Something is going to happen at the end of the month. I have been looking forward to this since last year. "I love you. Thank you." will be screening at the &Proud Yangon LGBT Film Festival. This was originally scheduled last November but the organizers had to move it to January because of the elections in Myanmar.

The description of "I love you. Thank you." at the &Proud website.

Established in 2014, &PROUD is a non-profit initiative of a number of organisations and individuals in Yangon. They organise cultural events in Myanmar for the LGBT community to make LGBTs more visible to the rest of the Myanmar society.

The film festival is still a baby, only on its second year this year. With the country expected to see a major shift when the government changes in 2016, the predominantly Buddhist country is still antagonistic of LGBTs. Section 377 of the penal code - prohibits same sex sexual activity and sodomy - is still in effect. 

A still from "I love you. Thank you."

I think &Proud Yangon LGBT Film Festival significant for providing an avenue for LGBTs in Myanmar to form a community that opens their eyes on their culture and how LGBTs are in other Asian countries. I am excited to go there because first, it will be my first time to visit Myanmar. Second, I want to meet Myanmar LGBTs who have interesting stories to tell and third, I want to see how they are going to react to the film. It would be exciting to see and hear new perspectives and I can't wait to prove that unrequited love is indeed, universal.

So I just finished shooting a film - finally, after three years. Well, at least 90% of it because I will still go back to the location tomorrow to shoot inserts and establishing shots and record additional ambient sounds and whatever we can get our hands on.

Willie (soundman) looking surprised at the camera with me on my back
and Orvil (in black), the Production Designer.

The location is a remote community called Panyan, more than two hours ride via motorcycle north of Davao City. It's a part of Baranggay Tamugan in Calinan and its a semi-unexplored terrain with mountains, falls, caves and rivers (which has an alternate route going to Baranggay Tamugan, three to four hours by foot) of which a decade or two ago, massive illegal logging was the main livelihood. Electricity is still absent though the government distributed solar panels to a few households so you can imagine how cold and dark it is at night and the only hobby people do is making babies.

Filjun (in red) and RJ (in blue), the film's main actors.

A story about two kids who grew up in the mountains and their only dream is to be able to get a taste of the beach, we chose this location for its texture and authenticity. Armed with a few equipment and overflowing passion, we spent several days going back and forth the location, enduring almost endless rides through rough roads and unforgiving weather. We scouted locations, searched for actors, immersed with the community, learned their culture.

As the filming nears its end and with so many things that happened during the shoot, I'd say this one's for the books. I'm totally stoked that I've found my rhythm again and will continue to make movies. This year will be my year... again!

So I've been working on this documentary about the survivors of Typhoon Pablo, shot on December 2012 and January 2013 and for the longest time, I haven't come to terms with it. Documentary is the hardest to make, for sure.

Just like the documentary "All You Need Is Love" that I edited in Dubai and Bangkok last 2012, I was struggling with processing the film's narrative. Having to deal with hundreds of hours' worth of footage, it's not easy if the editor is also the scriptwriter (which is the case of both documentaries). Especially with "All You Need Is Love" where the director had no slightest idea how to go about it, leaving all the editing/writing to me as if I was God.

Editing timeline of "Baranggay Andap".

It is of the same rationale that reality shows have huge teams of producers, scriptwriters and editors to deal with even a segment's story. Documentary should, in a perfect world, never be left in the editor's hands, especially if he is the scriptwriter as well.

I was able to edit a 29-minute worth of rough cut last year. Though I was quite happy with how it turned, I still had 7 more hours of rough cut to trim and polish.  So what I did with "Baranggay Andap" was disconnect from it for a few months and came back for it this November and tried putting all the pieces together. 

And here I am - working on it and 4 more hours left to trim. Still a long way to go but I'm quiet motivated to finish it this month. With the Typhoon Haiyan wrecking havoc in Visayas last year, it could be possible that after more than a year, Typhoon Pablo will be forgotten. A number of filmmakers must've shot their own documentaries in Haiyan-stricken places and I think I need to finish this film before it becomes passé.

The recently concluded Mindanao Film Festival, which ran from December 4-11, is an annual festival in Davao City showcasing short and full-length films shot and made in Mindanao by Mindanaoan filmmakers. This year, more than 30 short films and documentaries are in competition.

This is a special event for me as I was tapped to be one of the festival's jury. Also, my first feature "The 'Thank You' Girls" (2008) was exhibited in the festival, a chance for Davaoeños to watch the film again on the big screen.

One of the featured filmmakers on the wall outside the Gaisano Mall of Davao Cinema 5 where the films were  shown.

Outside Gaisano Mall of Davao, the festival venue.

"The 'Thank You' Girls on screen.

Denise, the actor on the screencap above, after the Dec. 10 screening of TYG.

Arnel Mardoquio's Crossfire.

Digital projector at Gaisano Mall of Davao Cinema 5.

Some of the staff, crew and actors after the Dec. 5 screening. (From left to right) Willie Apa, Davaoeno film editor, JD, who played the emcee, SunStar Davao columnist Yen Oledan, TYG's Production Coordinator, Sheng, Mindanao Film Festival Saff, Joan Mae Soco who played Adora Gracia, Mindanao Times journalist Jesse Boga, me and Yam Palma, TYG's Assistant Director.

 

 

 

Friends Fritz and Dan who watched the Dec. 10 screening of TYG.