Stephanie Comilang’s science fiction documentary Lumapit Sa Akin, Paraiso (Come to Me Paradise) uses the backdrop of Hong Kong and the various ways in which Filipina migrant workers occupy its downtown Central district. The film is narrated from the perspective of Paraiso, a disembodied ghostly drone who speaks of the isolation from being uprooted and thrown into a new place and whose purpose is to transmit the women’s vlogs, photos, and messages back home. On Sundays, Central becomes a pivotal place for Paraiso and the three protagonists as thousands of these workers congregate to create a space of care-giving, away from their employers’ homes where they live and work full time. From early morning to night, the women occupy and transform sites normally used for finance and banking into temporary care-giving spaces where they relax over food, drinks, manicures, prayer, and dance. Only when the women gather en masse is the signal strong enough to summon Paraiso to them for download.

Credits:
Music: Why Be, Sky H1, Elysia Crampton
Cinematographer: Iris Ng
With Irish May F. Salinas, Lyra Ancheta Torbela, Romelyn Presto Sampaga
Translation: Nicolas Garait
Installation: La Ferme du Buisson