Private Project

Bahay-Bahayan (echoes beyond the horizon)

The Philippines has one of the biggest diaspora of overseas workers in the world. The term Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) is well-known due to this. While the media has always acknowledged the big sacrifices that OFWs make in order to provide for their children an opportunity to live a better life than what they were given, no one talks about the perspective of the children who are left behind, having to grow up and face life without the presence of their parents.

This film features Joanna, a Filipina in her mid-20s who has little to no connection left with her OFW mother. As she faces adulthood, she must decide if she wants to let go of her past. Bahay-Bahayan follows Joanna as she reels back to her past through memory and nostalgia.

  • Marienne Louise
    Director
  • Muhammad Raihan Bin Mohammed Rasul
    Producer
  • Joanna Rose Tamba
    Key Cast
  • Sophia Nicole Gallosa
    Key Cast
  • Janna Caganap
    Location Sound/Audio Post
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Bahay-Bahayan
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Student
  • Genres:
    Observational, Poetic
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 5 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 8, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    3,000 SGD
  • Country of Origin:
    Singapore
  • Country of Filming:
    Philippines
  • Language:
    English, Tagalog
  • Shooting Format:
    8mm
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - LASALLE College of the Arts
  • Avant Premiere (Private Graduation Screening)

    Singapore
    May 20, 2025
    Best Editing
  • 5th San Diego Filipino Film Festival
    San Diego, California
    United States
    October 10, 2025
    Worldwide Premiere, International Premiere, American Premiere, West Coast Premiere, California Premiere
    Audience Award
  • Jakarta Film Week 2025
    Jakarta
    Indonesia
    October 22, 2025
    Asian Premiere, Southeast Asian Premiere
  • 45th VGIK International Student Film Festival
    Moscow
    Russian Federation
    November 10, 2025
    European Premiere, Russian Premiere
  • 44th Festival of Future Storytellers
    Munich
    Germany
    November 14, 2025
    German Premiere
    ARRI Rental Award for Best Documentary
  • 23rd Vienna Shorts
    Vienna
    Austria
    May 27, 2026
    Austrian Premiere
  • 18th Leiden Shorts
    Leiden
    Netherlands
    May 29, 2026
    Dutch Premiere
Director Biography - Marienne Louise

Marienne Louise is a Filipino filmmaker who explores themes surrounding unconventional family relationships and the Filipino identity.

Her entry point into filmmaking began in her diploma, directing her first non-fiction short film The Lighthouse (2019) which was nominated for the Audience Choice Award in the Vidsee Juree Awards 2020. With her passion in documentaries cemented, she continued to hone her skills in non-fiction filmmaking as she continued her education in LASALLE's BA (Hons) Film programme.

For her most recent work, she directed her thesis documentary Bahay-Bahayan (2025), exploring the struggles that children of Overseas Filipino Workers face growing up surrounded by the absence of their parents. In the future, Marienne hopes to continue making documentaries about the lesser known, for those whose voices need to be heard.

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Director Statement

Bahay-Bahayan is the name of a Filipino game that kids play in their childhood. Children pretend to be different members of a family — mother, father, siblings, cousins. It roughly translates to 'playing house', and that is what it feels like to be a child with parents who work as Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). We hear so many stories praising the sacrifices of OFWs, them having to leave their own family in hopes of a better future. But there are always two sides to every story. What about the children who get left behind, who then have to learn how to grow up without their parents, who have to navigate life straight on, alone? I, like many other Filipinos, grew up as a child of an OFW. Thus, this film became a platform for voices of the children of OFWs, focusing on their perspective and what it’s like to grow up in that situation.