PORTFOLIO RICHARD SORIANO LEGASPI Advocacy Film-maker / Art Academician /

Richard Soriano Legaspi completed his Bachelor in Fine Arts at the University of the East, College of Fine Arts, Architecture and Design in Manila, majoring in Advertising Arts and was awarded for his Exemplary Performance in the field of Visual Arts. He is also a fellow of Asian Film Academy in Busan, South Korea in 2007. He gained recognitions when he started directing poetic films. However, his filmmaking career really took off when he did “Ambulance,” which competed and received citations in more than 40 international film festivals.

Legaspi’s achievements gained more importance when he represented the Philippines in major festivals and won a prestigious award in Italy. His works are more focused on raising consciousness and creating space for dialogue on communal issues, the responsible transformation of society and creative activation through contemporary art.

He received the prestigious UNESCO Laureate artist bursary in 2013 and eventually becoming a resident artist of the Università delle Idee for 3 years which he also won the ILLY DESIGN PRIZE WINNER – Art for Social Change award. In 2016, he was invited by SEAMi and Taoyuan Art Cinema for film colloquium followed by an art residency this year, a project by Cultural Affairs Department, Taoyuan City Government in cooperation with Military Police Honor 2nd Village Workstation and SEAMi Creative, Ltd.

His film about the red suitcase was exhibited at the PeninsulaLab, Wollinerstrasse in Berlin in 2015. Recently, his short film PIPO won the Viewers’ Choice Award during the Asian and Middle Eastern Film Night of the Gatffest Film Festival in Kingston, Jamaica and Best film in SineBata Film Festival, the said film will represent the Philippines in the South East Asian Prix Jeunesse Awards this 2017.

Web Blog Link: https://cycloneloopfilmprod.wordpress.com/

FILMOGRAPHY

TORENG GARING (Ivory Tower)

Directed by Richard Soriano Legaspi 2017 / Experimental Short Film / Colored / English Subtitles / TRT 4:00 / Philippines-Taiwan Shooting Location: Taipei, Taiwan Producer: SEAMi, Red Room Media Prod and Taoyuan Cultural Dept.

Synopsis:

Ivory Tower is an experimental short documentary film of combined sound and images of labor protest of South-East Asian migrant workers in Taipei. The windows from the historical village of Taoyuan represent the realities and disconnection of some Taiwanese about labor rights issues today. As the resounding collective voices of the laborers transform into a solid force, there’s no reason not to act.

FESTIVALS AND EXHIBITIONS:

Silver Award, International Photography Awards – Philippines (Moving Images Category) Exhibition, Memory Migration – Military Village, Taoyuan, Taiwan

Website: https://cycloneloopfilmprod.wordpress.com/2008-toreng-garing/ Viewing Link: https://vimeo.com/219652361 Password: ubdt55

PIPO

Directed by Richard Soriano Legaspi 2015 / Short Film / Coloured / English Subtitles / TRT 19:54 / Philippines-Italy Shooting Location: Tinajeros, Santolan Malabon, Luneta, Manila Producers: National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Red Room Media Prod and UNIDEE

Short Synopsis:

“A boy dreams of having his family picture taken only to find out that what is more important is that he still has a loving family by his side more than anything else.”

Actors: Lou Veloso, Chanel Latorre, Ramon Palencia, Katherine Carel and Maliksi Morales

Synopsis:

Not wanting to be jeered for not having a family photo, the little boy wrecked his brain and even made up rumors to ask the photographer to take a picture of his family at a lower price. However, it is not until something happened that he found out that a family with love is more important than anything else. Through the boy’s story, the problems of poverty and environment can also be seen in the film.

