From Facebook post: March 12, 2017

MINDANAOAN CINEMA, THE RISE OF AN EMERGENT SOUTH.

If by the amount of interest given films from Southern Philippines by critics, reviewers and Manila audiences will give us a measure of the vitality of Mindanaoan film, because winning a major award in a national competition lends it respect and credibility, then it surely is one regional cinema that deserves our attention and hopefully if the region works on it, has the potential of becoming a self-sustaining industry.

The excitement of the news of a most recent Mindanaoan entry, Arbi Barbarona's TU PUG IMATUY [the right to kill, in Manobo], as Best Picture at the recently-concluded Sinag Maynila Independent Film Festival, is not lost on this writer, as it follows a series of wins of films from the South in the last 3-4 years:

- Sheron Dayoc's WOMEN OF THE WEEPING RIVER, 2016, Best Film, Young Critics Circle and QC International Film Festival; CRESCENT RISING, 2015, Best Documentary, Gawad Urian

- Bagane Fiola's BABOY HALAS [wailings in the forest], 2016, Netpac Prize, Circle Competition, QC International Film Festival

- Teng Mangansakan's DAUGHTERS OF THE THREE-TAILED BANNER, 2016, Grand Jury Prize, World Premieres Film Festival

- Arnel Mardoquio's ANG MGA TIGMO SA AKONG PAGPAULI [riddles of my homecoming], 2014, Special Jury Prize, Cinema One Currents

(In the previous years, Mangansakan's QIYAMAH, 2012 won Best Film from the Young Critics Circle; Mardoquio's ANG PAGLALAKBAY NG MGA BITUIN SA GABING MADILIM [the journey of stars into the dark night], 2012, won Grand Jury Prize at the Cinemanila Film Festival and Best Film, Gawad Urian)

As if coincidental with the political ascendance of now-Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, then long-time mayor of Davao City, the rise of Mindanaoan cinema may then be attributed to a growing self-awareness of its people and empowerment of its artists, including filmmakers, that it lays bare the gap in our understanding of the place and people - long acknowledged as a land of promise because of its vast natural resources hence very much coveted by the powers that be, on top of its diversity of peoples (Muslims, Christians, lumads), giving rise to immense social conflict that remains unresolved to this day - commonly exoticized and treated as either the incapacitated or the threatening Other.

FACINE salutes Mindanaoan cinema, honors its artists and filmmakers.

Mabuhay ang pelikulang Filipino!

Long live Filipino cinema!

- Mauro Feria Tumbocon Jr, Director, FACINE

96Robert Cerda, Noy Lauzon and 94 others

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  Chris Cahilig Full

  "Women of The Weeping River" is for me the best film of 2016! Super ganda!

  

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  • 5y
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• Olga Natividad

  Hope to watch one of these. Would love to act in Cebuano or Chavacano film someday. That would be a treat. 

  

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  Sheron Dayoc replied

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• Evelyn Vargas-Knaebel

  Napaka healthy ang talakayan na ito Mauro magandang gawin sa next FACINEfelicitations! see you soon.....

  

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• Daz Lamparas

  Where can I see these movies? If I missed the showing, where can I get DVD's?

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  • 5y
  Arbi Barbi replied

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