Lasa and Legacy: Fil-Am history told through food

Lasa and Legacy showcases the pivotal chapters in Filipino American history within the San Francisco Bay Area. CONTRIBUTED

SAN FRANCISCO – Filipino American filmmaker Rachel Lucero is inviting the public to the screening of ‘Lasa and Legacy,’ a captivating docuseries showcasing pivotal chapters in Filipino American history within the San Francisco Bay Area. It will be held on Sunday, May 5, from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at San Francisco Main Library’s Koret Auditorium.

Following the screening, there will be a panel Q&A with a few of the community members in the docuseries: Dr. Estella Habal, Jorge Octaviano and Romeo Reyes-Pagdilao.

The event is part of “Weaving Stories,” the San Francisco Public Library’s celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month in May.

Part documentary, part cooking show, Lasa and Legacy is a docuseries highlighting four stories in Filipino American history in the San Francisco Bay Area. The series includes the Filipino farm labor movement, the struggle for the International Hotel in the 1960s and ‘70s, activism in Filipino punk culture and the San Francisco-based anti-dictatorship movement during Martial Law in the Philippines.

The show’s special touch? Each episode features a mouthwatering cooking segment of a Filipino dish related to that history. The docuseries was primarily filmed in the SOMA Pilipinas Cultural District of San Francisco.

Lasa and Legacy is directed and produced by Rachel Bundoc Lucero, with Scott Gonzales Cooper as director of photography.

Lucero is a Filipina American artist and community organizer based in San Francisco. Through her online video series, “The Sago Show,” she challenges viewers to explore topics in Filipino history and current events through the lens of food.

Through her work, Lucero empowers Filipino viewers to connect with a history of activism and to take action for their community and homeland.

The docuseries is funded by Balay Kreative Studios and patrons of The Sago Show. It features Vivian Bejarin, Rupert Estanislao, Estella Habal, Jeanette Lazam, Daniel Lazo, Jorge Octaviano, Romeo Pagdilao-Reyes, Andrew Paguio and Nilo Van Tassel.