Give as a gift
Whether through the kindness of a stranger, the support of friends, or the connection of community, these stories show how we find the strength to heal, the courage to rebuild, and the hope to carry on.
Oakland Ilokana (2025) is a short documentary following a 90-year-old Filipina American grandmother — one of the first Filipino children born in 1930s Oakland — as she reflects on a life shaped by migration, displacement, and the women in her community. Seen through the lens of her granddaughter, the film brings four generations of Bay Area Filipinas into focus, exploring the enduring power of memory to connect people across place and time.
Director Biography - Elenita Makani O'Malley
Elenita Makani O’Malley is a queer Filipina and Irish American storyteller from the San Francisco Bay Area. With a background in anthropology, museums, and media production, she uses video to tell stories about culture, history, and human connection.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology from Georgetown University and a Master of Arts in Museum Anthropology from Columbia University. By day, Elenita works as a science communicator, crafting videos that demystify complex topics about our planet and the way it works.
Her video work has been featured in exhibitions and communications at the American Museum of Natural History, Stanford University, the California Academy of Sciences, and more. Oakland Ilokana is her debut documentary short.
Website: www.elenitamakani.com
Instagram: @elenita.sampaguita
- Year2025
- Runtime0:20:00
- LanguageEnglish
- CountryUnited States
- GenreDocumentary, Short, Personal documentary, Historical, Cultural, Generational, Asian American, Filipino American
- Social Media
- DirectorElenita Makani O'Malley
- ProducerElenita Makani O'Malley, Diana Diroy
- CastElenita Makani O'Malley, Marie Rivera Yip, Christine Marie Nicholas
- CinematographerDiana Diroy, Jenella Presley, Mikey Yankovitch, Elenita Makani O'Malley
Whether through the kindness of a stranger, the support of friends, or the connection of community, these stories show how we find the strength to heal, the courage to rebuild, and the hope to carry on.
Oakland Ilokana (2025) is a short documentary following a 90-year-old Filipina American grandmother — one of the first Filipino children born in 1930s Oakland — as she reflects on a life shaped by migration, displacement, and the women in her community. Seen through the lens of her granddaughter, the film brings four generations of Bay Area Filipinas into focus, exploring the enduring power of memory to connect people across place and time.
Director Biography - Elenita Makani O'Malley
Elenita Makani O’Malley is a queer Filipina and Irish American storyteller from the San Francisco Bay Area. With a background in anthropology, museums, and media production, she uses video to tell stories about culture, history, and human connection.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology from Georgetown University and a Master of Arts in Museum Anthropology from Columbia University. By day, Elenita works as a science communicator, crafting videos that demystify complex topics about our planet and the way it works.
Her video work has been featured in exhibitions and communications at the American Museum of Natural History, Stanford University, the California Academy of Sciences, and more. Oakland Ilokana is her debut documentary short.
Website: www.elenitamakani.com
Instagram: @elenita.sampaguita
- Year2025
- Runtime0:20:00
- LanguageEnglish
- CountryUnited States
- GenreDocumentary, Short, Personal documentary, Historical, Cultural, Generational, Asian American, Filipino American
- Social Media
- DirectorElenita Makani O'Malley
- ProducerElenita Makani O'Malley, Diana Diroy
- CastElenita Makani O'Malley, Marie Rivera Yip, Christine Marie Nicholas
- CinematographerDiana Diroy, Jenella Presley, Mikey Yankovitch, Elenita Makani O'Malley