Website: https://cycloneloopfilmprod.wordpress.com/si-pipo-at-si-kamuning/ Viewing Link: https://vimeo.com/170145749 Password: ubdt55

FESTIVALS AND EXHIBITIONS:

Winner, Audience Prize, GATFFEST Film Festival, Kingston, Jamaica 2017 Official Selection, 21 islands International Short Film Fest, New York, 2017 Official Selection, TOKYO Sun International Film Festival, Japan, 2017 Finalist, CortiSonanti Film Festival, Naples, Italy 2017 Competition, Festival Internacional de Cine Infantil y Juvenil Calibélula, Colombia, 2017 In Competition, GEOFILMFESTIVAL and EXPOCINEMA – Italy 2017 Exhibition, 3rd International Film Festival on the Island -FECISLA, Colombia, 2017 In Competition, International Children’s Film Festival Bangladesh 2016 Official Philippine Entry, South East Asian Prix Jeunesse Awards sa 2017 Winner, Best Short Film, SineBata Film Festival (Professional Category) 2016 In Competition, 4th ShortCup World Film Festival, Brazil 2017 In Competition, 5th Delhi Shorts International Film Festival – India 2016 Official Selection, Festival Internacional de Cine Universitario Allucinema, Mexico 2016 3Little Wolves Film Festival – 2016 In Competition, International Short Film Festival VISION, Siberia – Russia 2016 Special Screening, retrospective of Monsoon Asia x SeeMe Mobile Film Festival 2016 In Competition, Venice Film Week – Italy 2016 In Competition, International Short Film Festival "IndieCrete" 2016 Official Selection, Festival Internacional de Cine y Audiovisual Infantil y Juvenil, Colombia 2016 Official Selection, Festival Internacional de Cine y Audiovisual Infantil y Juvenil, Venezuela 2016 Official Selection, Venice Film Week 2016 Official Selection, International Film Festival of Odisha, India 2016 In Competition, Smile International Film Festival for Children and Youth, India 2015 In Competition, Goldensun International Film Festival, Malta 2015 In Competition, Athens International Digital Film Festival, Greece 2015 In Competition, Caminhos Film Festival, Portugal 2015 In Exhibition, Monsoon Asia Film Festival, Taiwan 2015

Davis International Film Festival, San Francisco 2015 Tuzla Film Festival, 2015 Festival Corto Creativo, Mexico 2015 Open-Air Filmfest Weiterstadt, 2015 Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto screening, Italy, 2015 Children’s International Film Festival, Dubai UAE, 2015, International Premiere

FARE L’AMORE CON IL VENTO (Making Love with the Wind)

Directed by Richard Soriano Legaspi 2015/ Short Documentary Film / Coloured / English Subtitles / TRT 9:40 / Philippines-Italy Shooting Location: Italy Producer: UNIDEE, Illy-Italy and Red Room Media Productions

Synopsis:

“Making Love with the Wind” is a poetic documentary shot in the mountainous province of Biella, Italy. It tells the never-ending journey of countless migrants about existence, dreams, life mysteries and space for acceptance along with how they fortuitously fall in love to a place that they can never own – similar to the wind.

The film reflects on the life of people who stayed in the mountain and how they escape the boldness and modernity of the city - to be migrants in their own way.

Website: https://cycloneloopfilmprod.wordpress.com/2014-fare-lamore-con-il-vento-making- love-with-the-wind/ Viewing Link: https://vimeo.com/111386093 Password: ubdt55

FESTIVALS AND EXHIBITIONS:

In Competition, GEOFILMFESTIVAL and EXPOCINEMA – Italy 2017 WOW.01 –Kochi Muszires Biennale, Kerala, India 2017 CologneOFF 2017 Kochi Musiris Biennial 2016 – 2017 Short Film Festival Dino De Laurentiis, Italy 2016 Goldensun International Film Festival, Malta, 2015 Gawad Cultural Center of the Philippines, 2015

Ang Walang Kapagurang Paglalakbay ng Pulang Maleta (The Untiring Journey of the Red Suitcase)

Directed by Richard Soriano Legaspi 2015/ Documentary Film / Coloured / English Subtitles / TRT 90 mins / Philippines-Italy Producer: UNIDEE, Illy-Italy, GMA News TV and Red Room Media Productions

Synopsis:

Biella, Italy has been famous for its main industry of wool-making for several years now. Each fabric of wool has been trying to weave together the culture, history and people of Biella, including the Filipino workers and their families who continuously toil and embrace Italy. This documentary tells each story of love, travails and sacrifices of our fellow Filipinos in order to create a community where the culture of both worlds can be freely woven together.

