Emir: Movie Musical Devoted to Pinoy OFWs

Like it or not, the number of overseas Filipino workers continues to rise annually, either to seek greener pastures or for career advancement. Whether they work as nurses, doctors, caregivers, teachers, domestic help, or in any other profession, we cannot deny that they sacrifice a lot in order to give a better life for the families they leave behind. For such gallantry and selfless services, not to mention even risking life and limb, Filipino overseas workers are the heroes of our times.

Filipinos join other faithful attend Mass at a Catholic Church in Kuwait.

Filipino women working as domestic helpers in the Middle East are a classic example of how devoted and passionate our countrymen are in making a difference in people’s lives. Many sad stories abound on how these women suffer under the cruel hands of their employers, deprived of food and sleep, their passports withheld, cheated of proper salaries, or accused of crimes they did not commit. Only a few tales of honesty and heroism have been reported. Although, there are lots of TV programs and film documentaries chronicling the lives of our OFWs, many of them are about the sad plight of our countrymen abroad.

Enter Emir, an original full-length Filipino musicale written for the screen that extols the heroism of a Filipina OFW. Directed by multiawarded director Chito Roño, Emir tells the story of a nanny, Amelia, an Ilocana who decides to work in the Middle East to help her family. She takes care of a sheik’s wife who is about to give birth, and later acts as the nanny to Ahmed, the sheik’s eldest son. She helps rear up Ahmed, somehow instilling in him Filipino culture, values and language, acting like a mother to the young prince and ultimately sacrificing everything to protect him. Based on true events, including the Gulf War and an actual meeting with a crowned prince who surprisingly speaks fluent Tagalog and Ilocano, Emir is a novel cinematic work on the diligence and bravery of a Filipino.

The cast of Emir is a mixed blend of artists including singer Frencheska Farr, winner of GMA’s Are You the Next Big Star?, who portrays Amelia. The other yayas featured in the film are musical and theater luminaries such as Dulce, Beverly Salviejo, Liesl Batucan, Melanie Dujunco, Kalila Aguilos and Julia Clarete. Adding spice to the Filipino cast are Arabic-looking actors who delineate the roles of the child Ahmed, played by Joshua Hourani and Mahdi Varjani, who underwent intense workshops to learn the Filipino language with an Arabic accent.

Rolando Atienza, chairman of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and executive producer of Emir, feels the movie will live up to its vision of paying tribute to Filipino OFWs through music, songs and dances that will capture the hearts of Filipinos. “Let us all be proud of the contributions of our OFWs to the world, and be prouder more than ever in that the dream of a world-class film industry is becoming a reality.”

Emir is full of breathtaking scenes from home all the way to Morocco, where 70 percent of the film was shot in high definition. The film is presented in Dolby 5.1 Digital Surround Sound.

For Nestor Jardin, a coexecutive producer of Emir, the movie is a dream project. “First and foremost, the material is good and the musical genre is something I’m comfortable with. We are also thrilled to have an outstanding artistic team, led by Chito Roño. I’m sure it will be a landmark film.”

Emir is produced by the FDCP, in association with the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Viva Films, with the support of the Manila Broadcasting Co. It opens on June 9 in theaters nationwide.

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