Experiencing Interruptions?

Follow Me Home

An ambitious Pacific Islander family migrates to LA from the islands chasing the American dream, finds community on a street named "Island Ave", unfortunately experiences tragedy early on through gang violence, rises above the adversity, & launches apparel line that becomes distributed nationally called "Island Ave".

  • Fa'avae Fa'avae
    Director
  • Derek Felipe
    Director
  • Michael Gray
    Director
  • Fa'avae Fa'avae
    Writer
  • Derek Felipe
    Writer
  • Michael Gray
    Writer
  • Fa'avae Fa'avae
    Producer
  • Derek Felipe
    Producer
  • Michael Gray
    Producer
  • Fa'avae Fa'avae
    Key Cast
  • George Fa'avae
    Key Cast
  • Leland Su'a
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes 34 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 31, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    4,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Sony a7r iii
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Fa'avae Fa'avae, Derek Felipe, Michael Gray

Fa’avae J. Fa’avae is the founder and owner of apparel companies, F2 Manufacturing and Island Avenue, and co-owner of restaurants, Beleaf Burgers and Bored & Hungry, and owner of movie studio F2 Films. Fa'avae starred in his first movie role alongside actor Ving Rhames and the late Nipsey Hussle, the 2010 classic, "Caged Animal". F2 Manufacturing clients include, “Fashionova, Darc Sport, Diamond Supply Co, The Leverage Showroom, Haus of Jr, The Lakers, Disney”, and many others. Lifestyle brand Island Avenue has gained notoriety for being featured in retail chains like “Macy’s, Tillys and Nordstroms”. As co-owner of Beleaf Burgers, Fa’avae’s community connection helped develop a strong plant base community within the OC and Los Angeles area, with an offering of all your childhood favorites, but all plant based! Fa’avae’s leadership and vision from the inception of Bored & Hungry, the world’s 1st NFT restaurant, helped launch the concept in record time, garnering viral media coverage worldwide, combined with the most recent accomplishment of winning the best burger in America live on Good Morning America. Bored & Hungry has expanded, with locations launching in South Korea, Philippines, and Japan.

With a passion to always give back, Fa’avae established The T.U.T Foundation, Triumphant Under Tragedy, in honor of his brother who tragically passed in 1992. The T.U.T Foundation holds its annual Christmas event, “Christmas in Carson” providing free toys, clothes and food for less fortunate families within the Los Angeles area. The “TUT Academy” is slated to launch in 2023, in which it will provide basic fundamentals in Entrepreneurship, Stocks, Coding, Real Estate, and Web3”, for low income communities in Los Angeles.

Fa’avae is a former Division 1 Football Athlete, and graduate with a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of California Berkeley.

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Director Statement

I am honored to finally share stories on behalf of communities in which their voices, their struggles and pain have long been silenced, due to cultural or societal reasons. "Follow Me Home" is an immigration story that we all could relate to, escaping native homelands, arriving on foreign soil, chasing the American dream, only to be met with extreme adversity. However, it's through that adversity that our migrant communities, rise and overcome, and go on to make an impact on the world. We hope you are inspired by our art.

"The human act is to inspire"... Nipsey Hussle.