Dir. Otilia Babara
2022, Moldova/France/Netherlands/Belgium,73 min
Romanian, Russian, Italian with English subtitles
In the early 90’s, women left Moldova in large numbers to provide for their families. Unable to return home, they found a peculiar way to stay in touch: sending large cardboard boxes filled with gifts and food you could only dream about in those days. In return, their children would send videotapes. This exchange became a ritual among thousands of families. Video cameras and presents allowed these mothers and children to share glimpses of their realities while being apart.
Through these intimate private archives, Otilia Babara depicts the fragility of family bonds through the eyes of a generation of mothers and daughters who were forced to live apart in order to survive. While doing so, she portrays a post-soviet country caught in a crossroads of history. A country whose women were unwittingly put in charge of making the transition from communism to capitalism.
Plays with
Please Handle with Care, Angeline Javier, 2022, Canada, 10 min
This short Documentary follows Liway, a permanent resident living in Canada as she prepares to send a balikbayan box to her family back home in the Philippines. This film takes a deeper look into how a tradition for many OFWs (Oversea Filipino Workers) and immigrants became a billion-dollar industry. Balikbayan, meaning “to return” has changed meaning over the years. As we follow Liway’s journey and what it means for her to be able to send back her wealth, we also gain historical insight into these boxes and the business behind them.
