Jace Izuno

An award-winning short film about a Filipino manong who left his homeland in search of a better life in America. As he grapples with his own unfulfilled dreams, he discovers a newfound purpose in teaching his grandson how to dance, leading to a transformative journey of love, loss, and self-discovery.

"Kaaway," which means enemy in a couple Filipino dialects, is a story set in the mid '90s of the U.S. and focuses on two 11-year-old Filipino boys. Jonathan was born and raised in the U.S., while Calag was born and raised in the Philippines. After getting into a fight at school, they are forced to spend the day at the same house and the discord is inescapable. The film's central themes are assimilation, shame, and masculinity.