August 11, 2024 | 11:32pm
MANILA, Philippines — The filmmakers behind Cinemalaya 2024 Best Film winner “Tumandok” gave most of the credit to the Ati community of Sitio Kabarangkalan in Barotac Viejo, Iloilo, who is the subject of the movie.
“Tumandok,” which means “The Native,” follows the community’s struggle to reclaim their ancestral land, which has been under constant threat of being taken.
Apart from Best Film, “Tumandok” also won the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) award, Best Original Score, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Felipe Ganancial.
The elder Ganancial, like the rest of the Ati community, have no professional background in acting. The community itself was the credited composer of the winning score.
Co-director Arlie Sweet Sumagaysay and producer Arden Rod Condez are the credited screenwriters, but for them, the Ati community in Sitio Kabarangkalan is the reason for the story’s composition.
Related: Cinemalaya 2024 entry ‘Tumandok’ shifts focus to Ati community in Iloilo
Condez told Philstar.com that Sumagaysay and co-director Richard Jeroui Salvadico have been visiting the community for nearly five years, so 70% of the script was based on the research they conducted during their time in the community.
He added that even the lines in the film were the actual stories the community shared with each other, making the story more authentic.
“Napakalaking bagay for me ‘yung research,” Condez continued. “Thank you sa Cinemalaya for appreciating that effort kasi it took [the directors] five years to do it.”
The filmmaker shared that he, Sumagaysay, Salvadico, and the rest of the”Tumandok” team wanted to show the value of land to indigenous people.
“[There] are different reasons bakit sila kailangan umalis o mag-stay. The entire screenplay is just an argument within the community,” Condez ended, reiterating his gratitude to Cinemalaya for recognizing the community’s contributions to the film.
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