SineBalangay Independent Film Fest highlights Butuanon language in celebrating local cinema
BUTUAN CITY (MindaNews/3 March) — Independent films are often celebrated for telling bold, authentic stories. But one local film festival here is taking on a more urgent mission: using cinema to help rescue a dying language.
The SineBalangay Independent Film Festival is a regional platform based in Butuan City that brings together filmmakers, artists, and audiences to showcase independent films that “reflect diverse identities, lived realities, and emerging voices from the margins.”
Now on its second edition, formerly known as the Balangay Independent Film and Theater Festival in 2024, the festival draws its theme from the spirit of the balangay boat, a symbol of journey, community, and shared stories rooted in Butuan’s rich history.
Held from February 24 to 26 in celebration of National Arts Month, the festival featured ten independent short films.
Festival director Junlou Tordos said during the opening ceremony that while this year’s theme, “Stories that Sail Beyond Time”, was aligned with the 50th anniversary of the excavation of the Balangay boats in Butuan, another key direction was the use of the Butuanon language.
“If you would see in the films, most of them are using the Butuanon language. We provided consultants, and most of our filmmakers sought their assistance,” Tordos said.
Butuan City Mayor Lawrence Lemuel Fortun described the film as a powerful tool in preserving Butuanon, which he said is now in a critical state.
“We don’t have a scientific survey yet, but it might be safe to assume that only 5% of the population currently speaks the language. Most of them belong to the 60-and-above age group. If nothing concrete and aggressive is done in the next 10 to 15 years, that language will be extinct,” Fortun said.
He drew a parallel between the influence of television and the potential of locally produced films in shaping the language habits of the youth.
“Even our children, if you let them watch TV every day, you ask, why is my child speaking English? Because what they are watching is all in English. They learned to speak it through the screen without even having to interact with other people. That is how powerful film can be. I am truly happy that Butuanon is being used here. This is a powerful tool to preserve the language,” he added.
The Map of Endangered Languages in the Philippines by the University of the Philippines Department of Linguistics classifies Butuanon under “shifting” status, referring to the process in which members of a multilingual community gradually abandon their original vernacular language in favor of another.
For Kukhei Tutaan, director of Amo Ini Isda, a Butuanon phrase that translates to “This is real food”, being part of SineBalangay has been “transformative.”
“While the artist creates the work, the work also creates the artist,” Tutaan told MindaNews, adding that the experience led her to a deeper understanding of herself as an artist.
As a Butuanon, she said she feels a profound sense of urgency to preserve her language and heritage.
“My unique position is that of a cultural translator: I can take the moribund echoes of our ancestors and channel them into the electric speakers of cinema. I think of my efforts with Amo Ini Isda as a sort of cultural CPR,” Tutaan said.
All screenings were free and open to the public at SM City Butuan cinemas on February 25 and 26.
Prior to this year’s festival, organizers conducted a three-day intensive film lab in November last year to develop emerging filmmakers in Butuan City.
The festival opened a call for story submissions and received 26 entries, all of which joined the incubation program. Participants attended workshops and mentoring sessions with Mindanao filmmakers Arnel Mardoquio and Ryanne Murcia.
After the lab, 13 semi-finalists were shortlisted to pitch their projects, from which 10 official entries were selected. The finalists continued refining their stories through online mentoring sessions before proceeding to production in December, with each team receiving a ₱20,000 production grant.
At the festival’s closing ceremony, Bandage Poetry, directed by Ian Alfaras, a student from Caraga State University, won four awards: Best Short Film, Best Director, Best Editing, and Best Production Design. The film portrays a fractured society through characters striving for freedom and change amid poor governance.
Hinangi Ako Hong Luthang earned the Special Jury Prize and Best Cinematography, while Jufhel Lariba won Best Actor. Kersheykei Ababon received the Best Actress award for Moved.
Molotov Cocktail won Best Musical Score, while Hilom received Best Screenplay, Best Sound Design, and a Special Citation for Animated Film. Balitok won the Audience Choice Award, and Ngani Ako Agusan received a Special Citation for Documentary.
Beyond the ten official entries, SineBalangay also featured two non-competition sections: the SEA Section, which welcomed international filmmakers from Southeast Asian countries including Malaysia and Brunei, and the PH Wave Section, celebrating works that reflect the many currents of contemporary Philippine cinema. (Ivy Marie Mangadlao/MindaNews)
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