Website: https://cycloneloopfilmprod.wordpress.com/ang-walang-kapagurang-paglalakbay-ng- pulang-maleta/ Viewing Link: https://vimeo.com/112464581 Password: ubdt55unidee2013

FESTIVALS AND EXHIBITIONS:

In Competition, Wathann Film Festival, Yangon, Myanmar 2016 In Competition, TrueDoc Documentary Film Festival, Ukraine 2016

Official Selection, 22nd International Filipino Cine Festival, San Francisco 2015 Kočevje Film Autumn, Ljubljanska, Slovenia 2015 Nominated, Best Documentary, Gawad URIAN 2015 Finalist, Cine Totoo International Film Festival, Philippines 2015 Special Screening, Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto, Biella Italy 2015 Special Screening, MILA Kunstgalerie , Berlin, 2015 Special Screening, Fringe International Art Festival, Manila 2015 Le avventure della Valigia Rossa (The Adventures of the Red Suitcase)

Directed by Richard Soriano Legaspi 2015/ Documentary Film / Coloured / English Subtitles / TRT 40 mins / Philippines-Italy Producer: UNIDEE, Illy-Italy, GMA News TV and Red Room Media Productions

Synopsis: Roan Asuncion, has been known to be the youngest weaver of migrants in the Piemonte region. Her small business, the Filipino Store or Tropical Mini-Mart serves as a spindle that connects not only Filipinos but the other nationalities as well. Because of this, Roan and her mini-store serves to unite and weave tightly the relationships of Filipinos, Italians and other people with the variety of food offered in her store. Le avventure della Valigia Rossa or The Adventures of the Red Suitcase is part of the “Red Suitcase Documentary narratives.

Website: https://cycloneloopfilmprod.wordpress.com/2015-le-avventure-della-valigia-rossa- the-adventures-of-the-red-suitcase/ Viewing Link: https://vimeo.com/168516465 Password: ubdt55

FESTIVALS AND EXHIBITIONS:

In Competition, Global Migration Film Festival, Geneva – Geneva – Switzerland, 2017 Exhibition, Instituto Italiano de Cultura " - Alianza Francesa de Buenos Aires, 2017 Exhibition, Global Migration Film Festival, Indonesia 2017 Exhibition, Alliance Francaise de Manille, Philippines, 2017 Screening, Film Faculty Building of the Shota Rustaveli Theatre Tbilisi, Georgia, 2017 Screening, Impala Co-Working Space Semarang, Indonesia, 2017 Special Screening, Film Georgia State University, Georgia, 2017 Special Screening, UNICEF - 3 United Nations, New York, USA, 2017 In Competition, Wathann Film Festival, Yangon, Myanmar, 2016 Special Screening, SEAMI Film Screening, Taoyuan, Taiwan, 2016 Special Screening, MILA Kunstgalerie , Berlin, 2015

Ang Kauna-unahang Pag-ibig ng Pulang Maleta (The First Love of the Red Suitcase)

Directed by Richard Soriano Legaspi 2015/ Documentary Film / Coloured / English Subtitles / TRT 90 mins / Philippines-Italy Producer: UNIDEE, Illy-Italy, GMA News TV and Red Room Media Productions

Synopsis: Loreta Mercado, a Filipina who arrived in Biella in 1978, bringing along with her the thread of her dreams and one local young man followed that thread until he married and taught Loreta to weave their lives and beliefs together. Being the first Filipina to love this province, Loreta’s love for her husband, child and for Biella, symbolizes her untiring journey as the red suitcase from the East.

Website: https://cycloneloopfilmprod.wordpress.com/the-love-of-the-very-first-red-suitcase- in-biella/ Viewing Link: https://vimeo.com/167482040 Password: ubdt55

FESTIVALS AND EXHIBITIONS:

Special Screening, SEAMI Film Screening, Taoyuan, Taiwan 2016 Cinesilangan Film Festival, 2017

DIMENSIONS OF BELONGING Directed by Richard Soriano Legaspi 2014/ Experimental Doc Film / Coloured / English Subtitles / TRT 4:32 / Philippines-Italy Shooting Location: Italy

Synopsis:

“Dimensions of Belonging” is an experimental documentary about the journey of the red suitcase as a metaphor to worldwide migration.

