SAIPAN filmmaker Elijah Joshua Pajarillaga premiered his new movie, “Steps on the Shore,” on Monday night at Hollywood Theaters.
Filmmaker Elijah Joshua Pajarillaga poses for a photo in front of the poster for his new film, “Steps on the Shore,” which premiered at Hollywood Theaters on Monday night.
“It’s a love letter to the island and to my family,” he said in an interview with Variety.
Pajarillaga wrote, directed, and starred in the film, which is about a high school valedictorian who is eager to head off-island for college, struggling to find a sense of belonging.
Neil, the film’s lead played by Pajarillaga, spends the final days of his high school career in conflict with his family, all the while trying to find meaningful and lasting words to say in his valedictorian address.
In the days leading up to his high school graduation, he begins to uncover the beauty of his family and the island they call home. He expresses appreciation for the island and its inhabitants for who and what they are.
Pajarillaga shared in the interview that this film — the second that he has directed — was inspired by his own experiences.
He graduated from Grace Christian Academy on Saipan in 2021 and is currently pursuing a film degree from Wesleyan University in Connecticut.
“I was born here, and I’ve lived here pretty much for 18 years of my life… [Now] I’m pretty far from home,” he said.
“[This film is] inspired very much by my own high school experience. I felt very pressured, that I had to create a life for myself outside of the CNMI. I don’t blame anyone for this, of course, but because of that sort of mindset that I had to create my life elsewhere, I never was able to sit down and walk around and really appreciate where I was from,” he said.
“But in my senior year, I had a lot of free time and eventually started to realize that the island had more to offer than I originally thought, especially when it came to beauty.”
His final moments on island before heading to the states to pursue his undergraduate studies rekindled his emotional attachment to the island, which led to “Steps on the Shore.”
Pajarillaga also attributes his background in film to his past experience in speech and debate, and the Youth Congress.
“That helped build the foundation that eventually translated into storytelling,” he said.
Initially, he considered taking a different track in his undergraduate studies, but gravitated toward filmmaking after being forced to remain indoors during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I was indoors a lot, I watched a lot of movies, and I realized that I really liked seeing different stories told through film. That’s when I decided that I want to at least try making movies,” he said.
Pajarillaga made a mockumentary for his school’s volleyball team, which, to his surprise, garnered hundreds of views on social media, encouraging him to pursue a film degree.
With a desire to spend his summer break writing a “love letter” to the islands and his family, the young filmmaker reached out to a fellow local filmmaker, Northern Marianas College President Dr. Galvin Deleon Guerrero, the film’s executive producer.
“He has been a huge help in making this film actually happen,” said Pajarillaga as he expressed his gratitude to “Dr. G.”
The short film received resounding applause from moviegoers on Monday night.
Pajarillaga thanked Grace Christian Academy, Northern Marianas College, his family, the film’s cast and crew, and everyone who has supported the film.
“I was really worried that I wasn’t going to find people that were passionate about making this happen, but in the end, I feel like I found a team that was really dedicated…. Hopefully, we’ll all get to celebrate and win some awards. But really, this is their film, too, so I am really grateful for them,” he said.
Pajarillaga hopes to bring more local films to the community, and already has one in the works, which he hopes to debut this winter.
“I’m in talks with potential actors and actresses, but the goal is to use a lot of the lessons that I learned here when it comes to filmmaking and create a film that is a much more solid competitor in the world of film festivals. Above all things, most importantly, I think doing this film here in the CNMI showed me that filmmaking really is possible for the CNMI,” he said.
He believes that there should be more funding for the arts.
“I think this is going to be a bit blunt, but I feel like the arts can be better funded. I think it’s really amazing to see people create art despite financial limitations. I think true art and true storytelling happens when you realize that there are boundaries and you decide to work around them,” he said.
“Filmmaking in particular is all about problem solving. It’s all about trying to figure out how you can make something work. I really want to encourage especially the younger people and even those who haven’t watched my film, if they feel like there’s a story that they want to tell, I believe that anybody can find the appropriate medium to do so. Whether it’s a TikTok video or an Instagram reel or a photo, they can tell a whole story that’s important to them and I think that’s what’s at the heart of what art really is. It’s what story you want to tell or what message you want to get across. Even if there are limitations, I think if you are really passionate about it, you can and will find a way.”
The cast and crew of “Steps on the Shore” gather for a group photo on Monday night at Hollywood Theaters.
