Joseph Mangat

Divine Factory

A documentary that examines the peculiarities of religion, labor, capital and gender all intersecting at a Catholic figurines factory in the Philippines, where devout LGBTQ workers and outcasts pray to the same items they make.

TWO MILES EAST

TWO MILES EAST is a film essay that revisits a tragic F/A-18 jet crash in San Diego to contemplate our civilian relationship with the military and re-examine the suburban dream.

How to Have an American Baby

An intimate and kaleidoscopic voyage behind the closed doors of the Chinese birth tourism industry in the U.S.

The Paradise We Are Looking For

San Diego has been called many things – including a paradise. It’s also a refugee city, a cluster of neighborhoods, a militarized zone, a border town. And Asian American. This collection of four short documentaries, commissioned on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the San Diego Asian Film Festival, maps many such San Diego’s – across ethnicity, geography and history. At the same time, they hold on to some notion of paradise, however illusory: a haven from war, the dreams of an immigrant, precious teenage reminiscences, solace in the afterlife, and spaces for creative expression.

Backstage Pass: Life Behind the Curtain

A short film and a documentary, it explores the stories of a handful of CCP's staff, some of whom have stayed for decades working as stagehands, flyers, and lighting crew. Working tirelessly throughout each production, they embody the persevering heart of the theatre, with some of them clocking into the CCP as early as four in the morning to complete a task or get a head start.

Backstage Pass: Portrait of a Scenic Artist

A glimpse of the backstage work of the Center’s draftsman, modelmaker, and scenic painter. The 32-minute documentary features CCP’s master scenic artist, tracing his early beginnings up to his retirement through conversations with his mentees.