Website: https://cycloneloopfilmprod.wordpress.com/dimensions-of-belonging-dimensioni-di- appertenenza/ Viewing Link: https://vimeo.com/116041408 Password: ubdt55

FESTIVALS AND EXHIBITIONS:

Tirana International Film Festival, Albania 2015 Tuzla Film Festival, Bosnia and Herzegovina 2015 6th Wordless International Short Film Festival – Sydney, Australia 2015 Gothenburg Indie Film Festival 2014 – Sweden 10th Video Art Festival Miden 2014 – Greece The 12th and the Last Experimental International Film Festival 2014 – Auburn, Australia

PAMATID-GUTOM (Hunger Pangs)

Directed by Richard Soriano Legaspi 2012 / Short Film / B&W / English Subtitles / TRT 11:00 / Philippines Shooting Location: PNR Caloocan, Santolan Malabon

Short Synopsis:

Pamatid Gutom is a stark rendition of electoral politics in post-EDSA Philippines. A mother, desperate to feed her child, takes part int he feeding programme of the Mayor of a city. Upon seeing the favourable response of the wife of the mayor to her child, she undertakes a disturbing gamble.

Actors: Mercedes Cabral, Frank Corona and Rona Manalac

Website: https://cycloneloopfilmprod.wordpress.com/pantawid-gutom/ Viewing Link: https://vimeo.com/72986878 Password: ubdt55

FESTIVALS AND EXHIBITIONS:

International Film Festival ZOOM – ZBLIŻENIA 2014 Special Screening, Cittadellarte – Fondazione Pistoletto, Biella 2013 In Competition, Jogja NETPAC Asian Film Festival, Indonesia 2012 Official Selection, Gawad Cultural Center of the Philippines 2012 Official Selection, World Film Festival Bangkok 2012 Official Selection, Filipino American Film Festival -San Francisco 2012 In Competition, Naoussa International Short Film Festival, Greece 2012 In Competition,Patras International Film Festival, Greece 2012 Official Selection, Cinemaralita Film Festival, Philippines 2012 EdsaNgandaan Film Festival, 2012 MANENAYA (Waiting)

Directed by Richard Soriano Legaspi 2011 / Short Film / B&W / English Subtitles / TRT 14:00 / Philippines-Italy Shooting Location: Betis, Tokwing, Pampanga

Short Synopsis:

“Manenaya” (Waiting) is a story of a determined woman and her journey through life under the backdrop of the various landscapes of Pampanga.

She brings with her a wooden casket for her husband, a victim of political killings. The film is a journey in search for truth and personal triumph through the challenges of life.

Actors: Agnes Macam-Romero, Beth Masangkay and Bor Ocampo

Website: https://cycloneloopfilmprod.wordpress.com/manenaya-waiting/ Viewing Link: https://vimeo.com/87927632 Password: ubdt55

FESTIVALS AND EXHIBITIONS:

Ekurhuleni International Film Festival 2016 Phoenix Film Festival Melbourne, Australia 2015 9th annual Carnival of e-Creativity, India, 2015 The 12th International Festival Signes de Nuit Paris 2015 Videoart Festival Miden Kalamata Greece, 2014 Official Selection, Cologne OFF International Video Art Festival Germany, 2014 Official Selection, Cologne OFF X Poland, 2014 Winner, Jury Prize, Gawad Tanglaw for Philippine Movies, 2013 Nominated, Gawad URIAN, Philippines, 2013 Special Screening, Cittadellarte – Fondazione Pistoletto, Biella 2013 Official Selection, Filipino American Film Festival, San Francisco, 2012 Winner, Jury Prize, Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival 2012 Finalist, International Film Festival of Drama, Greece 2012 Official Selection, Asiatica Film Mediale, Rome 2012 Winner, Third Prize, Gawad CCP, Experimental Category 2011 Finalist, Babel International Film Festival, Italy 2011 Exhibition, Cinemanila International Film Festival 2011 Finalist, Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival 2011

PAANO KO SASABIHIN? (How do I Tell You)

Directed by Richard Soriano Legaspi 2015/Full-Length Film / Coloured / English Subtitles / TRT 90 mins / Philippines Shooting Location: UE Caloocan, LRT, Arkong Bato Valenzuela, Acasia and Francis Malabon

Synopsis:

Two strangers find love in a chance encounter on the train to work. Meet Ehryl, a television writer, with a deaf-mute brother, and Mike, an art teacher for the deaf. Thinking Mike was deaf, Erhyl replies in sign language, making Mike believe she was also deaf.

