Mabuhay

In Aronjonel Villaflor’s Mabuhay, aspiring artist Reina (Bella Javier) lives in metro Detroit and is at a crossroads when it comes to her college career. She can either blaze her own trail or give into what is expected of her very traditional Filipino American family, an often too-familiar scenario that children of immigrants experience.

When Reina reunites with her cousin, she finds it in herself to start to side- step dated cultural pressures in order to take risks, be bold, and explore who she really wants to be as she enters the rough waters of adulthood.

Making his feature directorial debut, Villaflor directs a script written by Javier. With pure indie film spirit and charm, Mabuhay tells a story of breaking free of restrictive traditions through Filipino American experience in the midwest.