Joanna Leane Barriga

Carmen, a university student of Hong Kong-Filipino descent, takes on an Americanized appearance and accent. Falsely claiming that her mother is American, she gains favour with the CHUNG’s, a middle-class family where she works as a tutor, thereby improving her career prospects. However, Carmen’s carefully constructed world shatters when she stumbles upon her employer’s secret, and she is forced to re-examine herself and confront her own identity. Through this poignant story about the Filipino diaspora in Hong Kong, the short explores a wide range of issues surrounding race and class in contemporary Hong Kong society.