And so they continue their charade, sharing their problems and dreams– all in sign language. Until Erhyl accidentally blows her cover, she keeps away, ridden by pain and guilt, only to be surprised by another truth in the end.

Paano Ko Sasabihin posits the question how far would you go to keep appearances up for love’s sake? And would that love stand a chance in the face of the painful truth?

Actors: , , Zernan Mataya, Ian Victor

Website: https://cycloneloopfilmprod.wordpress.com/paano-ko-sasabihin-how-do-i-tell-you/ Viewing Link: Password: ubdt55

FESTIVALS AND EXHIBITIONS:

Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto screening, Italy, 2015 Campus Screenings 2010-2013 North America Screening – TFC 2010 Finalist, Babel International Film Festival 2011 HongKong Filmmart Exhibition, HK 2011 SM screenings, 2010 Cine One Originals, Special Jury Prize 2009 Cine One Originals, Audience Award 2009 Cine One Originals, Best in Editing 2009

KINULAYANG KITI (Hand-Painted Feathers)

Directed by Richard Soriano Legaspi 2009 / Short Film / Coloured / English Subtitles / TRT 24:00 / Philippines Shooting Location: Valenzuela, Malabon

Synopsis:

“Kinulayang Kiti” (Hand Painted Feathers) is a moving tale of surviving the harsh realities of urban life. The struggle of a young boy named KIT, whose father was murdered in a labor rally. His last resort is to believe in a superstition that by placing live chicks on his father’s casket, and their pecks will serve as stabs to the killer’s conscience.

Actors: Owen Banaag, Katherine Luna, Alan Paule and Bembol Roco

Website: https://cycloneloopfilmprod.wordpress.com/kinulayang-kiti-hand-painted-feathers/ Viewing Link: https://vimeo.com/94486264 Password: ubdt55

FESTIVALS AND EXHIBITIONS:

Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto screening, Italy, 2015 Official Selection, CineMaralita Film Festival 2012 Finalist, Cine Pambata Festival, Philippines 2011 Screening, NCCA Ani ng Sining 2011 Official Selection, International Panorama of Film and Video Patras, Greece 2011 Official Selection, AgitProp International Film Festival 2011 Official Selection, Jogja NETPAC-Asian Film Festival, Indonesia 2010 Winner, Best Actress, Doi Saket International Film Festival, Thailand 2010 Finalist, Doi Saket International Film Festival, Thailand 2010 Winner, Jury Prize, Pandayang Lino Brocka Political and New Media Film Festival 2010 Finalist, Auburn International Film Festival, Sydney Australia 2010 Panorama Screening, Budapest International Short Film Festival 2010 Nominated, Muhr Award for Excellence, Dubai International Film Festival 2009 Official Selection, Filipino American Film Festival in San Francisco, 2009 Winner, Honorable Mention, Gawad CCP para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Bidyo 2009

PAGTAKAS SA KAWALAN (Escape to Nothingness)

Directed by Richard Soriano Legaspi 2008 / Short Film / Coloured / English Subtitles / TRT 10:00 / Philippines-S. Korea Shooting Location: Busan, South Korea, Manila, Philippines

Short Synopsis:

A Subtle interplay of images, symbols and other visual elements amid the backdrop of a poem about living and waiting and the search for different personas.

Actors: PARK So Yeon, YOKOHAMA Shogo, BALBON Emmanuel, ANGGI Yosep and BALATBAT Mark

Website: https://cycloneloopfilmprod.wordpress.com/pagtakas-sa-kawalan-escape-to- nothingness/ Viewing Link: Password: ubdt55

FESTIVALS AND EXHIBITIONS:

Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto screening, Italy, 2015 Official Selection, Cinemanila Film Festival, Philippines, 2008 Official Selection, World Film Festival, Bangkok, Thailand, 2008 Special Screening, Shorts Film Festival, Philippines, 2008

BLOSSOM 해바라기

Directors: JARUPHIANLERT Chumpon, KOH Sun Boon Luang, KWEON Hye Min, LEGASPI Richard Soriano, LIN Dong Dong 2007 / Short Film / Coloured / English Subtitles / TRT 19:54 / S. Korea Shooting Location: Busan, South Korea

Synopsis:

An abandoned mother has lost her consciousness in a hospital sience her husband died and her child left. The son comes back home to take care of his mother. Anurse becomes the solitary one to communicate with. The two loners learn how to heal each other by gazing and silence.

