TAGA, which means ‘From’ in Tagalog, is a travel horror that reimagines the ‘stranger in a strange land’ trope. It follows a Filipina American girl, who travels to the mountains of Luzon to reconnect with her roots. When she ends up immersed with a group of privileged eco tourists who disrespect the local beliefs, they risk falling prey to a monster foretold in the folklore they scorned. 

The film is about the dark, neo-colonial side of travel. What happens when we travel with our own impenetrable narratives that we force on others, rather than opening our eyes to the narrative truths of others.

Thanks to CAPE and Janet Yang Productions, I was honored with the Julia Gouw grant for female, Asian American filmmakers. Past winners of this grant have premiered at Sundance and have catapulted their directing careers forward. TAGA was their first project focused on Pinay identity and also the first horror, so it’s go big or go home.

In January 2025, we shot this film in the Philippines. But bringing camera gear, crew and cast overseas took money and resources. While the CAPE grant generously supports us up to $25,000, our film needed more before the cameras could roll. Why so much? Taga is an ambitious film, with monster prosthetics, cast from around the world, rural locations, and special fx like fire, fog and stunts. We were also deeply committed to paying our cast and crew fair rates so that they can make a livable wage. That’s why even now, after we successfully shot Taga, we can still use your support.

The good news is that because of our incredible fiscal sponsor, From the Heart Productions, your donation is eligible for a 100% tax deduction and can be accepted from individuals or businesses. Donations made by December 31st can be applied to this year’s tax filing.

I’m so eager to share this very personal film with you and show the world that Filipina stories and filmmakers matter. Please join me by contributing to Taga today!