Nurse Unseen Makes Chicago Premiere, Documentary Follows Filipino Nurses on Frontlines of Covid-19 Pandemic
Chicago, IL — September 10 — Documentary feature NURSE UNSEEN from Emmy Award-winner Michele Josue will make its Chicago premiere on Tuesday, October 8 at 7:00 PM at AMC Oakbrook Center 12 (600 Oakbrook Center). Director Josue will be in attendance with producer Carlo Velayo for the red carpet (6:30 PM), the film’s introduction and a post-screening Q&A. Presented by Asian Pop-Up Cinema, the event will be held in celebration of Filipino American History Month. Tickets are on sale now at www.asianpopupcinema.org
Nurse Unseen follows the unsung Filipino nurses who risked their lives on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic. Featuring personal narratives from medical workers, grieving families, journalists and more, the feature-length documentary examines resilience, dedication and sacrifice during an unprecedented time of crisis. The film unearths the colonial ties between the Philippines and the United States that have led to Filipino-American nurses becoming the unknown backbone of the American health industry.
Director Josue made her feature documentary debut with Emmy Award-winning Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine, a film that garnered 10 Best Documentary and Audience Awards from film festivals worldwide and boasts a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. She then served as the 2 executive producer, director and editor of Happy Jail, the Netflix Original documentary series following the world-famous Filipino Dancing Inmates. The series earned the 2021 Silver Telly Award for Series Documentary for Television. In 2022, Josue was selected as a delegate of the Filipino Young Leaders Program, a network of high-performing, next-generation leaders who advance the Filipino community through their advocacy and expertise in various industries. Her upcoming documentary Food Roots will premiere at the Nashville, Newport Beach and Chicago International Film Festivals.
With Nurse Unseen, she reteams with Happy Jail producer Carlo Velayo, a Film Independent Spirit Award nominee, a Berlinale VFF Talent Highlight awardee and a SFFILM New American Fellow. Carlo has produced two narrative features, including Isabel Sandoval’s Lingua Franca and Jessica M. Thompson’s The Light of the Moon.
Nurse Unseen has already received accolades including the Audience Award for Feature Documentary (Asian American International Film Festival), World Premiere and Global Health Competition Award (Cleveland International Film Festival), Audience Award for Feature Documentary (CAAMFest) and more. It has been the official selection for numerous film festivals including but not limited to the Los Angeles Asian American Pacific Film Festival, San Diego Filipino Film Festival and Immigration Film Festival.
We wish to thank our collaborative partners for this presentation: SamaSama Project, one of Chicago’s premiere Filipino Folk Fusion bands with a drive to promote diversity through music; The Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO), a network of high-performing, next-generation leaders who advance the Philippines and the Filipino people through their advocacy and expertise in various industries; Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago (FAHSC), a nonprofit organization promoting education and appreciation of the history and culture of Filipino Americans in the United States.
More info: www.asianpopupcinema.org
ABOUT CHICAGO ASIAN POP-UP CINEMA
Chicago Asian Pop-Up Cinema, an annual Asian Film Festival, is the brainchild of Sophia Wong Boccio, founder of Sophia’s Choice, a Chicago-based 501(c)3 not-for-profit incorporated in 2015 with the multi-pronged mission of cultivating an interest in and understanding of Asian cultures via a diverse offering of Asian films; connecting the Asian film industry with local Chicago film professionals, educators, and students; and promoting Chicago as a destination for international visitors.
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For more information, contact: Danielle Garnier, danielle@garnierpr.com 312-841-3500