A LOS ANGELES-based Philippine folk arts group is one of the new awardees for the California Humanities’ Documentary Project grant.
Kayamanan Ng Lahi Philippine Folk Arts (Kayamanan) has been awarded $15,000 for its project entitled “Kayamanan’s Media PAMANA Project.”
The California Documentary Project (CDP) is a competitive grant program of California Humanities. CDP grants are awarded to support film, audio, and interactive media – projects that add a new layer to a complex and growing portrait of California.
Since 2003, California Humanities has awarded more than $5 million in research and development, production, and public engagement grant awards to media makers who go deep and reach broadly to capture California in all its complexity.
The youth in Kayamanan are called pamana, which in English means legacy. Kayamanan’s Media PAMANA Project will train its youth participants in media production skills to create short videos that explore their identity as students of cultural traditions and customs of Philippine folk arts. Through documenting the stories of their immigrant families, culture, and community, media becomes the vehicle for self-expression and self-identification.
Giselle Tongi, project manager said, “To be able to pass on the media skills to the next generation of Filipino American artists that are committed to presenting, promoting and preserving the richness and diversity of Philippine culture through dance and music is certainly a privilege. Empowering the youth to tell their own narrative is not only needed in today’s divisive times, it’s essential. We are grateful to California Humanities to be given this opportunity.”
Julie Fry, president and CEO of California Humanities said the projects awarded grants this year “represent the richness and range of our state and its people.”
She added, “We had such a large number of excellent proposals submitted and are pleased to be able to offer support to deserving projects such as Kayamanan Ng Lahi’s Media PAMANA Project that offer relevant, powerful, meaningful ways to connect and help us better understand the human condition.”
California Humanities, a nonprofit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, promotes the humanities — focused on ideas, conversation and learning — as relevant, meaningful ways to understand the human condition and connect people with one another to help strengthen the state.
Kayamanan Ng Lahi’s project is made in partnership with Visual Communications.
