DC Asian Pacific Film Festival Presents: Twelve October 5, 2009

At the age of 12, Lester Alfonso immigrated from the Philippines to Canada. This event has been forever burned into his memory, being the point at which he entered the next stage of his life and acquired a new identity. As an adult, Alfonso muses on how this transition affected his sense of belonging and shaped his personal development in a country that became his second home.

Twelve follows Alfonso as he seeks out fellow immigrants that came to Canada from a range of places such as South Africa, Hungary and Poland—also when they were 12. Each of the twelve subjects in his documentary, who range in age from 12 to 70, divulge the lessons learned as they retell their stories of immigration, displacement and settlement over the past several decades.

Some, like Alfonso, were brought to the country by families hoping to take advantage of new opportunities. Others came bearing painful memories of violence or poverty in their homeland. Through his interviews and newly forged-friendships with his subjects, Alfonso finds empathy, comfort and, ultimately, healing for his own soul.

Official Website: http://www.apafilm.org/festival-2009/twelve/