Davao-Based Filmmaker Features ‘Lumads’ in QCinema Entry

 

Marvel at the lush woods but Bagane Fiola seeks to bring viewers deeper into the struggles of an indigenous family coping with changes in their environment in his 2016 QCinema International Film Festival (QCinema) entry, “Baboy Halas, Wailings in the Forest”.

The film offers an experience with a family, one of the last forest people, who has yet to adjust to the lifestyle of the more sociable tribes in the plains.

Fiola is a storyteller who has an eye for details. In the film, he showed the tribe in their natural habitat and captured the richness of the Mindanao wild. The result is a visually engaging film that celebrates the beauty of nature and the complexity of human life.

The Circle Competition entry was mostly shot against the backdrop of Maharlika in the Marilog District.

“The trees of Maharlika were saved from logging. We are very lucky to still have the Maharlika, so that’s where we shot the film,” he says.

Marilog, a popular Davao City destination known for its cool air and beautiful sceneries, is also home to the indigenous group, the Matigsalug.

Fiola shares that his movie will feature a Mindanaoan cast, complete with the participation of the lumads from the Matigsalug tribe.

Filmmaker’s Biography

Fiola has been making films for more than 10 years. The founder of Origane Films, a digital film production company, Fiola has already produced seven narrative shorts, two feature films, and numerous experimental movies independently developed in Davao City.

His films have been showcased in local film festivals including the Mindanao Film Festival, Cinema Rehiyon, Salamindanaw Asian Film Festival, and Binisaya Film Festival.

It is his first time to receive a film grant and to participate in an international film festival.

When asked about his filmmaking experience, he shares, “I have always loved making films. You can interact with people, touch people's lives, and be surrounded with creative individuals.”

QCinema Schedule

QCinema 2016 will take place from October 13 to 22, 2016 at four venues namely, Ayala Trinoma, Gateway Cinemas, Robinson’s Galleria, and UP Town Center. It will also hold special film seminars at the QCX, the new museum complex at the Quezon Memorial Circle.

For more information, visit www.qcinema.ph.