John Zafra-Haas
Co-Director / Producer / Cinematographer / Editor

• Read Bio

John is documentary filmmaker, cinematographer, editor, and community organizer. His work focuses on human rights and as a Filipino American himself, is centered around the many issues Filipinos face. He has a decade of experience as a commercial videographer and video journalist. John’s work also takes the form of advocating for migrant workers who have been the victims of wage theft, labor trafficking, and housing insecurity. He has become a trusted member of the Filipino migrant community with his efforts to amplify their voices through multimedia. In 2022, John directed the film “Liwanag” about the experiences of Filipina migrant workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Liwanag” premiered as the opening film at the 39th LA Asian Pacific Film Festival. In 2022, he also co-founded SIKLAB (Sining at Kultura-Arts and Culture), a collective of Filipino filmmakers and artists committed to producing community centered art that uplifts the stories of everyday working-class people.

Tiên Nguyễn
Co-Director / Producer

• Read Bio

Tiên is an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker, multimedia journalist, and reformed PhD chemist. Born in Saigon, she left Vietnam at 11-months-old by fishing boat with her family. Her family survived an open sea crossing that claimed many thousands of lives, and reached a refugee camp in the Philippines before resettling in North Carolina. This formative experience taught her a lasting lesson on resilience and luck. It fueled a lifelong desire to question the political forces that shape our world. Her work spans history, science, and human rights with a focus on marginalized communities. She has produced stories for outlets including PBS Digital Studios, PBS SoCal, ITVS, Nature, New Scientist, Science Careers, Scientific American, and VICE News. She co-wrote and produced the history and pop culture show Historian’s Take, which was nominated for a 2023 Daytime Emmy as well as a 2023 NAACP Image award.

Achim Mendoza
Editor

• Read Bio

A queer ex-Filipino-soap-opera-translator-turned-filmmaker, Achim’s passion for film started in his teens, when Marilou Diaz-Abaya, a renown Filipino director and National Artist, offered to mentor him. As a teenager, Achim would fly back and forth between his hometown of Davao and Manila to attend her classes. In the Philippines, he was the head of the video department for Stages Sessions from 2015 to 2020. In 2021, he moved to the US to take his masters in film production at USC, where he was mentored by Kate Amend, Lisa Leeman, and Amanda Pope and other award-winning filmmakers from both the narrative and the documentary fields.His 2021 musical short Connection was screened at the 38th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and was nominated for Best Short at the 2023 FilAm Creative Film Festival. His next short A Karaoke Space Odyssey is a sci-fi rom-com karaoke musical that had its world premiere at the LA Shorts Film Festival 2023. It was nominated for Best Narrative Short at the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival. He is also the editor of ALOK, a short documentary produced by Jodie Foster, on queer and gender- nonconforming artist Alok Vaid-Menon, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2024. His works have screened at other prestigious film festivals such as Telluride, SXSW, New York Asian Film Festival among many others.Achim’s works focus on the radical power of joy to change the world, especially the joy experienced by his fellow Filipinos and queer persons of color. In his spare time, Achim likes to perfect his family’s longsilog recipe.

Mic Zerda
Cinematographer

• Read Bio

Mic is a cinematographer and camera operator from Manila, now based in Los Angeles, with a passion for storytelling that focuses on real-life narratives. His journey into documentary filmmaking began as a production associate on Lauren Greenfield’s The Kingmaker, a pivotal experience that shaped his career. With over a decade of experience, He has worked with both local and international news organizations, NGOs, and on a wide range of commercial projects. He has created impactful content across various mediums, from music videos and commercials for brands like Nike, Cartier, and National Geographic to documentaries with VICE and Bloomberg. He is committed to visually capturing the stories that matter most.

Michael Flores
Associate Producer

• Read Bio

Michael’s storytelling journey has been marked by a commitment to amplifying voices of the unheard. He has lent his voice as a journalist for LAist/NPR 89.3, the Pulitzer Center, and Pacifica KPFK 90.7, telling the stories of veterans, indigenous matters, and Asians. Equally comfortable behind the camera, he was the Director of Photography for Wage Theft, a UCLA Labor Center production helping undocumented laborers, and the producer of Philippine Father, a film about dictatorship. Driven by his experiences in Iraq as an Army medic, he co-founded a non-profit supporting veterans in the Pacific Islands. He is a graduate of UC Irvine and Columbia University School of Journalism.

Kady Lê
Associate Producer

• Read Bio

Kady is based in Los Angeles and has worked in many facets of the film industry. She's worked in studio animation development, live-action TV, and documentary. Alongside producing, Kady is a director and writer. Her short film, “Like Mother, Like Daughter,” has screened in film festivals in major cities across the US and internationally, such as Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, London, and Dublin. She is a graduate of UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. While there, she was the recipient of the Dustin Lance Black Award for Diversity and Inclusion and the Peter Stark Memorial Scholarship.

Co-Director Tien Nguyen accepted into pitch program • Dec 2, 2024

Tien got the chance to hone our film’s pitch in “Owning It,” a program of The Gotham Film & Media Institute established to support, connect, and empower women filmmakers.

• [Owning It Program]

Successful film crowdfunding raised more than $44k • Nov 1, 2024

Our Be Not Afraid community showed UP and helped us complete a successful 30-day Seed & Spark campaign bringing in $44,334. With the support of our generous donors, we are now able to start on post-production!

• [Seed & Spark Campaign]

Last day of filming at the Van Nuys Courthouse • Aug 18, 2023

The Roque family shared their victim impact statements, marking the end of the 15-month-long court case to seek justice against their attacker.

Filipino Migrant Center

A Filipino immigrant-led nonprofit serving the needs of Filipinos in Southern California that provides education, aid, and community to low-income, working class Filipino families.

• https://www.filipinomigrantcenter.org/about

National Alliance for Filipino Concerns

A national alliance of Filipino organizations creating an action-oriented platform that brings people together through culture & heritage, education, health & wellness, and advocacy.

• https://nafconusa.org

Migrante International

A global alliance of grassroots organizations that uphold and advance the rights and welfare of overseas Filipinos within the framework of peoples struggle for democracy, justice & peace.

• https://migranteinternational.org/about