We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sondy Lucille. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sondy below.

Sondy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

As a filmmaker, I’ve had the privilege to create and participate in many exciting and moving projects. However, the project that stands out as the most meaningful in my career is the film, Dear Watsonville. This mixed media documentary explores the rich history and enduring spirit of the manong generation—the first wave of Filipino migrants to the U.S.—through the tender recollections of their descendants in Watsonville, CA.

The project emerged from my collaboration with historians Meleia Simon Reynolds and Christina Ayson Plank, co-directors of the Watsonville is in the Heart (WIITH) archive. Their expertise and dedication to community engagement grounded the film in authentic voices and stories. We delved deep into 1–2-hour oral histories, drawing out raw, poignant accounts that offered an unfiltered glimpse into life in the agricultural heartland of Watsonville, CA. The collaboration with Meleia and Christina, who approach storytelling from a historian’s perspective, pushed me to explore new methods of narrative construction. Our joint efforts created a unique film and filmmaking process that reshaped my understanding of storytelling and history preservation. The archive’s research philosophy, emphasizing critical community-engaged research, also influenced me. This approach values community members as expert knowledge producers, ensuring they are co-authors in every aspect of the archive and, consequently, the film.

Dear Watsonville unfolds in three vignettes, each highlighting the migration stories and everyday experiences of three manong descendants: Joanne, Dan, and Manuel. What sets Dear Watsonville apart is its use of community-sourced oral histories, archival images, and hand-drawn illustrations, creating a moving narrative about childhood, placemaking, and resilience.

The visual storytelling of the film was something I felt particularly passionate about. The decision to use a mixed media format was inspired by the emotional resonance evident in the oral histories of Joanne, Dan, and Manuel. Their stories were not just accounts of events; they were vivid recollections shaped by profound feelings towards their parents and their community. I wanted to find a visual language that might capture those feelings. For instance, Manuel recounts the difficulty he had connecting with his father during his childhood, only beginning to understand and empathize with him as an adult. To visually represent this evolving relationship, we initially depict his father as a man with a rooster head, symbolizing the emotional distance and disconnect in Manuel’s youth. Later, as Manuel’s empathy and understanding grow, his father is illustrated simply as a man, reflecting the newfound connection in their relationship.

The process of developing the illustrations for this film involved intensive brainstorming sessions with lead illustrator Lauren Song and visual development artist Juliette Le Saint. It was meticulous and collaborative. During these sessions, I presented edited 5-7-minute segments of the oral histories along with detailed visual outlines. These outlines included every image that came to mind as I listened to the stories. Together, we paired down the imagery and Juliette sketched quick storyboards while we brainstormed. Juliette adeptly balanced intricate visual storytelling with uncluttered, elegant compositions. Lauren crafted the distinctive artistic style and carefully selected a color palette for each vignette that profoundly captured the emotional nuances of the narratives. Through this collaboration, I was able to explore memory, its changeability, and its influence on collective memory and history.

Dear Watsonville premiered at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History as part of the exhibition Sowing Seeds: Filipino American Stories from the Pajaro Valley. Our premiere at the museum remains our most cherished moment in the journey to creating this film. It was incredibly special to share that experience with Filipino Americans from the Pajaro Valley, and especially with Joanne, Dan, and Manuel. Their presence and positive reactions to the film meant the world to us.

Working on Dear Watsonville was more than a creative endeavor; it changed me and taught me so much. The film stands as a testament to the power of film to connect past and present, personal and collective. It reinforced my commitment to storytelling as a means of education, connection, and cultural/historical preservation.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m a Filipina Mauritian filmmaker, raised in California. My personal work discusses mixed heritage, Asian diasporic experiences, and how social expectations impact identity. For over seven years, I’ve honed my skills as an editor and story producer, specializing in documentaries. I have a particular interest in experimenting with mixed media to communicate complex emotions and memories.

In 2020, I had the honor of becoming an Armed With A Camera fellow with Visual Communications––the first non-profit organization in the U.S. dedicated to the honest portrayals of Asian Pacific American peoples through media arts. During my fellowship, I directed “Back to the Source,” an animated film about feeling foreign in one’s home country. In 2022, I was an Our Planet, Our Heritage film fellow. There, I began development for Dear Watsonville, a mixed media film that uses community-sourced oral histories, archival images, and hand-drawn illustrations to depict memories of the manong generation. This project came to fruition during my tenure as a 2023 Artist Disruptor with The Center for Cultural Power x California Arts Council, and is now in festivals!

My goal is to inspire optimism, introspection, and healing, using my craft as a tool for social change.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Being raised in a multicultural home prompted a rigorous search for selfhood. I studied Philippine and Mauritian history and used filmmaking to scrutinize and reinterpret my surroundings. This exploration not only deepened my understanding of my own identity but also drove me to confront and question the prevailing stereotypes that shape how we see ourselves and our communities.

For example, growing up, my exposure to Filipino contributions to American history was sparse and often portrayed in a limited, cold, and clinical manner—if represented at all. It wasn’t until I studied Asian American history in college that I gained a fuller understanding. This education was eye-opening, revealing the profound impact of globalization, immigration, and foreign policies on our lives and self-perceptions.

I often think of the poem, Child of the Americas, by Aurora Morales. The last few lines are: “I am new. History made me. My first language was Spanglish. I was born at the crossroads and I am whole.” I believe the best response to histories that have excluded our perspectives and stories, is making films about the people “born at the crossroads.”

Through my work, I seek to celebrate and illuminate the lives of those who inhabit these intersections, fostering a greater understanding of our collective past and its influence on present identities.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

To best support artists and a thriving creative ecosystem, financial support through fellowships, grants, subsidies, and tax incentives is important. Equally important as supporting artists in creating art is ensuring that people can access and interact with that art. This means making art accessible to diverse audiences through public exhibitions, digital platforms, and community events. It involves breaking down barriers such as cost and location, and promoting art in public spaces. Also, fostering an environment where people feel encouraged to engage with and interpret art is vital. This not only enriches communities but also allows art to fulfill its role in sparking dialogue, reflection, and connection within society.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: sondy.lu

Image Credits

Photographer of my personal photo: Lauren Kim

Photographer of Dan walking in blackberry field: Iris Lee