This Film Pictures the moment of lovely affection which is just begin to bud, and is produced in harmony with one director and one cinematographer from Team A. The thrill of butterflies becomes more charming as the bright and nimble mood at the scene of filmmaking melted into the film.

Website: https://cycloneloopfilmprod.wordpress.com/pagtakas-sa-kawalan-escape-to- nothingness/ Viewing Link: http://afa.biff.kr/Template/Builder/00000001/page.asp?page_num=1788 Password: None

FESTIVALS AND EXHIBITIONS:

Cinesilangan Film Festival, Philippines 2013 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, Special Screening 2008 Busan International Film Festival 2007

AMBULANCIA

Directed by Richard Soriano Legaspi 2007 / Short Film / Coloured / English Subtitles / TRT 15:22 / Philippines Shooting Location: San Roque, Arko, Tagalag, Bisig, Valenzuela City

Short Synopsis:

“Ambulancia” tells of a painful twist in an ambulance driver’s belief that a dying patient can be saved by running over stray animals on the streets.

Actors: Alan Paule, Nor Domingo, Wilmae Soriano and Evelyn Cruz

Website: https://wordpress.com/page/cycloneloopfilmprod.wordpress.com/31 Viewing Link: https://vimeo.com/94859357 Password: ubdt55

FESTIVALS AND EXHIBITIONS:

Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto screening, Italy, 2015 In Competition, Dubai International Film Festival, UAE 2008 Nominated, GRAND OFF – European Film Awards non-European Section, Poland, 2008 Official Selection, 5th OHNE KOHLE International Independent Film and Video Festival, Vienna Austria, 2008 Finalist, Asiana International Short Film Festival, Seoul Korea, 2008 Nominated, “Golden Mango Award” Bite the Mango Film Festival, Bradford, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom 2008 Winner, “MIGLIOR MONTAGGIO AWARD” 14th San Gio International Video Festival, Italy 2008 In Exhibition, Informational Screening, International Budapest Short Film Festival, Hungary 2008 In Competition, .MOV International Film Festival, Manila 2008 In Competition, 32nd Open Air FilmFest Weiterstadt, Germany 2008 Official Selection, Pyongyang International Film Festival, North Korea 2008 In Competition, International Panorama of Independent Film, Patras Greece 2008 Winner, Grand Prize, Viva-PBO Short Film Competition, Philippines 2008 Winner, Best short Narrative, Quisumbing-Escandor Film Festival 2008 In Competition, Naoussa International Film Festival, Greece 2008 Cine Vita Film festival, Philippines 2008 In Exibition, Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, Philippines 2008 Asian Film Academy, Fellows Night Screening 2007 Official Selection: Cinemanila International Film Festival 2007

SOCIALLY ENGAGED ART PROJECTS

INTEGRATION OF MEMORIES Sianguang 2nd Village – Taiwan / August 19, 2017

INTEGRATION OF MEMORIES “INTEGRATION OF MEMORIES” is a multi-disciplinary art project combining the idea of memories through space, situation, narratives and emotions – linking these together in order to create a project that will represents the essence of the past and as well as the present.

Sianguang 2nd Village is a military town that mirrors the relationship of close-knit Taiwanese families living in this community in the 1960’s. Mostly, military men were from China migrated in Taoyuan and married to locals, an early migration occurrence happened during that time. Sianguang 2nd Village is not only a representation of archetypal military dwelling place which the Taoyuan Department of Cultural Affairs is continuously preserving but it also sutures Taiwan’s rich heritage up to this day.

The restoration is not only for the physical structure of the place but this project will attempt to present the diverse idea of migration memoirs. The role of the immigrants will be also exhibited in a symbolic approach using the red suitcase which already travels from different countries around the world. Richard Soriano Legaspi will share his experiential journey in staying in the village for more than a month and how he connects himself as a Filipino.

