TAMPA, Fla. — Working with a camera on a set fulfills a lifelong dream for Roy Saringo.

It’s a dream he said he feels is coming together at the right time.

What You Need To Know

  • Roy Saringo is originally from the Philippines and served in the U.S. Navy

  • He won Best Director at the 2021 Sunscreen Film Festival in St. Petersburg

  • The award was for his feature film “Filtered"

  • He shot a piece on folk dances for the Philippine Cultural Foundation in Tampa

“It’s an exciting time to be Asian-American, Pacific Islander,” Saringo said in an interview. “Especially in the United States. Because of where representation in film is going, I’m seeing more people that look like me on film.”

Saringo is originally from the Philippines and served in the U.S. Navy. He is now a part of Tampa Bay’s growing film scene.

He won an award for Best Director last year at the Sunscreen Film Festival in St. Petersburg for his feature film, “Filtered.” It’s a coming-of-age musical about teens and social media.

He called himself a one-man show making the movie.

“Winning that was validating,” Saringo said. “It just meant that I was being recognized for all the hard work that I did, especially during the (COVID) pandemic.”

He had a long journey to that moment. His family moved to the United States from the Philippines in 1984, and that’s when his love of movies began.

“We would rent. We would always have movie nights,” Saringo said. “So I was always surrounded by the influences of movies.”

One film in particular led him down this path — Pulp Fiction.

“The way the story was told was something that just captivated me, captured my imagination,” Saringo said.

That was the moment he said he knew he wanted to be a filmmaker, but first, he was recruited into the U.S. Navy, continuing a family legacy of military service.

“It was after the military, I had to figure out how to get to a director’s chair,” Saringo said. “That’s what the Navy did for me, as well as many Filipinos in my generation.”

After five years in the Navy, he went to school and began his film journey. He’s now using that to tell stories in his community and others.

In fact, he recently shot a piece for the Philippine Cultural Foundation in Tampa, on traditional folk dances.

“Because of my history with the Filipino community in Tampa, I was able to video what they’ve been doing for decades, which is traditional Filipino folk dance,” Saringo said.

That experience, plus seeing the recent mainstream success of Asian films, like “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Shang Chi,” he said he feels it’s the best time to be following his passion.

“I’m seeing a lot more excitement over Asian-told stories. So it’s no longer an impossibility or a high mountain to climb to get those stories out,” Saringo said.

Saringo also works with local nonprofits. He’s currently shooting video for the No More Foundation about its work in orphan care and adoption.