Author Archives: Adrian Alarilla

Featured in KIRO 7 News!

I recently had the honor to represent and talk about the Seattle Asian American Film Festival with KIRO 7 News reporter Paola Tristan Arruda, just a few days before our 14th edition held from May 29 to 31, 2026. It was a great conversation about how important it is to hold space for our stories,Continue reading “Featured in KIRO 7 News!”

Featured in Ancestry.com!

Thanks to my dissertation work, I have had the opportunity to work extensively with a number of archives that feature the lives and legacies of the Sakadas, migrant sugar plantation workers who became part of the early wave of labor migration of Filipinos from the Philippines to Hawaiʻi, the US West Coast, and beyond. ThanksContinue reading “Featured in Ancestry.com!”

Article published at the International Examiner!

I have recently joined the International Examiner as a freelance news writer. My first assignment was to cover the potential impacts of the “Big Beautiful Bill” to the residents of Chinatown-International District as well as the rest of Seattle. If you live in Seattle, please grab a copy of this month’s issue of the InternationalContinue reading “Article published at the International Examiner!”

New Essay Published in Wasafiri special issue

My essay, “Passionate Engagements, Intimate Entrapments: Love, War, and Those Caught Between EMPIRE and Nation” has been published in Wasafiri Magazine as part of a special issue on Southeast Asia and the Littoral. Earlier, a version of this article was also conferred the 2023 Biography Prize by the Center for Biographical Research (CBR) at theContinue reading “New Essay Published in Wasafiri special issue”

Kung Saan Man Tayo Screening at the University of the Philippines Film Center!

I’m very excited to screen my film, Kung Saan Man Tayo, at the University of the Philippines Film Center this November 29, 2023 at 4pm. This is going to be a sort of homecoming for me and this film; many years ago, I conceptualized of this film as a way for myself to reflect onContinue reading “Kung Saan Man Tayo Screening at the University of the Philippines Film Center!”

Coming to America Stories

I am excited to participate in the Filipino American National Historical Society – Seattle Chapter‘s upcoming event, Coming to America. Alongside other speakers, I will be speaking about my own migration story vis-a-vis my family’s story and the bigger story of Spanish and American Colonialism. Admission is free tomorrow, October 28, 2023, 6-8pm, at theContinue reading “Coming to America Stories”

Featured at CBS News Bay Area

When I moved to Seattle from the Philippines in 2010, I was still a bright-eyed and optimistic film school graduate excited to launch a filmmaking career. Alas, as fate would have it, I was needed in some other capacity. Seattle really wasn’t (and I’m afraid still isn’t) the most hospitable place for emerging filmmakers. Admittedly,Continue reading “Featured at CBS News Bay Area”

Report on Mental Health Supports in Alaska’s Schools now out!

Last year, my team and I at Stellar Group were contracted by the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority to write a report on mental and behavioral health needs in Alaska’s public schools. We conducted interviews, did a policy analysis and gathered indicator data, ultimately highlighting various strategies done by school districts to provide better mentalContinue reading “Report on Mental Health Supports in Alaska’s Schools now out!”