BINISAYA 2024: Mga Salida Para Sa Atoa
BINISAYA 2024: Mga Salida Para Sa Atoa
Feature art by Abigail Manaluz
A Cebuano documentary about pottery, an absurdist Chavacano tale of animalism, and a Fil-Am filmmaker revising her script in the middle of production are some of the best shorts featured in the Binisaya Film Festival 2024.
Now in its 14th year, the Binisaya - Cebu International Film Festival finally made a comeback to physical cinemas for the first time since 2019. After five long years, both filmmakers and audiences gathered in Cebu City, eager to reconnect with the film community and experience what local, regional, and international cinema had to offer in this film festival, which continues its mission to showcase films that challenged commercial constraints and pushed the boundaries of storytelling.
The festival was organized into three main categories: "Shorts," featuring Bisaya shorts made by Bisaya filmmakers; "Horizons," showcasing Filipino shorts outside of the Bisaya language; and "World," comprising international shorts from around the globe. There is also a category called “Shootout,” where filmmakers create a short film dedicated to Filipino film curator Teddy Co, with only 24 hours to complete it. In total, nearly 40 short films were available for competition, with access provided on Vimeo On Demand for a week before they were all physically screened on August 24 at Robinsons Galleria Cebu.
In this feature, I highlighted three short films from each of the three main categories (Shorts, Horizons, and World) and one from the Shootout category and will briefly explain what made them stand out to me.
SHORTS
Ang Pamilya Maguol (Davao)
Dir. Jermaine Tulbo
Jermaine Tulbo has a knack for showcasing distinctly Bisaya humor with a theatrical style, as evidenced by his previous works, and Ang Pamilya Maguol proves once again that he knows what he’s doing. The short pokes fun at tradition and familial values with satirical humor. It's vulgar and silly, but it also has heart. In just twenty minutes, we follow these four dysfunctional family members whose exaggerated performances, along with those of the side characters, captivate us and make the film an enjoyable watch—making its Special Jury Citation for Best Cast well-deserved.
Sidlak (Cebu)
Dir. Billy Scott Badayos
Sidlak highlights the importance of passing down traditions to preserve family and culture. Billy Scott Badayos’ short documentary tells the story of a mother urging her daughter to keep the art of pottery alive, despite the latter’s contempt. Badayos crafted this film with genuine love and care for its subject, capturing their fears for the future and the vital role these traditions play in an increasingly modern world, while also empathizing with their struggles as citizens from the lower class. The short also beautifully illustrates how the skill and love embedded in artisans' hands make their craft enduring and meaningful.
Uwan Init (Cebu)
Dir. Faith Aragon
Remember that quote from Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite where the rich are thankful for the rain while the poor suffer from it? That’s essentially what this four-minute short film is about. Using a split-screen format to contrast two characters and their socio-economic statuses, it follows them through their daily routines—one is a vegetable vendor, and the other is a work-from-home employee. Although they live different lives, they still share the same sky and face the same weather; however, they each deal with their circumstances differently. It’s a simple story with a punchline that is amusing as it is thought-provoking.
HORIZONS
All This Wasted Space (Rizal)
Dir. Cris Bringas
Sounds in an abandoned house—every creak, tick, ring, and splash, just to name a few—are amplified, filling the space with an unsettling presence. It’s reminiscent of the video game Gone Home, where a young queer woman returns to her childhood home only to be confronted by the traumatic and painful memories echoing through the walls and the objects scattered around. Cris Bringas conveys the film’s emotions through sound, creating a deafening atmosphere that suggests the silence within the house is almost too loud to bear. The soundscape becomes a character in itself, revealing the haunting weight of unspoken memories and unhealed wounds, making the silence feel oppressive and inescapable.
