Organizer: Asia Society; Asian CineVision

Type/Location: In Person / New York, NY

Description:

Asia Society presents “Desire & Solitude: The Cinema of Isabel Sandoval,” featuring films by Isabel Sandoval as well as two films that inspired her latest film, Moonglow.

Lingua Franca 
Isabel Sandoval, Philippines/USA, 2026, 95 min.   
In English, Russian, and Tagalog with English subtitles. 

Followed by a Q&A with Isabel Sandoval moderated by film critic Genevieve Yue.

Synopsis:

In her only feature to date made in the USA, Sandoval stars as Olivia, an undocumented trans Filipina woman living in Brooklyn and working as a caregiver. Shortly after her latest attempt at a greencard marriage falls through, she meets Alex (Eamon Farren), grandson of the woman she cares for, and the pair hit it off. Deepening Sandoval’s concern with the way large political currents seep into the intimacies of everyday life, Lingua Franca is one of the most trenchant onscreen depictions of the anxieties aroused by American immigration policies. 

About the Speaker:

Isabel Sandoval is an independent Filipino filmmaker and actress who is currently based in the United States. She directed the films Señorita (2011), Aparisyon (2012) and Lingua Franca (2019). She also directed the short film Shangri-La (2021) as part of Miu Miu's Women’s Tales series of female-directed short films commissioned by the fashion brand.

Registration:

To attend the event in person, please purchase tickets here. A limited amount of complimentary tickets will be available to NYC college students with ID at the box office on the day of the screening.