In the Philippines, Barangay 105 in Tondo, Manila is about as rough as it comes. Also known as Happyland, the name comes from ​​hapilan in Visayan, which means ‘smelly trash,’ since the area is next to a garbage dump where locals sift through the mess to find recycling materials.

Happyland left a deep impression on Filipino-American filmmaker Blake Atienza when his grandparents took him to stay in the slum where his mother grew up. “The streets were bustling with vendors shouting, karaoke blasting, jeepneys and tricycles weaving through like they owned the place,” Blake said in a press release. “Kids were out here bathing in the streets and people were slipping through tight alleyways. It was raw, real, and unforgettable.”

HAPPYLAND is a two-minute ode to the resilience of the people who live at Barangay 105. It stars Crazy Beans, a popper and mentor to young dancers. Welcomed by the community as soon as he started dancing, Crazy Beans ended up taking a lot of photos with people and letting them follow him anywhere.

For Blake, HAPPYLAND proves there is a way to smile in the midst of chaos. He said, “Hearing my family’s stories about the struggle made it even deeper. Every time I visit, it feels like I’m connecting the dots, getting closer to my roots, and understanding who I am.”

Check out HAPPYLAND at Nowness Asia here.