Web Link: https://cycloneloopfilmprod.wordpress.com/travel-and-art-projects/

THOSE WHO TRIED TO STAY…

As I dwell here at the 憲光二村 Sianguang 2nd Village mostly alone every night, I never think of ghost but I rather imagine the past. The notion of staying could be both in physical or spiritual levels, some are temporary, some are long-overdue and like me, they might surely watching me every day without an action of reluctance.

Photogram – Black and White Exposure Time: 10 -15 seconds

“And if only they can speak and communicate, they will say… Please stay with us, watch as we bloom,

and dance as we swing our leaves in the air and embrace this moment as we cuddle our roots slowly to your veins.”

RECOLLECTION

Recollection is a video interview of Bao-Lien, one of the women of 憲光二村 Sianguang 2nd Village as she recollects her unforgettable experiences in the village in the 60’s.

Short Documentary Running Time: 10:00 minutes Viewing Link: Password: ubdt55

SPIRIT OF PLACE

As I enthralled to move around and check all the abandoned houses of Sianguang 2nd Village for morethan two weeks, I witness not only the physical structure of the place but I rather see the spirits of colorful memories.

Digital Photography – Colored Sony NEX / Nikon

COLLECTIVE MEMORIES OUTSIDE THE VILLAGE

Taoyuan is an industrialized city and as the city progresses continuously, the need to have a solid work force that will elevate the production is also connected to the growing number of migrant workers from Southeast Asia. Helping to build the city in varied ways and in the coming years there will be collective narrative voices that will unfurl in every spaces of the city like the seeds in the pavement – it will grow and adapt the place in time.

The seeds coming from the ASEAN region also symbolize the gastronomic connection of all the migrant workers and how they discussed certain work issues while eating together.

Assemblage / Plastic Acrylic / Grains from different countries of South East Asia

ANG LIHAM PARA KAY BAO-LEIN (LETTER FOR BAO-LIEN)

The love letter from Wang, Chen-Kuan, a military soldier in 1960’s is a passionate and poetic symbol of love to his wife Bao,Lien before their engagement. It was already exhibited before as part of remembering the different narratives in Sianguang 2nd Village but this time, the letter is part of a poetic video translated in Filipino by Richard Legaspi, “Ang Liham para kay Bao-Lien” chronicles the determination of a soldier, love for country and the courage of a young man who knows the immeasurable meaning of love beyond distance.

Poetic Video Running Time: 6 minutes Viewing Link: https://vimeo.com/230457726 Password: None

PINHOLE AND PHOTOGRAM COMMUNITY WORKSHOP

Part of the residency is to connect art to the community of Guishan, Taiwan, and filmmaker Richard Soriano Legaspi organized a pinhole and photogram community workshop for free. The women of Guishan built a make-shift darkroom in one of the abandoned and heritage houses of the military village. The kids also help to clean and arrange the space to make it more comfortable for everyone.

The workshop was attended by some students, out of school youth, mothers, and cultural workers. They were all fascinated how to take pictures using a pinhole and develop it in a small darkroom that they created. Before the workshop, Legaspi gave an introduction about photography and darkroom basics.

IVORY TOWER

IVORY TOWER – Experimental Documentary Labor Office – Taipei / April 31, 2017

Ivory Tower is an experimental film of combined sound and images of labor protest of South- East Asian migrant workers in Taipei. The windows from the historical village of Taoyuan represent the realities and disconnection of some Taiwanese about labor rights issues today. As the resounding collective voices of the laborers transform into a solid force, there’s no reason not to act.

Running Time: 4:00 minutes Viewing Link: https://vimeo.com/219652361 Password: ubdt55

SOCIALLY ENGAGED ART PROJECTS

Dimension of Belonging 2007 – Biella, Italy and Berlin, Germany

EXPLORING RESILIENCE – BERLIN – MITTE EXHIBITION 2015

May 1, 2015 – during the International Labor Day celebration, the Red Suitcase became part of a contemporary art exhibition entitled Exploring Resilience at MILA Kunstgalerie in Berlin. It will then travel to Ambasciata d’Italia for exhibition under the program Embodied Resilience II, curated by PeninsulaLab, Wollinerstrasse, starting May 18, also in Berlin.

