In time for the upcoming May 2022 Philippine elections, an anthology film exploring regional perspectives about a person’s right to vote is now available to watch on Cinemata. Indelible features six short films from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. These films were produced as part of the Binisaya Film Festival Film Shootout 2021, a 24-hour challenge for participants to create a film based on a specified theme.
The title of the anthology film, which means “cannot be removed or washed away”, is a reference to the indelible ink applied to a voter’s finger indicating that he or she has already cast a vote.
Explaining the rationale for creating Indelible, festival director Keith Deligero said, “Just like in making films, we must explore and consider different angles and perspectives in making a decision.” The filmmakers expound on their ideas in an episode of the Third World Cinema Club, available on YouTube and Spotify.
Indelible brings together the following short films from filmmakers across the Philippines:
- Exodo by Rab Centino Borbon (Misamis Occidental)
Joe, a visually impaired person, visits his parents’ tomb before casting his vote for the elections. A fortune teller predicts that Joe’s vote will be a tie-breaker. However, as he is about to leave the cemetery, something unexpected happens. - Anim na Taon by Eric Bico (Metro Manila)
Through a child’s game, a group of friends talk about the candidates they are voting for in the elections. - Gapos by Denise Macatangay (Cebu)
A person restrained against his will is exposed to various forms of electoral fraud. How will he break free? - Dug, Dug, Dug Cemetery by Lenard Apao AKA Lenlen de Sarapen (Davao)
A dead man struggles to rest in peace in a cemetery that demands more than bodies. - Nasabtan nimo? by JM Hermoso and John Suico (Misamis Occidental)
An apolitical voter shares his unsaid thoughts and reflections about politics and elections in his hometown. - The Right to Adobo by Talaraia (Davao)
A woman is in need of soy sauce, an important recipe for her pork adobo dish. She goes to a store to buy one – only to find out that a strenuous process awaits her.
Binisaya is a regional film festival based in Cebu, Philippines. Founded in 2009, the festival conducts guerilla screenings in various areas in the Visayas region to promote non-mainstream films.
Learn more about Binisaya through the following links:
