PBS San Diego premieres Fil-Am series ‘Out of the Boondocks’

Rio Villa and Jay Jay Maniquis are the series hosts, creators and producers.KPBS

SAN DIEGO, California – A new locally-produced Filipino American docuseries, “Out of the Boondocks,” has been added to KPBS’ TV and streaming lineup.

“Out of the Boondocks,” which celebrates Filipino creativity and culture through the lens of San Diego’s Filipino artists and innovators, premiered on Thursday, May 5 at 8:30 pm.

The six-part docuseries highlights the Asian American experience through local Filipino creatives, such as artists covering San Diego in murals, filmmakers bringing cinematic visions to life, a spoken word poet honing their art and sharing it with others.

Rio Villa and Jay Jay Maniquis are the series hosts, creators and producers.

Villa is a Filipina American born and raised in San Diego. She is a theatre artist and writer who often travels to the Philippines. She shows how documentation and discussion of history and culture are crucial to self-development, especially for communities affected by immigration and colonization.

Maniquis, also a native San Diegan and Filipino American, has hosted for TFC, the most-watched Filipino channel in the world. He also has a travel channel on Youtube called “Jaycation,” which focuses on travel, food and culture in cities like San Diego, Las Vegas, Barcelona and Manila.

“We created the show to provide a platform to highlight and display the many talents of Filipino American creatives in San Diego. We aim to educate and take more of an in-depth look at Filipino culture,” says Maniquis.

The term “boondocks” refers to distant places, but its root is a Filipino word for mountain: bundok. The term was adopted and Anglicized by U.S. soldiers during the Philippine-American War of 1898. The duality of the word represents the hidden strength in the Filipino American experience, according to the show’s producers.

The show’s Fearless Few Productions includes director of photography and editor William Ezell and sound designer and production assistant James Punay. Everyone on the team is of Asian American descent with backgrounds in the creative industry.

“Out of the Boondocks” is part of the KPBS Explore local content project, which collaborates with local producers on ideas for programs and series that reflect San Diego’s diverse and dynamic community and allow audiences to connect over shared experiences.

The trailer for season one is available here.