A Kickstarter campaign has been launched to support a documentary that explores the history and humanity of Filipino nurses in the United States risking their lives on the frontlines of a global health crisis.
“Nurse Unseen,” directed and produced by Filipina American filmmaker Michele Josue, dives into why troves of Filipino nurses left the Philippines to work in the U.S. health care system and why they have been so disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today, nurses of Filipino descent make up 4% of the nursing population in the U.S.
During the pandemic, however, Filipino nurses have comprised 26.4% of registered nurse fatalities (or 83 individuals), according to the National Nurses United’s “Sins of Omissions” report, highlighting at least 329 RNs of different backgrounds who have died up until February 2021, as previously reported by the Asian Journal.
“We hope to explore, contextualize, and humanize this staggering statistic of Filipino nurses who have lost their lives on the front lines of this pandemic,” Josue said about the documentary.
The fundraising campaign encourages people to pledge with amounts ranging from $5 to $10,000, with different benefits from merchandise to film credits and a private community screening attached to each tier.
“Passionate people make all the difference with a project of this magnitude, and every single person’s contribution will help make this film a reality,” Josue said.
Two of the documentary’s producers stressed the importance of bringing “Nurse Unseen” to life.
“The stories of our fallen colleagues deserve to be told with love, respect, authenticity, and sensitivity,” said Joe Arciaga, a registered nurse and U.S. Army veteran.
Meanwhile, Arlyn Dela Pena, also an RN and Army vet, said: “We strongly believe ‘Nurse Unseen’ is an extremely vital project of utmost relevance and urgency for our Filipino nurses and, by extension, all nurses.”
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As part of their endeavor, the Filipino filmmaking team launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund “Nurse Unseen.”
“Our film is a totally independent production that’s been self-financed up until this point. But making a documentary film is an expensive endeavor! We are asking for only a portion of what we need to make the film. Your contribution will go directly to funding our film’s production costs,” said producer Carlo Velayo.
Josue is an Emmy award-winning Filipina filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Her critically acclaimed feature-film debut “Matt Shepard Is A Friend Of Mine” won the 10 Best Documentary and Audience Choice Awards from festivals worldwide as well as the 2016 Daytime Emmy Award for “Outstanding Special Class Special.”
Velayo is a 2021 Berlinale VFF Talent Highlight Awardee, a Film Independent Spirit Award-nominated Producer, and was the inaugural SFFILM New American Fellow in 2018. He produced Isabel Sandoval’s “Lingua Franca” and Jessica M. Thompson’s “The Light Of The Moon.”
Arciaga is a Filipino-American Nurse, Writer and Filmmaker. He is one of the founders of the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce, Greater Los Angeles. He is also one of the producers of “Your Vote Matters 2 Me,” a non-partisan public service online series to get out the Asian and Fil-Am vote.
Dela Pena is a Fil-Am U.S. Army Veteran, Registered Nurse, Producer, Actress, and Filmmaker based out of Hawaii and Los Angeles. She is best known for the USAA Made for Kate national commercial.
To learn more about “Nurse Unseen,” visit their Kickstarter.
