By Samantha Ofole-Prince
Grammy Award-Winning Artist H.E.R., has expresses pride in her Filipino origin, saying she has always been proud to be Filipino.
She made the remarks following her appearance in a movie, written and directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, where she and Liza Soberano played two Filipina teenagers, Jo and Raissa, who pass through a portal to a mythical island and have to figure out how to return to their mortal world after waking up with no memory.
The movie “KPop Demon Hunters” celebrated Korean culture, “Moana” shared the rich Pacific Islander culture and “Forgotten Island” is the latest film to celebrate diversity.
Buoyant, busy and sometimes funny, there are a lot of joyful and colorful characters like an eight-foot-tall demon baby with three eyes, towering tree giants, goblins and a Filipino folklore creature called Manang.
The film also honors the history and spirit of Filipino music with indigenous instruments and rhythmic traditions and for H.E.R., it offered an opportunity to share her culture with audiences.
“I have always been so proud to be Filipino and to represent my culture, so being surrounded by my people, telling stories we have known since we were kids and sharing our culture with new audiences and showing a side of myself that people have not seen before is really special to me.”
With no memory of how they arrived on the island, “Forgotten Island” follows Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa’s (Soberano) adventure as they try to retrace their steps, confronting strange creatures around them in the fantastical island of Nakali, which is packed with magical and mythological creatures they grew up hearing about from their Filipino families.
The role also fulfilled a lifelong ambition for the singer and actress who has always wanted to play a character in an animated film.
“Playing Jo brought out parts of me that I am sometimes afraid to show. She is playful, passionate and resistant to expectations. She fights for the people she loves, and even when she does not get the outcome she wants, there is something so honorable about her strength and power,” adds H.E.R., who made her directorial debut with the documentary “The Makings of Curtis Mayfield” last year.
A five-time Grammy Award–winning singer and an Academy Award–winning artist, she received an Oscar for Best Original Song for “Fight for You,” a track she penned for “Judas and the Black Messiah” which starred Daniel Kaluuya.
The film’s all-star voice cast also includes Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon and Dave Franco who voices a weredog, a Filipino mythology version of a werewolf.
Weaving authentic cultural details into its narrative, this story about friendship, family and culture is an incredibly warm and welcoming one.