Filipino culture will take centre stage in downtown Vancouver later this month as the Filipino Legacy Society (FLS) brings a special complimentary community screening of DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island to the city.
The screening takes place Friday, September 25 at 6:30 p.m. at Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver and is being presented under the theme “Go Together.” More than simply a night at the movies, the event is part of a growing effort by FLS, to create more opportunities for Filipino Canadians to gather, connect and celebrate their culture together.
According to FLS, Forgotten Island is the first animated film from a major studio to spotlight Filipino culture and folklore. The Vancouver screening will centre on many of the themes at the heart of the organization’s work, including family, friendship, community and belonging.
“At its heart, the Filipino Legacy Society is about bringing people together,” said Warren Dean Flandez, Chair of the Filipino Legacy Society. “The special screening allows us to celebrate the growing visibility of Filipino culture as a community.”
Building community now, while looking toward the future
The screening comes during an important period for FLS. The organization has been expanding its cultural programming while also establishing an interim civic space where the community can gather and FLS can begin building out more regular programming.
The interim space at Vancouver’s Library Square represents an immediate step toward giving the organization a physical presence in the city. FLS has described spaces like this as places for programs, gatherings, exhibits and partnerships, while the longer-term vision for a permanent Filipino cultural institution continues to take shape. That longer-term goal is a permanent Filipino Cultural Centre in Vancouver.
FLS has been working toward a proposed future home in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood, part of a broader effort to create a lasting institution dedicated to Filipino culture, history, community, education and future generations.
For FLS, the distinction between the interim space and the permanent vision is important. The interim home means programming and community-building can happen now. Meanwhile, the proposed permanent Cultural Centre represents the larger ambition: a dedicated institution that can preserve Filipino Canadian history while supporting arts, culture, education and community life for future generations.
Culture that crosses generations
Events such as the Forgotten Island screening offer a glimpse at what that programming could look like. FLS says accessible and intergenerational cultural experiences will be an important part of its work, bringing together longtime community members, young Filipino Canadians and families who may experience their heritage in different ways.
“Legacy is not only about remembering where we came from,” Flandez said. “It is also about creating experiences and traditions that the next generation can carry forward.”
That approach also reflects the broader history behind the push for a Filipino Cultural Centre in Vancouver. The idea of establishing a permanent Filipino cultural home has existed through numerous iterations, organizations and potential locations over many years. FLS is now positioning cultural programming, community gathering and institution-building as complementary parts of the same long-term mission.
Rather than waiting for a permanent building to open before programming begins, the organization is starting to create those experiences today.
On September 25, that means hundreds of community members will have an opportunity to sit together in a Vancouver theatre and see Filipino stories and culture reflected on the big screen.
How to attend
The Filipino Legacy Society’s special screening of DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island takes place Friday, September 25 at 6:30 p.m. at Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver, 900 Burrard Street.
Tickets are complimentary, but an RSVP is required and are in high demand. Those interested in attending can RSVP by emailing [email protected].
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