Filipina-Canadian filmmaker Thea Loo’s “self-reflexive” debut feature documentary Inay is getting off the ground, with principal photography now underway and a broadcast on Knowledge Network set for summer of 2024.

Directed by Loo (Nanay, Little Church), the film is produced by No More Productions, a partnership between Loo and fellow Vancouver-based filmmaker Natalie Murao (Blue Garden, No More Parties), in association with the Knowledge Network, Canada Media Fund and The Cinematheque in Vancouver.

Production will take place in Ottawa and Cobourg, Ont., Vancouver, North Vancouver and New Westminster, B.C., according to a news release.

Inay is executive produced by Priscilla Galvez (Islands, Sing Me a Lullaby) with Murao serving as associate producer. The doc is a micro-budget film, according to a spokesperson.

Featuring an all Asian-Canadian cast and crew including Loo, her husband Jeremiah Reyes (who is also the co-DP) and Shirley Lagman, Inay (Tagalog for “mama”) is described as an exploration of the trauma endured by many Filipino Canadians due to the “flawed” immigration pathways between the Philippines and Canada that have separated Filipino children from their mothers.

The film also touches on mental health and migrant labour, and seeks to give a voice to, as well as connect, the first and second generations of the Filipino community through intimate conversations.

“Mental health is a topic that is hardly discussed in our immigrant community. We hope that making this documentary opens up channels for healing and connection within families,” said a statement from Loo, who is now under the mentorship of Kathleen Hepburn and Tyler Hagan of Experimental Forest Films.