{"id":872382,"date":"2026-08-26T18:00:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T18:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/872382\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T18:00:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T18:00:21","slug":"my-familys-slave-magazine-article-to-be-adapted-into-documentary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/872382\/","title":{"rendered":"‘My Family’s Slave’ Magazine Article To Be Adapted Into Documentary"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tEXCLUSIVE: Award-winning filmmaker Ramona S. Diaz<\/a> has launched her next project \u2013 a feature documentary based on an extraordinary 2017 article in The Atlantic<\/a> magazine titled \u201cMy Family\u2019s Slave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe magazine piece, a personal essay by Pulitzer Prize-winning Filipino American writer Alex Tizon<\/a>, recounts the story of Eudocia Tomas Pullido, \u201can enslaved woman who served [Tizon\u2019s] family ceaselessly for 56 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDiaz (A Thousand Cuts, Imelda, Don\u2019t Stop Believin\u2019) is teaming on the feature with producers Diane Quon<\/a> (Oscar nominee, Minding the Gap) and Third Culture Content\u2019s Janice Chua. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lee Daniels<\/a> serves as an executive producer on the project, alongside Linzee Troubh for The Atlantic, Chris Quintos Cathcart and Tyler Boehm of Unapologetic Projects, and actress Liza Soberano.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"The<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tThe Atlantic magazine article \u2018My Family\u2019s Slave\u2019 published in 2017.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe publication of \u201cMy Family\u2019s Slave\u201d in the June 2017 issue of The Atlantic triggered a sensation, engaging a legion of readers with a story that almost defied belief. Tizon (1959-2017) wrote that his family\u2019s nickname for the diminutive Eudocia was Lola. \u201cShe was 4 foot 11, with mocha-brown skin and almond eyes that I can still see looking into mine \u2013 my first memory,\u201d the author recounted. \u201cShe was 18 years old when my grandfather gave her to my mother as a gift, and when my family moved to the United States, we brought her with us. No other word but slave encompassed the life she lived.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Filmmaker<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tFilmmaker Ramona S. Diaz<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of MyFamily\u2019sSlaveDocu<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a statement, Diaz commented, \u201cThis is the most personal film I\u2019ve ever made. Having been born and raised in the Philippines, I feel this story in my bones. Nearly a decade has passed since The Atlantic first published My Family\u2019s Slave, yet its hold on me remains as powerful as ever. I am eager to dive in and explore the complexity of Lola\u2019s story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Producer<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tProducer Diane Quon<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of MyFamily\u2019sSlaveDocu<\/p>\n

\n\tQuon experienced a similarly profound reaction to Tizon\u2019s piece. \u201cAlex\u2019s story shook me to the core: I understand what it is to love someone so much, but feel like you failed them. The article inspired a much-needed conversation, but it was devastating to know that Alex and Lola were not alive to participate in it. I hope through our film \u2013 under the talented direction of Ramona \u2013 we will be able to give a voice to Alex and Lola and the entire Tizon family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Lee<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tLee Daniels attends The Art Of Elysium\u2019s 2025 HEAVEN Gala on November 11, 2025 in Montecito, CA.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRobin L Marshall\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\n\tLee Daniels (Precious, The Butler) optioned \u201cMy Family\u2019s Slave\u201d for a planned fictional adaptation. \u201cWhat moved me about this story was its rawness, the complicated family dynamics, and the possibility of catharsis and healing by the very act of telling the story,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to Ramona and Diane\u2019s film; they\u2019ve put together the perfect team to bring the non-fiction version to the screen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt isn\u2019t simply an extraordinary story,\u201d observed, Janice Chua, co-founder of Third Culture Content (Crazy Rich Asians). \u201cIt is one that forces us to confront uncomfortable questions. I feel incredibly honored to be collaborating with Diane and Ramona to bring this story to the screen with the humanity it deserves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDiaz says she hopes to complete the documentary in late 2027 and to release it in early 2028.<\/p>\n

\n\tExecutive producers Chris Quintos Cathcart, co-CEO of Unapologetic Projects, and Liza Soberano (DreamWorks Animation\u2019s Forgotten Island), who are both Filipino American, commented on the significance of the project. \u201cWhen this article went viral, it was one of the few moments when I saw a tiny fraction of my identity represented in mainstream media,\u201d said Cathcart. \u201cI forwarded it to so many of my relatives. We want to be part of getting it out there.\u201d Soberano added, \u201cI wanted to help tell Lola\u2019s story because she deserved to be seen while she was alive, and she deserves to be remembered now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"The<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Atlantic<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Atlantic\u2019s editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg said of response to the 2017 publication of \u201cMy Family\u2019s Slave\u201d: \u201cPeople value story, great writing, and honest emotion. When we published Alex Tizon\u2019s piece, we were at the beginning of the Trump presidency, and Trump was seemingly the only thing on everyone\u2019s minds. I had no idea that a tragic, very personal story by an esteemed but not particularly well-known writer would connect in such a dramatic way. But we learned that the marketplace still rewards quality.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Atlantic, founded in 1857, has expanded into film and television, \u201cadapting deeply reported stories and distinctive worldview for the screen.\u201d Recent credits include the documentary series Shadowland, and Emmy-winning Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power, directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Sam Pollard. The magazine has dozens of scripted and unscripted projects in development. The Atlantic is represented by CAA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE: Award-winning filmmaker Ramona S. Diaz has launched her next project \u2013 a feature documentary based on an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":872383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[302775,49,48,302776,75,302777,337,302778,302779,5496],"class_list":["post-872382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-alex-tizon","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-diane-quon","tag-entertainment","tag-lee-daniels","tag-movies","tag-my-familys-slave","tag-ramona-s-diaz","tag-the-atlantic"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=872382"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872382\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/872383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=872382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=872382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=872382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}