Lingua Franca
TFI Suppport
Tribeca All Access® 2019
Logline
In Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, an undocumented Filipina immigrant scrambling to avoid deportation becomes involved with a Russian slaughterhouse worker who is unaware that she’s transgender.
Jhett Tolentino
Producer
Jhett is a 3-time Tony Award and Grammy Award winning Broadway producer. He was born, raised and educated in the Philippines. He is crossing over from theatre to film. He wrote, produced and directed his first film, a call-to-action-for-education short documentary Life is What You Make It, which highlights his life from the slums in the Philippines to Broadway. He also wrote, produced and co-directed Archipelago of Memory, a short documentary that interweaves his personal narrative as a U.S. immigrant with the fabric of Filipino diaspora and the Philippines’ colonial and modern history.
In 2014, Jhett was recognized as one of The Outstanding Filipinos in America (TOFA) at Carnegie Hall in New York City. He was presented the 2016 Ani Ng Dangal (Harvest of Honor) Award by the Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) for bringing international honor to the Philippines. Also in 2016, he was named as one of The Outstanding Young Men and Women (TOYM) of the Philippines. He represented the United States to the 5th Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO) immersion trip to the Philippines.
Isabel Sandoval
Director, Screenwiter
Isabel is a New York-based filmmaker whom The Museum of Modern Art--citing her "muted, serene aesthetic"--has recognized as a "rarity among the young generation of Filipino filmmakers".
Carlo Velayo
Producer
Carlo is a Philippine-born, Australian-raised, NYC-based producer at Stedfast Productions. He was an Associate Producer on Cheryl Furjanic’s Emmy-nominated film, BACK ON BOARD: GREG LOUGANIS, and recently made his debut as a p.g.a. Producer with Jessica M. Thompson’s THE LIGHT OF THE MOON, receiving the 2017 SXSW Audience Award for Narrative Feature Competition. In 2016, Carlo spent two months at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), working as Line Producer on Emmy Award-winning, Filipina-American filmmaker, Michele Josue's forthcoming documentary project, HAPPY JAIL. He is proud to be a Producer on Isabel Sandoval’s LINGUA FRANCA.