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$\"Jary$ Jary and Jessa's story of going through a life-changing cleft surgery is highlighted in the award-winning documentary 'Every Day After' by Emmy-award winning producer and director Elisa Gambino.

Last January 31, the award-winning and Smile Train-supported documentary short Every Day After held its Philippine premiere at the Power Plant Mall Cinema.

Created by Emmy-award winning producer and director Elisa Gambino, Every Day After tells the story of Jary (a 13-year-old orphan who was born with cleft and neglected and shunned since the moment of his birth because of his appearance) and Jessa (his older sister who protected, raised, and took care of him since his early years). The poignant black-and-white film sheds light on cleft lip and cleft palate, which are some of the most common congenital conditions in the world, and the complexities of the healing process that the cleft lip and palate patients, their families, and communities go through. It also educates and raises awareness about this condition, dispelling myths and stereotypes, and promoting understanding and empathy towards those who live with it.

And at the heart of Every Day After is a sister's unconditional love for her brother. Jessa sought out he medical care Jary has been denied since birth and provides him the support to begin his physical and emotional recovery.

The Philippine premiere of the documentary was hosted by Miss Universe 2018 and Smile Train Global Ambassador Catriona Gray, who told the audience after the film showcase: “Every Day After is a very poignant and also intimate film, and it is a documentary-type style, so meaning everything that you saw was the real life—unscripted, moment by moment of the life of Jessa and Jary... As we saw in the film, it wasn't just Jary who was affected by cleft; it was his whole family. And if you can imagine, an echo of that, their community as well. So, if you're able to change the life of an individual, who has cleft, you're also able to empower their family, give them opportunities to work as well, that individual with cleft to integrate them into society and to realize their full potential because there is nothing wrong with these children. It is a treatable condition.”

The film was awarded Best Documentary in a number of international film festivals, including the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts in Los Angeles, California, USA.

$\"\"/$ Jessa keeps watch over her little brother, who has finally started his road to recovery after a successful cleft surgery.

Although thefilm’s director, Elisa Gambino, and her husband, Neal Broffman—who also served as the film’s cinematographer and editor—were unable to attend the Philippine premiere of Every Day After, they shared a special video message on their experience creating the film.

Elisa said, “We learned so much about cleft and that it doesn’t end in a surgery. Cleft care requires that the families and friends of people with cleft are involved, and that the surgical team and the team around cleft care is in place to help with the care that’s needed. When we met Jessa and Jary, it became clear to us that without Jessa’s love and involvement in Jary’s life, Jary maybe would have never gotten the care that he deserves and that he needs. And so, yes, while we did a story on cleft, we also did a story about the difference that love makes in a family and I hope that you’ll see Jessa’s story and how her unconditional love gives us a masterclass in how to care for others.”

The documentary short is shown in black and white, contributing to the heart-tugging overall mood of Every Day After. Of this creative direction, Neal shared, “When we were first discussing this project with Smile Train, we were talking about medical professionals who live within the same communities as their patients, and it reminded me of a late 1940s photographic essay on Life magazine call 'Country Doctor' by W. Eugene Smith, a famous American photographer. He focused about a year or a year and a half in the life of a community in Colorado, following the doctor who sees his patients. So I wanted to emulate that style; it’s classic black-and-white documentary style.”

$\"\"/$ The essential aftercare following cleft surgery is a long and arduous journey. Jary needs all the support he can get to properly heal the wound from his surgery and the trauma he endured from a hypercritical society. Luckily, Jessa’s devotion to her little brother is steadfast.

Joining the panel discussion during Every Day After’s Philippine premiere was Filipino producer Elaine Bobadilla. She shared, “During the early stages in interacting with Jary and Jessa, what inspired me right away as I heard their story was how much Jessa showed her unconditional love to her brother Jary. And I mean, the way that she protected and cared for him at a very young age while witnessing her parents neglect them from the day he was born was just so incredible. The way that she fought to raise, nurture, and still continues to boost his self-confidence despite many challenges they face is a great inspiration and example for all of us... That's the kind of unique type of love story that we thought was worth sharing to the rest of the world.”

Every Day After's production team also includes audio tech Alex Altma, composer Patrick Kirst, animator Miranda Kahn, sound designer and rerecording mixer Woody Woodhall, and executive producer Dave A. Liu, who was also born with a cleft lip and palate. Dave said, “As a cleft-affected person, I believe our film is critical to changing the narrative about people with facial differences.”

One in 700 babies is born with a cleft globally. A cleft-affected child may experience difficulty eating, breathing, and speaking. They often face bullying, which can negatively impact learning at school and ultimately employment as an adult.

Also present at the Philippine premiere of Every Day After, which was done in partnership with Smile Train, was Smile Train’s Program Director for the Philippines, Jun Grimares. Host Catriona asked him what the best time is for an individual to be treated for cleft. He said, “Medically, the best time for a cleft treatment for cleft lip is approximately around three to four months old and for palate, it's around nine to a year to be treated with cleft palate condition. Of course, there are conditions that have to be met. They should be physically fit and with desired body kilo weight.”

$\"At$ Panel discussion at the Philippine premiere of the documentary short 'Every Day After' with Miss Universe 2018 and Smile Train Global Ambassador Catriona Gray, Filipino producer Elaine Bobadilla, and Smile Train’s Program Director for the Philippines, Jun Grimares Photo from @smiletrainph

The world’s largest cleft-focused organization, Smile Train provides training, funding, and resources to empower local medical professionals in 75+ countries to provide 100%-free cleft surgery and other forms of essential cleft care in their own communities. In the Philippines, Smile Train has supported more than 80,000 cleft surgeries, as well as the delivery of vital non-surgical cleft care, over the past 20+ years.

To learn more about how Smile Train's sustainable approach means donations have both an immediate and long-term impact, visit smiletrain.org.