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Faith Healers

FAITH HEALERS is the untold history of Filipino doctors who left their homeland to care for Americans. Through the life of Dr. Zorayda Lee-Llacer, we witness an immigrant's journey and her many contributions to American healthcare. By exploring the complicated colonial history between the USA and the Philippines, we grasp the enormity of the challenges and achievements of a vibrant Filipino American community that grew just outside the nation's capital in Prince George’s County, MD. Along with the story of Zorayda, the film dives into the lives of 2nd generation Filipino Americans and how the Philippines continues to shape their identities from afar. Its an exemplary story of sacrifice and service by a people who are too often erased from the American narrative. At its heart, FAITH HEALERS is about Filipino kapwa - our shared humanity - and the importance of honoring history, celebrating culture, and telling our own story.

  • Regina Aquino
    Director
  • Regina Aquino
    Writer
  • Regina Aquino
    Producer
  • Randy Lizardo
    Producer
    Asian Persuasion
  • Francis Manuel Abbey
    Producer
  • Zorayda Lee-Llacer
    Key Cast
  • Randy Lizardo
    Key Cast
  • Jose Manuel Romualdez
    Key Cast
  • Iric Arribas
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Culture, History
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 24 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 10, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Philippines, United States
  • Language:
    English, Tagalog
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • SOHO International Film Festival
    New York, NY
    October 11, 2025
    NYC Premiere
    Audience Choice Feature Film, Nominee for Best Documentary
  • Manila International Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    March 7, 2025
    World Premiere
    Trailblazer Award
  • Flickers' Rhode Island Film Festival

    Semi-Finalist
  • Richmond Film Network Indie Fest
    Richmond, VA
    United States
    May 17, 2025
    Virginia
    Audience Choice
  • Immigration Film Festival
    Washington, DC
    DC Premiere
    Official Selection
  • LA Independent Women Film Awards
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    Nominee - Best New Filmmaker
  • Washington DC International Cinema Festival
    Washington, DC
    United States
    Best Feature Documentary
  • Seattle Film Festival

    Semi-Finalist
  • Oakland Film Festival

    Official Selection
  • Chicago Women's Film Festival

    Official Selection
  • World Culture Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Regina Aquino

Award-winning actor, producer, director, and founder of Origin Stories Productions. Theatre career spanning 26 years, performed on all of Washington, DC’s prominent stages, at the Kennedy Center, and at Lincoln Center in New York City. Nominated for multiple Helen Hayes Awards, in 2019 earned Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play for work in THE EVENTS. First and only Filipino to receive the distinction, one of Washingtonian Magazine’s "10 Biggest Theater Stars of DC.” Founded Origin Stories Productions to create Filipino forward art with multiple film/TV projects in development. First feature documentary, FAITH HEALERS, selected to World Premiere at the Manila International Film Festival at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood in March 2025. It has since won multiple awards and screened at 12 festivals across the United States.

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Director Statement

FAITH HEALERS was made in collaboration with primarily Filipino crew - both in the US and in the Philippines. My production company, Origin Stories, is focused on ensuring that the Filipino American experience is represented while also engaging talent from the motherland to ensure that we foster intercultural creative growth.

I am so proud to be Filipino American. As the first Asians to arrive on the continental United States before it was a country, our history is deeply imbedded into the fabric of modern America. From the Philippine American War to imperialist occupation of the Philippines, the unionized labor movement to Civil Rights - Filipino History is an integral and unacknowledged aspect of United States history and culture. To be Filipino American in this moment is to be blessed with purpose - its so easy to fight for our due recognition when we've been here all along. There's so much we as a people have accomplished and contributed to the globe for centuries, all while maintaining our unique and generous spirit. I love that I get to be a part of the creative movement to raise awareness and shift the perspective of who we are and what we are capable of.

It is my personal mission to create hopeful stories that uplift and connect excluded and erased identities, with a strong focus on Filipino stories. I believe that stories shape the world and those with storytelling skills, talent, and resources are tasked with the responsibility of using those gifts to positively impact humanity by promoting compassion, justice, and liberation.