Fresh from its victory at the Active Vista Short Film Competition, a satirical film on Martial Law represented Far Eastern University at the first Film and Multimedia Competition and Exhibition of the ASEAN Biennale (ASEANnale 2018).
ASEANnale 2018 culminated in an awarding ceremony on March 2 at the UP Asian Center in Diliman, Quezon City.
Retrospektib, which was made by FEU communication students as a project for their Cinema Production or CNM2 class, recently won 3rd prize at Active Vista “for taking the audience into a brave harrowing yet comical journey through the nightmares of dictatorship.”
Written and directed by Daryll Jameson Apaga, the short film focuses on 3 male activists who try to escape the atrocities of the Narkos regime. Jay (Julio Garcia) persuades Boyong (David Paul Farma) and Ramon (Renz Silverio) to travel through time with the help of Mang Jun (Andres Balano), a local quack doctor. However, Boyong is hesitant about Jay’s plan on running away from it all. They will soon discover a life-changing scenario in the present time.
Apaga got ample support from Malayang Paskilan Productions led by producer Ira Locnen, director of photography Nathan Olid, production designers Enna Sarmiento and Jaimie Del Rosario, costume designers Wency Bautizado, Pau Latoza and Dominique Fausto, soundmen Mark Ordiz and Davey Clemente, and production managers Clarinette Cariaga and Gesma Rebagay. Apaga and Locnen later teamed up with Elijah Gador in editing the film.
Dr. Grace J. Alfonso, ASEANnale Organizing Committee Chair, said that the 3-day conference seeks to encourage cultural and academic dialogue grounded on the concept of students and faculty as co-creators of knowledge and works.
Apart from showcasing select creative and research works from the 10 ASEAN countries, ASEANnale seeks to promote a community of scholars through film and multimedia, poster exhibition, paper presentation, and international symposium on three sub-themes shared by numerous parties in the region: Diaspora, Disasters and Democracy. The event is envisioned to be a space for the sharing of voices, collaboration and networking of ASEAN higher education students and faculty.
Apaga believes that “art can be a space of dissent and resistance.” For him, freedom of expression is significant as it “gives the oppressed a voice in the public sphere.” The filmmaker, who hails from San Mateo, Isabela, warns Filipinos not to be complacent during this period in our history.
“Wag nating ‘takasan’ o kalimutan ang kasaysayan, specifically ang mga nangyari noong panahon ng martial law. Sa panahong kalat na ang fake news at kabilaan ang mga apologists at revisionists, kailangan natin ng kamalayan tungkol sa pinakamadilim na bahagi ng ating kasaysayan. Pwedeng mangyari ulit to kung hindi tayo magiging kritikal sa nangyayari sa lipunan,” he reiterated.
(Let’s not escape or forget the past, specifically what happened during martial law. In this era of fake news and apologists and revisionists, we need to open about the dark chappter of our history. It can happen again, if we aren’t critical in understanding what’s happening in society.)
Retrospektib previously won Best Screenplay, Best Production Design and 2nd Best Picture at the 2017 Sinepiyu and Outstanding Ensemble at CineSB7. It was also exhibited at Pineapple Lab in Barangay Poblacion, Makati City as part of FRINGEMNL 2018 and at UPLB REDREC Auditorium at the recent Pelikultura: The Calabarzon Film Festival. -Rappler.com
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