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Spring by the Sea

Alternating the Philippines and Saudi Arabia as her home, the filmmaker closely follows her family to tell their story, juxtaposed with personal home videos collected by her father. In this simple journey, she is rediscovering herself, her family and redefining home through her lens.

  • Aleia Garcia
    Director
  • Aleia Garcia
    Editor
  • Aleia Garcia
    Producer
  • Ed Lejano
    Producer
  • Manet Dayrit
    Producer
  • Alejandro Garcia
    Executive Producers
  • Magnolia Garcia
    Executive Producers
  • Jan Carlo Natividad
    Associate Producer (Post Production)
  • Anne Regine Ambat
    Associate Editor and Online Editor
  • Kat Salinas (Wapak)
    Sound Post Production
  • Mikko Quizon (Wapak)
    Sound Post Production
  • Dia Magsaysay (MediaEast Productions)
    Color Grading
  • Aleia Garcia
    Subtitles
  • Glenn Lowell Averia
    Subtitles
  • HIyas Bagabaldo
    Poster Design
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Drama, Coming of Age, family, documentary, autoethnographic, migrant
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 7 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    October 15, 2019
  • Country of Origin:
    Philippines
  • Country of Filming:
    Philippines, Saudi Arabia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    DIGITAL
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Cinematheque Centre Manila Screening
    Manila
    Philippines
    July 27, 2017
    Selection
  • 29th Cultural Center of the Philippines Independent Film and Video Tilt
    Manila
    Philippines
    August 7, 2017
    2nd place (Documentary Category)
  • 2018 DIWA Filipino Film Showcase
    Seattle
    United States
    June 13, 2018
    Finalist
  • 2019 QCinema International FIlm Festival
    Quezon City
    Philippines
    October 15, 2019
    Philippine Premiere
    Finalist
  • First Cut Lab - Editing Lab

    Selection
Director Biography - Aleia Garcia

Aleia Garcia is a filmmaker from the Philippines. She is known for Yanbu (2015), Kalumaran (2016), and Spring by the Sea (2019). Her work mainly revolves around themes of home, identity, and family.

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Director Statement

Spring by the Sea is a recollection of my childhood memories growing up in Yanbu, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with my OFW parents and eight siblings. It contains my father's old home videos intercut with my current footage and interviews of my family.

This film began with a collection of personal home videos which became the foundation of our family’s story. It depicts my unconventional family’s relationship over the years, both in the past and in the present, the plight of OFWs told from a personal lens, and the intricacies of my role, both as the filmmaker and as part of the subject of the film.

Alternating the Philippines and Saudi Arabia as our home, this journey of mine seeks to redefine the concept of “home” as I explore the diasporic narrative surrounding my family and the self. Spring by the Sea is our family’s time capsule.