English Ako finds a fresh way to celebrate the experience of growing up in different cultures – embracing being born in Manila, raised in England. The protagonist Boy goes on a journey to look for his older brother who ran away. While searching, he invites us inside his world: his school detentions, his Hinge dates and his universal credit meetings, all whilst turning the people in his life into Shakespearean characters he’d read about. English Ako shows us that we have more similarities to laugh about and that the things that make us different can also be celebrated.

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“Why can’t I be both? 

Both British and Asian? 

Both are important, both are beautiful, both are a part of who I am”.

A migrant boy in search of identity; born in Manila, raised in England.

Faced with the challenges of the ‘model minority’ trope, East Asian stereotypes and the migrant experience of survival and sacrifice of a heritage in order to adopt another culture and identity, we follow his unique journey into adulthood.

Will his search between his Asian-ness and Britishness lead to acceptance and a place he can call home?

This story is a celebration of two cultures, which merge into one.