My Self When I am Real
Set in the year 2000, a single mother and her teenage daughter struggle to make friends and find belonging at a Filipino Christmas party in suburban Wisconsin. Filmed on MiniDV tape in the style of a home movie, the film explores memory, identity, and assimilation from the contrasting perspectives of childhood and adulthood.
"A film that alternates between painful circumstances and bursts of profound beauty”
— New/Next Film Festival
Awards:
Winner, Best Narrative Short Film, San Diego Asian Film Festival
Nominee, Best U.S. Short Film, Palm Springs International ShortFest
Nominee, Best Short Film, Hawai'i International Film Festival
2025
Hawai'i International Film Festival, Honolulu,
Palm Springs International ShortFest, Palm Springs, California
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, Los Angeles
CAAMFest, Center for Asian American Media, San Francisco
Asian American Showcase, Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago
Picture Lock, The Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, Ohio
2026
DisOrient Asian American Film Festival, Eugene, Oregon
Screenings:
2024
Women Make Waves International Film Festival, Taipei, Taiwan
Ivano-Frankivsk International Short Film Festival 4:3, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
New/Next Film Festival, Baltimore, Maryland
San Diego Asian Film Festival, San Diego, California
Directed by Angeline Gragasin
Written by Angeline Gragasin & Elisha Mlotek
Co-Produced by
Angeline Gragasin
Elisha Mlotek
Yujin Yohe
Lindsay Blair Goeldner
Featuring
Tina Chilip
Therese Dizon
Lianah Sta. Ana
Agnes "Bing" Magtoto
Kristian Espiritu
Cinematography by Yujin Yohe
Production Design by Roxy Martinez-Michaud
Edited by Angeline Gragasin
Line Produced by Charles Hayes IV
Costume Design by Elizabeth Donelan
Music Supervision & Composing by Spencer Murphy
Sound Design & Mix by Paul Hill
Production Sound Mix by Maxwell di Paolo
Art Direction by Aidan Kaye
Executive Produced by
Jorian Polis Schutz
Harvey Bell
Zach Federbush
Featuring
Tina Chilip
Therese Dizon
Lianah Sta. Ana
Agnes "Bing" Magtoto
Kristian Espiritu
Filmed in New York City, NY, USA in 2023
With support from
The Wexner Center for the Arts Film/Video Studio Residency
The Women Make Movies Production Assistance Program
The Puffin Foundation
YoungArts
Special Thanks to
SAG-AFTRA
The Bento Society
Runtime: 15:00
Languages: English, Tagalog
MiniDV, Stereo, Color
Press:
Personal Meditations on Family, Inheritance, and the Work of Becoming Whole, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
Angeline Gragasin Talks about Myself When I Am Real, Asian Movie Pulse
ShortFest Shines Spotlight on Filipino-American Experience with "Myself When I Am Real", NBC Palm Springs
Angeline Gragasin Explains Why Myself When I Am Real Looks Like A Home Movie — And Feels Like A Memory, Film Threat
Myself When I Am Real (2024) by Angeline Gragasin, Asian Movie Pulse
Angeline Gragasin Talks Her Short Film Myself When I Am Real, Film Obsessive
Our Dirty Questions To Angeline Gragasin, Dirty Movies
Myself When I Am Real, Dirty Movies
Angeline Gragasin, Director of Myself When I Am Real, Women Make Waves
Announcing The 2024 SDAFF Awards Winners, San Diego Asian Film Festival