Drama del Rosario’s intimate recollection of his childhood and coming out as a gay teen in the Philippines  won the 2020 PBS Short Film Festival’s Juried Prize. 

In This Family features the filmmaker recalling events from 10 years ago, after a teacher outed him to his parents. Through his own narration, family photos, and recordings, Drama tells the story of how his own family reacted to, struggled with, and eventually accepted their children unconditionally. 

In a Facebook post on July 28, Drama thanked those who watched the film and sent him messages of thanks. “I hope this documentary moves us closer to helping the LGBTQIA+ community feel safe and loved, especially within Asian families and schools,” he said. 

He also thanked Cinematografo, a unit under ABS-CBN International, which executive produced his documentary. “As a lot of people know, ABS-CBN and Philippine media in general are not in a good place right now because of Philippine politics. It has been so humbling to have this documentary represent how important it is to keep Philippine media alive and growing! Our voices need to be heard,” he added.  

Drama also paid tribute to Glee and the late Naya Rivera. Glee, a popular 2000s show about a school glee club and its members, featured numerous queer characters – among them, Santana plated by Naya. “Santana Lopez was one of the crucial queer characters that helped me and my family get to where we are now. It is a testament to how much queer entertainment can change the life of a family on the other side of the world,” he said. 

Drama’s documentary can be watched in full here: 

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– Rappler.com