VETERANO
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY
PATRICK EPINO
PRODUCED BY
PAOLA MARDO & PATRICK EPINO
INSTAGRAM
@NATIONALFILMSOCIETY
LOGLINE
An aging Filipino World War II veteran with nothing left to lose dusts off his past and his pistol for one last mission in 1981 San Francisco.
SYNOPSIS
Set in 1981, San Francisco, VETERANO follows Valentino (Jon Jon Briones), an aging Filipino World War II veteran beaten down by the system. Within the crumbling walls of his rundown apartment, he dusts off his pistol, grabs his old army jacket, and hits the streets of the city on an unspoken mission. When he enters a bank, the room turns. Time slows. And he must make a moral choice that could cost him everything.
A proof-of-concept from Filipino American writer/director Patrick Epino, VETERANO is a neo-noir crime thriller that combines the adrenaline-fueled intensity of a bank heist with the overlooked history of Filipino WWII veterans who were stripped of their promised American citizenship and benefits, a betrayal with consequences that still echo today.
Taut and atmospheric, the film asks how far one man is willing to go to collect what he’s owed and why.
AWARDS & OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Our festival run began in May 2026. Selections for Fall 2026 onward to be announced.
UPCOMING
Fantasia International Film Festival (Winner, Outstanding Performance; Official Competition, International Short Film; International Premiere, 7/28)
Asian American International Film Festival New York (8/9)
PREVIOUS
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (World Premiere, 5/2)
G.I. Film Festival (Nominee, Best Actor, 5/8)
Asian American Showcase Chicago (5/8)
The Roxie Theater Mixtape Festival (5/20)
FILM TOUR
The Filipino diaspora is often overlooked in mainstream media, so we’re making our own noise and taking our film on tour. Aside from film festivals, we are holding community screenings, secret shows, and more in order to bring the film directly to our audience. We are using social media to document our journey, connect with our audience, and spread the word about our proof-of-concept film.
OFFICIAL INSTAGRAM
@NationalFilmSociety
@PatrickEpino
@PaolaMardo
OFFICIAL YOUTUBE
YouTube.com/NationalFilmSociety
TRAILER + TEASER LINKS
Fantasia Festival Trailer (YouTube)
Fantasia Festival Trailer (Instagram)
Teaser (Instagram)
SELECT SOCIAL VIDEOS
Film Tour Announcement Video
Why You Should See Our Film
SOCIAL / VIDEO LINKS
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
VETERANO is a crime thriller rooted in the overlooked history of Filipino World War II veterans. Veteranos are the Filipino men who fought for the United States only to have their promised citizenship and benefits stripped away by the 1946 Rescission Act.
The short film is based on a feature I started writing in the early 2000s, sparked by a harrowing news report of abused and exploited Filipino veterans. As I got older, the project grew into something more personal – a reflection on my aging parents. As Filipino immigrants who moved to San Francisco in the 1960s, they worked tirelessly to build a solid foundation for my brother and me despite facing health challenges and cracks in a system built on their labor but not for them.
VETERANO is a film about chosen family, sacrifice, and the lengths you’ll go to take care of your own. This is my tribute to the older generations of Filipino immigrants who laid the foundations for our community, from the manongs (elders) and veteranos to my parents. Making this film taught me a lot about them and the stories I want to tell. In this short film, we meet Valentino as he ponders an impossible choice. In the bank heist thriller feature film I hope to make, he is thrust into the larger world of 1981 San Francisco, with a vibrant Filipino scene and a dangerous cat-and-mouse game between Valentino and the law in the gritty streets of a pre-tech city.
PATRICK EPINO
WRITER, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER
Patrick Epino is a screenwriter and director based in Los Angeles. His short film VETERANO premiered internationally at Fantasia, where it was selected for Official Competition, International Short Film, and won for Outstanding Performance. His feature script for VETERANO was selected for the 2025-2026 PGA Create Lab, advanced to the second round of the 2025 Sundance Development Lab, and was a finalist for the 2025 Gotham Week Project Market.
Born in San Francisco and raised in Oakland and Berkeley, Patrick was a latchkey kid who grew up on home video and movie theaters. An actor’s director, he was inspired to make films by Spike Lee, John Cassavetes, and John Hughes. His debut feature, MR. SADMAN (Scoot McNairy, Qaid Al-Nomani), was an official selection of the Gotham Narrative Labs and Gotham Week. He co-directed the web series AWESOME ASIAN BAD GUYS (Randall Park, Tamlyn Tomita), which was adapted from a viral video on the National Film Society YouTube channel, part of PBS Digital Studios.
PAOLA MARDO
Paola Mardo is an independent filmmaker and host based in Los Angeles. Her debut short film VETERANO premiered internationally at Fantasia, where it was selected for Official Competition, International Short Film, and won for Outstanding Performance. She is a 2025-2026 Producers Guild of America Create Lab Fellow.
Previously, Paola served as SVP, Head of Audio at Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media (SINNERS), where she earned a 2024 NAACP Image Award and Webby Award for WAKANDA FOREVER: THE OFFICIAL BLACK PANTHER PODCAST, hosted by New York Times best-selling author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates. She also created, hosted, directed, and produced IN PROXIMITY (streaming on HBO Max, YouTube), which earned Webby Honors for Arts & Culture, Film & TV, and Best Video Series.
Born in LA’s Historic Filipinotown and raised in Manila, Kuala Lumpur, and the San Francisco Bay Area, Paola created and hosted LONG DISTANCE, a narrative podcast on the Filipino diaspora selected for the inaugural Google Podcasts Creator Program. She began her career at Sony Pictures, Annapurna Pictures, and Pushkin Industries.
PRODUCER
JON JON BRIONES
Jon Jon Briones can currently be seen on Ryan Murphy’s THE BEAUTY. He will next appear in Season 3 of Netflix’s live-action series AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER as master swordsman Piandao, and in Season 2 of PRESUMED INNOCENT. On stage, he has starred on Broadway as Hermes in the Tony Award-winning HADESTOWN and is well-known for his role as the Engineer in Broadway’s MISS SAIGON. He recently won Outstanding Performance at the Fantasia International Film Festival for his lead role as Valentino in Patrick Epino’s crime thriller VETERANO.
Other screen credits include the Netflix limited series CLASS OF ‘09, Disney’s live-action BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, and a starring role on Murphy’s Golden Globe-nominated Netflix series RATCHED. He has also appeared in AMERICAN CRIME STORY: THE ASSASSINATION OF GIANNI VERSACE, STAR TREK: PICARD, and AMERICAN HORROR STORY, with recent guest star appearances on FBI: MOST WANTED and THE EQUALIZER. On the big screen, he starred in the Amblin feature THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER. He also lends his vocal talents to the Nickelodeon series TRANSFORMERS: EARTHSPARK and Netflix’s TRESE.
“VALENTINO”
CONTACT
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