October 24, 2013 (Los Angeles, CALIFORNIA)- The ONEFILAM Film Festival, the first Filipino American film festival in Los Angeles in celebration of the Fil-Am History Month, will be launched on October 27, 2013 with the premiere Los Angeles screening of the short film, Nico’s Sampaguita.
Nico’s Sampaguita is directed by Aaron Woolfolk and produced by San Francisco-based Filipina-American producers Esperanza Catubig and Lisa A. Chong. A project of Theater Residencies, Incorporated, Nico’s Sampaguita recently won an award in Vancouver, Washington and was invited for an encore Screening at Raleigh Studios as part of the Reel Black Men Film Festival and continues to win acclaim as it makes its way through the film festival circuit.
The film’s cast & crew will be in attendance at the Los Angeles premiere screening this Sunday, October 27, 2012, from 2:00 to 5:00 pm at Noypitz Bar & Restaurant, 933 North Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA 91202. Saxophonist Jonathan Bautista will be performing the film’s theme song with legendary jazz pianist, Winston Raval together with starring actress Esperanza Catubig and award winning actors Darion Basco, Jon Jon Briones, Rico E. Anderson and director Aaron Woolfolk.
A project of Theater Residencies, Incorporated, Nico’s Sampaguita is still making its way through the film festival circuit, winning an award in Vancouver, Washington and most recently was invited for an encore Screening at Raleigh Studios as part of the Reel Black Men Film Festival.
Nico’s Sampaguita is set in San Francisco’s historic Fillmore jazz district. A grieving woman, Alma (Esperanza Catubig), struggles with the sudden death of her musician husband (Darion Basco) and what his spirit has left behind. Alma wants to stop her teenage son Joey (JD Charisma) from repeating the same mistakes made by his father, while Joey is passionate about preserving and continuing his father’s legacy.
Jonathan Bautista is a Bay Area saxophonist, composer and educator. Jonathan has played with James Williams, Pete Escovedo, John Santos, and others, as well as with the Monterey Bay Symphony, the Monterey Wind Symphony and the San Jose Symphony. Jonathan composed “Sampaguita,” the love theme in Nico’s Sampaguita and has just released his first album debut.
The short film is Catubig and Chong’s debut as producers, and also features Catubig (Without a Trace; Locusts!) in the lead role. It also features Fil-Am actor and pioneer Darion Basco (The Debut; Chavez as “Larry Itliong”; Blood Ransom) in the title role of “Nico.” The cast is joined by young actor and recording artist JD Charisma (host of Bay Area’s Mad Science TV), award-winning actor Jon Jon Briones (Allegiance; Miss Saigon original London cast), Rico E. Anderson (Criminal Minds, Star Trek: Renegades, Modern Family), W.A. Steele, and Donovan del Rosario.
Original jazz music compositions include the works of Bautista, Ben Luis (Little Brown Brother), Tom Lattan and, Mitch Marcus. Catubig, co-writer Jenney Pauer, and Chong are dedicated to telling stories about Filipino-American women, through short films, documentaries, features and multimedia.
For more information on Nico’s Sampaguita, a non-profit project of Theater Residencies, Incorporated, a 501c3 organization, please visit: www.facebook.com/nicosampaguita.