Abused Indonesian domestic helpers in Hong Kong write script for new film on migrant worker’s life
- ‘Dea (Migrants Built This City)’ is the story of a woman who leaves her home and family in rural Indonesia to work as a foreign domestic worker in Hong Kong
- It will show at the Hong Kong Arts Centre on October 21; director Alberto Gerosa is looking to host more screenings, but finding support has been tough
On October 21, Hong Kong gets its first screening of Dea (Migrants Built This City), the story of a woman who leaves her home, family and friends in rural Indonesia to work as a foreign domestic worker in Hong Kong.
It’s a storyline that will resonate with the city’s 400,000 migrant workers, most of whom come from the Philippines and Indonesia.
Dea, played by Indonesian actress Dea Panendra (best known for her role in the 2017 thriller Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts and the 2019 action/sci-fi Gundala), suffers abuse at the hands of her employer, but her dreams of becoming a singer keep her strong.
Hong Kong-based director Alberto Gerosa says it was vital to make a film that took domestic workers out of the shadows and into the role of protagonists.
“Domestic workers in Hong Kong are 5 per cent of the total population and 10 per cent of the workforce,” Gerosa says.