Lola’s Work

“It’s her love for us that I remember most. It was not so much of hugging or saying I love you. But it was all the things she did.”

At StoryCorps Kenneth Tan talked with his mother about his grandmother, whom he called Lola. A hardworking woman, Lola worked in rice fields and as a servant, survived the Japanese Occupation, and left school to make money for her family. After years of labor in the Philippines, she came to California to help raise her grandkids. Lola had a storied life, and Kenneth shares the lessons he learned from her determination and devotion.

Directed by Richard O’Connor
Produced by Savannah Winchester, Rachel Hartman, and Dave Isay

About the filmmaker: Director and producer Richard O’Connor produces animation for documentary films, commercials, theatrical pieces, and original short films through his studio Ace & Son Moving Picture Co. Their work has appeared in documentaries on PBS series like ​American Masters and ​American Experience ​and in the recent, critically-acclaimed animated documentary N​UTS!​. Richard began his career in animation at the Ink Tank working under R. O. Blechman, who, in turn, first worked under John Hubley. He brings this tradition—grounded in the duel drives of experimentation and craftsmanship—to all his work.

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