AABANY was one of the Community Partners for the screening of the documentary “The Learning” at the Asian American International Film Festival, now in its 34th year. The seemingly endless rain did not dissuade the hearty souls who came out on a damp Sunday afternoon to see the film, showing at the Clearview Chelsea Cinema on West 23rd Street.
The film chronicles a year in the lives of four Filipino women who are recruited to teach in the schools of Inner City Baltimore. They leave behind their entire families, friends and loved ones to pursue opportunities that are open to them in America, enduring the challenges of a different place and culture, and reaping the benefits and consequences of their choices. The film is at once sad and funny, disturbing and enlightening. The film succeeds in drawing the viewer into the lives of each of the teachers and revealing the stark contrast of their lives here and back home in the Philippines.
If you missed the screening, make sure to catch it on POV on PBS, on September 20. Check your local listings.