‘Harana,’ two other PH docus on PBS
FLORANTE Aguilar (left) and Celestino Aniel in “Harana”
For the month of May, documentaries that chronicle Filipino stories will be shown on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) all over the United States, in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Among the docus in the lineup is Benito Bautista’s “Harana,” a tender look at the long-forgotten and neglected art of the serenade. The two other Filipino-themed docus are Marissa Aroy’s “Delano Manongs” (on the 1965 grape farm workers strike in California) and Esy Casey and Sarah Friedland’s “Jeepney” (on the colorful public transport). Dubbed “Filipino American Lives,” the series is hosted by Tony winner Lea Salonga.
Other docus on Chinese and Asian cuisine (“Soul of a Banquet,” “Lucky Chow”), a streetball tourney in Chinatown (“9-Man”), international conflict (“Memory of Forgotten War,” “War for Guam”), migration and diaspora (“Cambodian Son,” “Stateless,” “This is My Home Now”) will be shown as well, under the auspices of the Center for Asian American Media, a nonprofit organization “dedicated to presenting stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian-American experiences.”
PBS is the most renowned provider of programs to public television stations in the US. Bayani San Diego Jr.
