Prof. Friedland’s documentary, ‘Jeepney,’ airs on PBS

Prof. Friedland’s documentary, ‘Jeepney,’ airs on PBS

Wagner College Film & Media Studies professor Sarah Friedland's latest documentary, “Jeepney,” will be screened in early May on the PBS World network as part of the “Filipino American Lives” series.

The episode will air on WLIW World, which can be found on the following cable-system channels in New York City: Cablevision 132, Time Warner 1278 and Verizon Fios 473.

The episode will be screened numerous times, starting with a prime-time airing:

  • Monday, May 4 — 8 p.m.
  • Tuesday, May 5 — 1 a.m., 9 a.m., 3 p.m.
  • Thursday, May 7 — 5 a.m., 11 a.m.
  • Saturday, May 16 — 5 a.m.

Watch the trailer for “Jeepney”:

The version of “Jeepney” that will air on “Filipino American Lives” is a 30-minute cut of a documentary film produced by Sarah Friedland and directed by her filmmaking partner, Esy Casey. The other half of the “FAL” episode will be a 30-minute version of “Delano Manongs,” about United Farm Workers organizer Larry Itliong and the 1965 Delano California Grape Strike.

Funded by the Center for Asian American Media, “Jeepney” was screened last year at a number of film festivals in its hour-long incarnation. It won the Special Jury Prize for Best Cinematography in a Documentary Feature at the 2014 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.

Friedland and Casey’s first documentary feature, “Thing With No Name” (2008), was nominated for Best Documentary at that year’s Los Angeles Film Festival.

“Esy and I have been making films together for 10 years,” Friedland said. “This is our second feature-length film; we’re working on a third.

“We spent about 4 months in the Philippines shooting ‘Jeepney,’ and lots more preparing. Esy, who is half Filipina, had been wanting to make this film for a long time, partly just to tell an authentic Filipino story. She’s always saying how people think the Philippines is in the Caribbean!”


Note for Comcast cable customers: During the month of May, Comcast cable subscribers will be able to watch the complete 1-hour version of "Jeepney." It will be available on Comcast's On Demand service.


“The artistic and vibrant modes of public transportation known as the jeepney represent a totem of tradition in the Philippines. Director Esy Casey goes beyond the exterior of the decorated ex-WWII military vehicles and follows the lives of three people who share a connection to the jeepney: Gerry, a witty driver who has deep affection for tradition; Lhudz, whose remarkable artwork appears on the vehicles; and Manny, who grew up near a U.S. military base and watched the evolution of the jeepney. With the vivid and historically rich jeepney, the documentary uncovers deeply personal stories and the effects of globalization.” — from the Center for Asian American Media website

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