Maui-rooted film, ‘All the Things I Leave You (Patawid)’ could represent Philippines at the Oscars

Ilokano-language film with ties to Hawaiʻi plantation history is one of eight contenders to represent the Philippines at the 99th Academy Awards

“All the Things I Leave You (Patawid),” an Ilokano-language film with deep ties to Maui and Hawaiʻi’s Filipino plantation history, has been named one of eight films shortlisted to become the Philippines’ official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards.

Directed by award-winning Filipino filmmaker Jade Castro and based on an original story by Maui attorney and producer Lance D. Collins, “All the Things I Leave You” connects contemporary life in Ilocos with the history of Ilokano sakadas who migrated to Hawaiʻi to work on Maui’s sugar plantations.

The Oscar consideration follows an extensive international festival run. 

“All the Things I Leave You” has screened at:

• NewFest: New York’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival (New York)
• Africa International Human Rights Film Festival (Nigeria)
• Anticensura Film Festival (Argentina)
• Tianjin International Academic Film Festival (China)
• Third Eye Asian Film Festival (India)
• Jaipur International Film Festival (India)
• Cusco WebFest (Peru)
• DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon (Oregon)
• Hawaiʻi International Film Festival’s ʻŌpio Fest (Oʻahu)
• Be Reel Children’s Film Festival (Maui)
• Wailuku Film Festival (Maui)
• Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival (Oʻahu)
• Diwa Filipino Film Festival of Seattle (Washington)*

The film has also received recognition during its festival run, including Best Episodic Film at the 37th Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival, Best LGBT at the Anticensura Film Festival and a Top 4th Web Series Award at the Jaipur International Film Festival.

At the heart of “All the Things I Leave You” is the story of Tino, an Ilokano sakada who migrated to Lahaina to work on a sugar plantation. After his death, his grandson Jorge and Kiko, a working-class newcomer, discover a hidden cigar box containing unsent letters and photographs that reveal a decades-old love story between Tino and his best friend, Bong. The discovery connects generations across Ilocos and Hawaiʻi while exploring migration, class, family, intimacy, memory and the legacies people inherit.

The production’s Hawaiʻi connections extend beyond its story. Its musical score incorporates several compositions by Queen Liliʻuokalani, weaving Hawaiʻi’s musical history into a story centered on the Filipino diaspora in Hawaiʻi and the generations here and abroad shaped by plantation-era migration.

The film has also been screened at a number of universities around the world including Yale University, the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa and University of Pittsburg.

The Film Academy of the Philippines announced the eight-film shortlist on Aug. 28. A National Selection Committee will choose the country’s official submission, with the selection scheduled to be announced during the opening of Philippine Film Industry Month.