On October 18, 2024, the Inclusive Innovation USR Project of the International College of Innovation hosted a film screening of Ginoong Taiwan (台灣紳士), followed by a post-screening Q&A session with the film’s directors, Lily Huang (黃麗如) and Cheng Chih-Ming (鄭治明). This movie aimed to shed light on the lives of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Taiwan, focusing on their experiences outside of work. By highlighting the personal stories and challenges faced by these workers, the screening sought to foster a greater understanding of the diverse lives of OFWs beyond their work.
The OFWs are a significant segment of the Philippines workforce. This diaspora, which spans over 100 countries, consists primarily of Filipino citizens who seek employment opportunities abroad. In April 2023, the Ministry of Labor estimated the number of OFWs in Taiwan to exceed 150,000. The Philippine government recognizes these workers as vital contributors to the economy, as their remittances play a crucial role in supporting families and communities back home. The film Ginoong Taiwan highlights a beauty pageant organized by the OFWs in Hsinchu, drawing nearly 40 participants. As they compete and support one another, these workers pursue their dreams while coping with the emotional challenges of being away from their families.
The movie captures the life of migrant workers leading up to the event, showcasing their rehearsals, work, and deep discussions of their purposes in Taiwan. The film screams voices of hope, despair, homesickness, and the feeling of wanting to be understood by the migrant workers. One contestant emphasized the inclusivity of beauty pageants, noting that they are not exclusive to women and that participating in pageants is beneficial for emotional management and community inspiration.
However, the OFWs also face challenges, such as language barriers with Taiwanese colleagues, which can lead to feelings of loneliness and hinder communication. The film lightly touches on the topic of the OFWs LGBTQ+ community in Taiwan, where a cast member expressed that he feels free to express himself without fear of judgment, a stark contrast to his experiences in the Philippines, where conservative cultural norms prevail. Throughout the film, themes of ‘sacrifice’ and ‘family’ resonate strongly, underscoring the importance of family ties for these workers. The film captures both the aspirations and struggles of OFWs, offering an in-depth look at their lives in Taiwan.
The post-screening session of “Ginoong Taiwan” began with a question from Prof. Ou Tzu-Chi, inquiring about the motivations behind the film’s production and its focus on beauty pageants. Director Huang, who has been in contact with migrant workers since 2018, noted her familiarity with the pageant culture, having previously created a short film on the topic. In 2020, she served as a jury member for the beauty pageant featured in the film, and she met Director Cheng in the same year, which led to their collaboration on this project. Director Cheng, who has prior personal experience with a Filipino caretaker for his grandmother, emphasizes that while many people in Taiwan have encountered migrants, only a few understand their lives after work. This understanding offers valuable insights into the realities faced by the OFWs.
According to the directors, the choice to center the film on male beauty pageants aims to reveal the unique stories of migrants and their reasons for participating, as the topic of male beauty pageants is rarely discussed. The film seeks to showcase aspects of migrants’ lives outside of work in Taiwan, an area often overlooked by the mainstream media. With approximately 750,000 migrant workers in Taiwan, many people perceive the country as a land of opportunity. However, media narratives frequently focus solely on the hardships faced by these workers, neglecting their diverse experiences beyond employment.
The filmmakers also expressed some challenges they faced during the production process. Filming in factories and dormitories was prohibited, even when workers were recording. As a result, the film mostly only touches on workers’ lives after their shifts rather than capturing their work environments. Fortunately, some footage from the migrants’ TikTok videos was incorporated into the film. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic posed significant obstacles, making it impossible to shoot abroad and severely restricting the mobility of migrant workers within Taiwan. During this time, beauty pageants became a crucial aspect of their social lives, providing an opportunity for friendship and connection amidst isolation.
The film highlights how these events serve as vital social outlets for migrants, especially during challenging circumstances. Director Cheng also mentioned another challenge during the editing process: ensuring that Taiwanese audiences could emotionally connect with the migrant workers’ experiences and fully engage with the film. Cultural differences also played a significant role in the interactions between the directors and the workers. Director Huang noted that scheduling appointments with the workers was challenging due to their busy schedules. They also tend to live in the present, which Director Cheng suggested may stem from their circumstances rather than their cultural background.
Despite facing numerous obstacles during filming, including limited time and funding, the directors aimed to provide a new perspective on the lives of migrant workers in Taiwan through Ginoong Taiwan. They expressed gratitude for the opportunity to interact with and document workers’ experiences over three to four months. The post-production phase has transformed the directors’ views on migrants, allowing them to understand the workers’ actions more humanely rather than merely as concepts. Given these points, the directors have successfully portrayed a more nuanced understanding of the lives of the OFWs in Taiwan, which evoked empathy in their audience, encouraging viewers to connect emotionally with the experiences of migrant workers in Taiwan.
References
https://taiwannews.com.tw/news/4931722
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/taiwan-01122024135640.html
https://psa.gov.ph/statistics/survey/labor-and-employment/survey-overseas-filipinos
Director Cheng Chi-Ming (left1) shared filming techniques and practical experiences in response to the students’ questions, while Prof. Ou Tzu-Chi (right 1) took notes and translated.
The participants actively spoke up and attentively listened to others’ questions and the director’s remarks.
