenting a lot of stories that might go undocumented.

They would just verbally be told to people's children or to their small circle.

But by putting it into a medium of film, you are basically immortalizing a lot of Filipino history and culture and experience.

Benito: It's a big responsibility, but we're also privileged to be able to do that.

And so we, all of us, cannot do everything.

We cannot tell the stories of that community, and that community, and that discovery.

No, so we need more storytellers so that we will learn from their stories.

I think it's innate in all ethnicity universally, the storytelling.

And so we grow as human beings to be better.

We learn from our shared humanity by nurturing younger generation filmmakers, Filipino American filmmakers.

They will tell stories from their perspectives, using their own Filipino nest experience, you know, and they might not tell Filipino-centric stories, but they will tell important stories that we will learn, you know, from.

We wanted to bring not only, you know, the nurturing of younger Filipino American filmmakers, we wanted to bring stories from around the world to San Diego, to give you perspectives and stories that have been identified, that have been developed or created by the global Filipino filmmaker.

Rio: In October 2021, community members came together for the first ever San Diego Filipino Film Festival held by Emma, Benito, and their team.

The 6-day event brought international films and famous filmmakers like the Bosco family.

It was momentous for those in attendance and for the city's creative tapestry.

Rio: And if you could give advice to someone who wants to pursue filmmaking, what would you say to them?

Emma: I would say stay hungry.

Don't forget that very core, you know, why you're doing it in the first place.

'Cause sometimes we experience complacency, and we just forget about the original mission, why we're creating this story in the first place.

Benito: When you release the film that you make, that you've made, it will impact an individual or a community, and it will change the motivations of their own existence.

And how powerful of a responsibility is that?

♪♪♪ Rio: Beautiful.

What's my second question?

I forgot it.

♪♪♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah, I feel, feel like some type of way ♪ ♪ You on my mind all day ♪ ♪ and blind my eyes because you shining ♪ ♪ like the stars in space ♪ ♪ Hey, let's just float away ♪ ♪ You take my hand, just take it ♪ ♪ It don't matter where we're going ♪ ♪ as long as you're with me ♪ ♪ Let's cop an island with a beach house ♪ ♪ with a window by the sea ♪ female announcer: Support for this program comes from the KPBS Explore Local Content Fund, supporting new ideas and programs for San Diego.

♪ Angel 'round my neck and glitter on my face ♪ ♪ Yeah, I glow when you're around ♪