The Colorado Springs Filipino community rarely gets to see itself represented in a film screened at a local theater.

A screening of “How to Get Away From My Toxic Family” will be the first time a Filipino movie has had a premiere in the Springs, says event organizer Jonah “JChelle” Macaspac. It’s timed to Filipino American History Month.

The event is 3 p.m. Saturday at AMC Chapel Hills 13. Two Filipino celebrities, Ogie Diaz and Mama Loi, will be on hand for a Q&A post-film.

“It’s not just for entertainment but as a message, a reflection of the real troubles and sacrifices of overseas Filipino workers around the world,” Macaspac said. “Most of us come here on a worker’s visa, and those people need to support not just one (immediate) family but a whole family.”

OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) are Filipino migrant workers who live in another country for a limited period of employment. Workers send their earnings home to relatives in the Philippines.

Once the OFW returns home, though, hoping to start their own life with some of the money they’ve sent to their family, that money often no longer exists.

“Some become more broke because the family didn’t know how to take care of that money,” Macaspac said. “You sacrifice by working abroad, you go home thinking you’re free and can do your own business, but most become more in debt. This film captures that.”

In the 2025 family drama, co-written by Diaz, an OFW who works as a chef in Dubai returns home to the Philippines, where he hopes to open his own restaurant and start his own life with the money he’s sent his family. He soon finds himself at odds with his family, making him question the sacrifices he’s made for them.

“This film is for those people,” Macaspac said, “because it captures the heartache and hope of families separated by distance and the courage of those who leave home for a better life, and the strength it takes to hold onto love through it all. It’s a story of resilience and compassion anyone can relate to, regardless of nationality.”

The Pikes Peak region is home to OFWs as well as holders of J-1 visas, a non-immigrant visa issued by the U.S. to research scholars, professors and exchange visitors who participate in programs that promote cultural exchange and also obtain medical or business training in the country.

“It’s a good thing to let people know who we are. This movie portrayed the whole Filipino dynamic,” Macaspac said. “Most people think they come here and get rich, and that’s not true. Most go back and go broke.”

If you go

“How to Get Away From My Toxic Family,”  with Q&A with Filipino celebrities Ogie Diaz and Mama Loi, 3 p.m. Saturday, AMC Chapel Hills 13, 1710 Briargate Blvd., $31.60-$60; eventbrite.com

Something else: Family Success, hosted by the Philippine American Community of Southern Colorado, celebrating Filipino heritage, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Family Success Center, 1520 Verde Drive, free.