MABUHAY

.An artistically inclined college sophomore struggles to balance the traditional expectations of her Filipino mother with finding a fulfilling vocation. Along the way, an unexpected reunion with her estranged cousin allows her to test the boundaries of her burgeoning adulthood.

The film made its World Premiere May 9, 2026 at the legendary CAAMFest in San Francisco.

WATCH NOW
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MEET THE TEAM

ARONJONEL VILLAFLOR

DIRECTOR, WRITER, PRODUCER

Aronjonel Villaflor is a writer, director and editor based in Detroit, MI. Having grown up in the Metro-Detroit area with a Filipino-American family, his films deal heavily with themes of community, Asian American identity with a midwestern backdrop.

BELLA JAVIER

ACTRESS, WRITER, PRODUCER

Bella Javier is a Filipina actress and writer born, raised, and based in Michigan. Her work centers around highlighting the universal human condition with an emphasis on amplifying the voices of Filipino storytellers.

DIN PASTRANA

PRODUCER

Din Pastrana is a queer Filipino director and producer freelancing in the Metro-Detroit area. They’ve worked on a multitude of cultural films and projects with a focus on local advocacy work and creating for the people - not for capital.

CAST

REINA - BELLA JAVIER

MARIA - MELODY TEODORO-KURTIS

BRANDON - ETHAN TALABO

HENRY - JOSHUA LORENZO

NADINE - ALYSSA ALONTE

IAN - LEONARD CASEM

ANDRE - EMON NGUYEN

AVA - GRACE TURNER

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS - CHRISTIAN PASINOS, SYD RAUCH, MARIAM YASSA

POLICE OFFICER - KEHENDE BLUE

RON - JOE TENBROEK

ADAM - CJ VILLAFLOR

JENNIFER - JENNIFER RIZI

PROFESSOR - CARLOS CLARK

ACADEMIC ADVISOR - KRYSTLE DELIHUE

CORPORATE RECRUITER - DUSTIN HENDRIX

TITA NANCY - ANGELITA HARRIGAN

TITO JOE - MANNY JAVIER

NINANG EDITH - EDITHA VILLAFLOR

NINONG RICARDO - RICARDO VILLAFLOR

FR. ALFRED - ALEX CLAR

CREW

DIRECTOR - ARONJONEL VILLAFLOR

PRODUCERS - DIN PASTRANA, BELLA JAVIER, ARONJONEL VILLAFLOR

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER - CALJERELL VILLAFLOR

STORY - BELLA JAVIER & ARONJONEL VILLAFLOR

SCREENPLAY - ARONJONEL VILLAFLOR

EDITOR - ARONJONEL VILLAFLOR

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY - JOHN TRUPIANO

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR/SCRIPT SUPERVISOR - MESGANA BERHANE

CAMERA DEPT - ROBYN BANKS, LUIGI MACAIRAN, MIA HANNA, RISHI GUDDUGURIKKI, BARAKA ELMADARI

PRODUCTION DESIGNERS/ASSISTANTS - JILLIAN IGNACIO, KAYLA HABAL

WARDROBE - JOSH LORENZO

COLORIST - ARONJONEL VILLAFLOR

POST SOUND MIX/EDIT - JACKSON STORMER, ARONJONEL VILLAFLOR

SCORE - AARON DEROMA