Documentary about missing activist Jonas Burgos among feature film finalists for Cinemalaya 2024

MANILA, Philippines – After wrapping up a successful 2023 edition, Filipino film festival Cinemalaya has unveiled its next batch of full-length feature films, teasing that “artistic stakes are higher” for their 2024 edition. 

Out of 250 submissions, a record high for the full-length feature film category, 20 semi-finalists were chosen to undergo the Cinemalaya Film Lab. The three-month-long film-laboratory mentorship program was first conducted for Cinemalaya 2023’s shortlisted full-length entries.

After the Cinemalaya Film Lab, 10 finalists were shortlisted to make up the highly-anticipated category of Cinemalaya 2024. Next year’s edition will also mark the 20th anniversary of the annual film festival.

Among the entries to have made the cut is the documentary Alipato, a film on the highly documented abduction case of Jonas Burgos.  

The missing activist, who is also the son of veteran journalist Joe Burgos, was taken by suspected military intelligence agents in a Quezon City mall on April 28, 2007.  While Jonas’ case has been able to pinpoint several alleged perpetrators over the years, justice has yet to be obtained by the Burgos family.

17 years later, filmmaker JL Burgos will tell the timely story of his brother’s disappearance, adding to his roster of directorial work on films related to human rights, which include Portraits of Mosquito Press (2015) and the Lumad documentary Han-ayan (2017).

“The brother of missing activist Jonas Burgos bares in this documentary the untold stories behind the confidential leads, damning evidence, and why the disappearance of his brother remains a relevant case today,” the logline of the film reads.

Joining Burgos’ Alipato, here are the nine other finalists for the full-length feature film category of Cinemalaya 2024 and their official loglines: 

Ang Tumandok (The Inhabitants) by Kat Sumagaysay and Richard Salvadico

Based on real-life experiences of the Atis, the indigenous people of Central Panay, and starred by the Atis themselves, Ang Tumandok features a 16-year old chieftain’s daughter as she fights tooth and nail with her people for their ancestral land.

Aripuen (The Servant) by Christopher Gozum

Stranded for 21 years in a remote mountain village in a Middle Eastern country, 63-year-old Filipina shepherdess Divina Sabangan endures isolation, threats of imprisonment and deportation, homesickness, unpaid salaries, and insanity while clinging to her faith in God and love for her family. But when seven mysterious visitors arrive, they bring challenges and opportunities to finally help her return home to the Philippines.

Balota by Kip Oebanda

A land-grabbing tycoon and a former sexy male actor are locked in a tight race for mayor in a small town. When violence erupts, Emmy, a teacher, runs into the wilderness with a ballot box, the last copy of the election results. Emmy and the community try to outsmart and outmaneuver the goons who want the elections to fail.

Gulay Lang Manong by BC Amparado

Pilo is a struggling old vegetable farmer in Benguet. His stoner brother, Ricky, is part of the prominent Benguet Marijuana Cartel and is being trained by his best friend, Razer, a cunning midget and a well known personality in the underground ganja community. Amidst the all-out drug war, Ricky falls into the hands of a promising patrolman, Ariel, who is in pursuit of the organization. In a desperate attempt to uncover the cartel, Ariel tasks Pilo to fetch Razer in exchange for Ricky’s head. Unable to fulfill the terms in his attempt, Pilo now pledges his alliance with Ariel, and together they try and catch Razer to expose the cartel and its members learning shocking secrets as they burrow deep into the world of this so-called “drug.”

Kantil (Trench) by Joshua Caesar Medroso

While facing threats of demolition, a coastal community of informal settlers in Purok 12, Tibungco, Davao City discovers a strange, unearthly shell by the sea. This makes them more vulnerable to menacing powers set out to destroy their homes and their humanity.

Kono Basho (This Place) by Jaime Pacena II

An introspective journey of a Filipino son attending the funeral of his estranged OFW father in a city in Japan that is rebuilding from the aftermath of the March 2011 tsunami.

Love Child by Jonathan Jurilla

Young, unmarried couple, Aila and Pao must agree on certain terms on how to properly raise their son, who is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), if they wish to keep their relationship afloat. Or would they rather heed the call of their unfulfilled dreams?

The Errand by Sarge Lacuesta

A driver is sent on a simple errand: to pick up a designer t-shirt and a tin of Viagra for his boss, who is shacked up in a hotel with his lover. Simple as it sounds, the road trip crisscrosses the chasms of time, class, and character.

The Wedding Dance by Julius Lumiqued

In 1942, a Kalinga woman is personally invited by her husband, a warrior of their tribe, to the Wedding Dance – his new wedding dance.

Cinemalaya 2023 was held from August 4 to August 13. Its 10 full-length feature films and 10 short films were screened at the Philippine International Convention Center as well as several malls in Metro Manila.

Carl Joseph E. Papa’s Iti Mapukpukaw made history as the first full-length animated film to compete in the festival, later taking home the Best Film prize for that year. 

Founded in 2005, the Cinemalaya Foundation is a non-stock, not-for-profit, non-government foundation, committed to the development and promotion of Philippine independent film. The foundation provides financial grants for its full-length finalists as well as holds seminars and workshops on production. – with additional reports from Mika Geronimo/Rappler.com

Mika Geronimo is a Rappler intern.