Synopsis
After narrowly escaping an assassination attempt, Leon Gonzales fled the Philippines and sought asylum in New York. Once a fearless journalist, he now scrubs dishes in a noisy deli, a ghost of the man he used to be.
Each day, he clings to fragments of his old life by following the news from home: A possible re-election of the political dynasty after him, and the harrowing reports of a colleague recently murdered for speaking out.
When his daughter, Audrine starts getting nightmares, Leon spins bedtime stories and tales of a brave girl fleeing monsters, mirroring his struggles.
As Audrine’s birthday draws near, she asks Leon for an American Girl Doll which he promises to send home. Leon finds out that it costs more than he could afford, and is and is soon skipping meals, taking extra shifts, and secretly visiting the store just to look at the doll. The one that looks like his daughter, sitting behind the glass, just out of reach.
Haunted by guilt and desperate to keep his family together, Leon must decide: keep hiding in the shadows for safety, or like the brave heroine in his stories, stand and fight the monsters waiting across the ocean.
Key Personnel
Sher Bautista – Director
Filmmaker Sher Bautista is a third culture kid whose work centers on themes of identity, families, and women.
Sher worked as a TV and commercial producer for Shoestring Productions, and produced feature film, Delia & Sammy. She was a writer for the critically acclaimed feature film, Bukod Kang Pinagpala (Blessed Art Thou), musical
TV series, The Boston, and directed the short film Cat Food, and the Tropfest short film finalist, Commune.
She is currently completing her MFA in Film and developing her thesis project, Tales My Father Told.
Therese Anne Cayaba-Jones – Co-Producer
Therese is a filmmaker with over 15 years of experience with films, ads, and series across the Philippines, Singapore, and the U.S.
Her body of work includes feature films Delia and Sammy, the hit film Belle Douleur, Just For Today, NetflixPH’s Aswang, and several acclaimed short films such as Oras, Commune, Pistola, and Cirque Invisible. She has just finished the feature screenplay for UnMarry, which is currently in production.
Now based in New York, Therese continues to champion independent filmmaking and is currently producing Tales My Father Told and The 48 Hour Film Project New York.
William Jones – Co-Producer
William Jones is an international filmmaker based in Dallas, with over 10 years of experience in film, television, and digital media.
An accomplished producer with projects spanning Bigfoot Studios, Fashion One, and ChannelFix.com, his feature film credits include Delia & Sammy and Three Stoners. He recently completed the short film Umbra Alert, and is currently producing Tales My Father Told, demonstrating his commitment to bringing distinctive stories to the screen.
With a strong technical foundation and a clear storytelling sensibility, he specializes in bringing creative projects from concept to final cut.
