“Manifest Destiny” uses architecture to assert the presence of both a local and global Filipina/x/o community that continues to be the subject of American imperialism. The film is motivated by two parallel observations: ethnic enclaves like Historic Filipinotown in Los Angeles are undergoing gentrification, and Filipino-American nurses have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Filipina/x/o nurses play an essential role in the American healthcare system, with 1 out of 20 registered nurses in the United States receiving their medical training in the Philippines. As frontliners, Filipino-Americans represent 3 out of 5 COVID-related nurse deaths in California alone. Through descriptions of hospitals and Historic Filipinotown’s urban fabric, the film attempts to draw out symmetries between varying states of (dis)appearance, (in)visibility, and aspiration.
Collaborators: Eileen Arcos