Legaspi started shooting the documentary in 2013 using a small camera and he returned to Italy in 2014 to continue documenting the journey of Filipinos in Biella. “They sort of took care of me and embraced my presence for three consecutive years. Technically I was alone filming but the Filipino community in Biella helped me complete this project. This is a clear example of a participatory and community art project which I am very proud of,” he explained.

FILANDO BIELLA 120” Film Festival 2013 UNIDEE – Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto – Biella, Italy / October 5, 2013

FILANDO BIELLA International 120” Film Festival 2013 is the first edition of a non – competitive and non – commercial digital film festival dedicated to 120-second films from all over the world programmed by Richard Soriano Legaspi and Ilaria Biotti.

The whole program was intended to reflect on possible porosities between spaces dedicated to artistic research and their contextual territory. The festival was presented by UNIFILBI120, in the context of Cittadellarte Fondazione Pistoletto which aims to encourage the unique cinematic creativity of the short film genre through 120 second-long moving images.

FILANDO BIELLA International film festival introduced a wide range of 120” films, namely live- action, animation, documentary and video art to international audiences. The first FILANDO BIELLA International 120 Film Festival took place on October 5 and 8 2013.

Web link: https://unidee2013.wordpress.com/ www.filandobiella120.wordpress.com

ARTE AL CENTRO XVI EDIZIONE “THE COMPROMISE” UNIDEE – Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto – Biella, Italy / October 5, 2013

“The Compromise” is the final exhibition of eleven artists from different parts of the world who attended the residency of University of Ideas – Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistolettoin 2013 and the contemporary art exhibition was curated by Carolina Rito in Biella, Italy.

Richard Legaspi’s red suitcase video installation showcased the documentary about the life of the first Filipina in Biella. He also put up a mini-store inside the exhibition space and asked the Filipino community to sell Filipino products that will connect to the rich culture and tradition of the Philippines – a remarkable communal project that sutured the relationship of the locals and the migrant workers.

Web link: https://unidee2013.wordpress.com/

COLLABORATIVE ART PROJECTS

TUKKA ‘L CEL – Tukka ‘l cel A project by Muhammad Sohail Azad, Pakistan Ilaria Biotti, Italy and Richard Soriano Legaspi, Philippines

Bielmonte Piazzale 2, Oasi Zegna – Italy / September 24, 2013

The project is structured into two parts, the first step being the meeting between Muhammad Sohail Azad (buff Kites fighters, Pakistan), Edy Angelino (multiple flight expert with 4 independent stunt kites – unique performance at the international level – passionate in all specialities and manufacturer ) and Andrea Benini (agonist world-class fighters and manufacturer Kites, Italy) who will be the platform in the context of the shooting of an ethno- fiction genre that merges a documentary approach with a fictional aspect.

The second meeting was a one-day workshop space for informal interaction, the aim is to think through the do’s and provide for the active involvement of thirty participants in the building and flying of kites collective.

The project is inspired by the concept of ‘other space’, the definition of Michel Foucault, “something like counter-sites, a kind of effectively enacted utopia in which the real sites, all the other real sites that can be found within the culture, are simultaneously represented, contested, and inverted.

PASTE OF PURPOSE – THE VIDEO Artist from India, Rabindra Patra collaborated with local artist Gigi Piana and Palestinian artist Ayed Arafah. Documentation video by Filipino artist Richard Soriano Legaspi

Bielmonte Piazzale 2, Oasi Zegna – Italy / September 24, 2013

“Paste for Purpose: how documentation of photographs, interviews and viewer’s interactions can find their way into space to imagine a new potential and role of particular spaces.

In this project, Rabindra was working on the issue of Biella’s closed factories. In the last ten years, more than two hundred factories have shut down. For him, it’s very painful and I feel very personally that the city is dead. So here I am trying to find what the potential in the city is. I invite different kinds of people to share their thoughts and experience the space.

This performance tells of a homeless person Augusto Festa Bianchet who has killed in this space ten years ago, while the crime remains unsolved. I chose to feel death as a subject and I used photography to express the city. When viewers see this performance they can realize aspects of what is going on in the city and maybe the viewer can find in their own way what the potential in the city is”.