Animal Lovers (Zamboanga)
Dir. Aedrian Araojo
Scandalously entertaining in every way, Aedrian Araojo’s Animal Lovers is a Chavacano absurdist short that you can’t help but admire, leaving you itching for more. Perhaps this could even work as a feature-length film? This 2023 QCinema-winning short recently won Best Film in the Binisaya Horizons category. It stars Iana Bernandez and Karl Medina as a couple whose humanity is abandoned as they descend into animalistic behavior, offering a provocative exploration of human nature through absurdism that is unsettlingly close to reality. It’s shockingly clever and darkly funny, with rich compositions and symbolism woven throughout the narrative.
Time Before Kevin (Metro Manila)
Dir. Raine Gado
Healing childhood traumas through time travel is a dramatic concept that can deeply tug at your heartstrings, and Raine Gado’s Time Before Kevin did exactly that. The film’s emotional narrative, about a time traveler who goes back in time to rescue and heal his younger self, cleverly intertwines with a sense of wonder. Using sharply colorful visuals and striking production design, it immerses the audience in experiencing both the pain and healing that come with revisiting the past, particularly from the perspective of a queer individual.
WORLD
A Summer’s End Poem (China)
Dir. Lam Can-zhao
Ah, to be young and on the journey of self-discovery! Lam Can-zhao’s A Summer’s End Poem tells the tender story of a young provincial boy who visits the city for a haircut just before the end of summer vacation and his entry into middle school. This short perfectly captures the disjointed feeling of wanting to change and grow up. There’s a warm, comforting feeling when watching this coming-of-age tale, and a nostalgic sense that reminds us of the subtle but profound shifts marking our own transitions into new stages of life.
Desync (Canada)
Dir. Minerva Marie Navasca
Art often emerges from the artist’s personal experiences. Desync tells the story of a filmmaker who keeps revising her script in the middle of production, searching for the right words to express what she, her mother, or both would’ve, could’ve, or should’ve said during a past argument in their household kitchen that led to the breakdown of their relationship. Although the Filipino-American accents may feel slightly awkward, the actors still deliver an emotional punch through their compelling performances. Director Minerva Marie Navasca managed to explore the tension between art and reality with melodramatic flair, striking the right emotional chords.
The Steak (Iran)
Dir. Kiarash Dadgar
Winner of Best Film in the Bisaya World category, Iran’s The Steak is shot with a 360-degree camera, capturing a day in the life of a mother preparing a birthday meal for her youngest daughter. As the scene unfolds, their day is suddenly interrupted by the chaos of war. What made this short film work is how it excels at building tension, largely due to its voyeuristic camera work, which makes the audience feel as if they are being held hostage, unable to intervene, and forced to watch events circling out of control. The story begins and ends with a steak in a cooking pan, from being carefully cooked to being burnt, offering a metaphorical representation of the current geopolitical state of the world.
SHOOTOUT
LITTLE MS. EXISTENTIAL CRISIS
Dir. Keanne Marie Jandusay
Out of all the Shootout shorts for this year's Binisaya Film Fest, this one stuck with me the most. LITTLE MS. EXISTENTIAL CRISIS captures every artist's worst dilemma: should you choose practicality or passion? In just a couple of minutes, it takes us into the mind of an individual as she glimpses into the future through impressive visuals and editing, effectively communicating that this dilemma can make or break you. By the end of the film, you will also find yourself suffering from an existential crisis, just like the main character herself.
There’s a strong sense of community and belongingness inside the theater as all the short films in the selection, carefully curated by the Binisaya team, were screened. It’s cool that admission is free and open to everyone because quality films like these shouldn’t be gatekept. While the Binisaya Film Festival is admittedly a niche event, more people should still be encouraged to participate in the regional filmmaking scene and have the opportunity to watch films that aren’t confined to one mainstream language and commercial appeal.
The Binisaya 2024 Film Festival began on August 17 with the Shootout for Teddy Co, screened all the short films on Vimeo on Demand from August 19 to August 26, and held its physical screening and awarding ceremony on August 24 at Robinsons Galleria Cebu.
