SARAH ISABELLE S. TORRES Locating the Davao Film Culture Th
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UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES Master of Arts in Media Studies (Film) SARAH ISABELLE S. TORRES Locating the Davao Film Culture Thesis Adviser: Asst. Professor Patrick F. Campos, MA College of Mass Communication University of the Philippines Thesis Reader: Asst. Professor Joseph Palis, PhD College of Social Sciences and Philosophy University of the Philippines Date of Submission 24 May 2019 Thesis Classification: F This thesis is available to the public. UNIVERSITY PERMISSION PAGE I hereby grant the University of the Philippines a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to reproduce, publish and publicly distribute copies of this thesis or dissertation in whatever form subject to the provisions of applicable laws, the provisions of the UP IPR policy and any contractual obligation, as well as more specific permission marking the Title Page. Specifically I grant the following rights to the University: a) To upload a copy of the work in the thesis database of the college/school/institute/department and in any other databases available on the public internet; b) To publish the work in the college/school/institute/department journal, both in print and electronic or digital format and online; and c) To give open access to the above-mentioned work, thus allowing “fair use” of the work in accordance with the provision of the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (Republic Act No. 8293), especially for teaching, scholarly, and research purposes. SARAH ISABELLE S. TORRES College of Mass Communication University of the Philippines LOCATING THE DAVAO FILM CULTURE by SARAH ISABELLE S. TORRES has been approved for the Department of Graduate Studies and the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication by Asst. Professor Patrick F. Campos, MA Adviser Asst. Professor Joseph Palis, PhD Asst. Professor Robert Rownd, MA Reader/Critic Member Professor Arminda V. Santiago, PhD Dean, College of Mass Communication BIOGRAPHICAL DATA PERSONAL DATA Name Sarah Isabelle S. Torres Permanent Address No. 63, Mercury St., GSIS Heights, Matina, Davao City Telephone Number +639178594771 Date & Place of Birth 16 January 1993, Metro Manila EDUCATION Tertiary Level Cum Laude, University of the Philippines, Quezon City Secondary Level 1st Honorable Mention, Davao Christian High School, Davao City Primary Level Salutatorian, Davao Christian High School, Davao City ORGANIZATION Co-Founder, Out of The Box Media Literacy Initiative WORK EXPERIENCE Lecturer, Kalayaan College, 16 months Fundraising and Social Media Associate, The Center for Arts, New Ventures & Sustainable Development, 36 months Program Researcher, GMA Network, 6 months ACHIEVEMENTS College Scholar: 1st and 2nd semester, AY 2015-2016 University Scholar: 1st and 2nd semester, AY 2016-2017 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This research has come to life with the support and guidance of the following people and institutions: First, my thesis committee composed of Prof. Patrick Campos (thesis adviser), Prof. Joseph Palis (reader/critic), and Prof. Rob Rownd (reader). Thank you for the insights and for pushing me to finish this study well. I would also like to extend my thanks to Dr. Roland Tolentino whose advice I dearly cherish. Next of course are my interviewees, the Davao film community, other Mindanaoan filmmakers, public officials, and critics who have been very generous with their time and resources: Jay Rosas, Rap Meting, Yam Palma, Glorypearl Dy, Bagane Fiola, Dax Cañedo, Rudolph Alama, Arnel Mardoquio, Arbi Barbarona, Bhong del Rosario, Sherad Anthony Sanchez, Sheron Dayoc, Gutierrez Mangansakan II, Dempster Samarista, Atty. Karen Santiago-Malaki, Prof. Katrina Tan, Teddy Co, and Coun. Mabel Acosta. Thank you also to the libraries of the UP College of Mass Communication under Ms. Leonida Dela Cruz and the Ateneo de Davao University under Ms. Fretzie Fajardo because access to both libraries’ collections enabled me to write an enriching discussion on Davao Cinema and the tri-people. Lastly, thank you to my CANVAS family for supporting my graduate studies, to Absie Eligio and Bianca Basilio for reviewing my drafts, to Stephanie Nietes, Hazel Lobres, Ervic Angeles, and Danielle Isaac for coordinating for this work, and to my father, Adelberto Torres, for providing finances that enabled me to conduct this research and for his words of encouragement when I least expected them. DEDICATION To the Davao film community and the rest of Mindanaoan filmmakers and cultural agents, I salute you for your dedication in continuously producing progressive films that focus on our tri-people and the marginalized, even when the structures-that-be are against your side. Strive and assert harder, the audience will come rallying behind you. ABSTRACT Torres, S.I. S. (2019). Locating the Davao Film Culture, Unpublished Master’s Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication. Using Lefebvre’s (1991) Spatial Triad, this study explores the relationship of geography and cinema and asks the question: how does geography shape the film culture of a regional city center located at the periphery of a country’s capital? This research aims to locate the contemporary film scene of the city in question, Davao City, Mindanao through contextualizing the politics and culture of its tri-people. This study shows that, primarily, because of local filmmakers’ affection and sense of place, progressive films focusing on the tri-people and their struggles mainly due to issues on land have been born. To further understand the city’s film culture, this study maps the following areas: 1) filmmakers and cineastes, 2) films, 3) film festivals, 4) financial stakeholders, 5) institutions, and 6) screening places. From these, the researcher learned that although the local film community has established itself for decades, problems on audience, funding, and institutional support continue to persist. Aside from mapping, this study also explores Davao’s political, economic, and cultural position within the regional and the national arenas. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Title Page i University Permission Page ii Approval Sheet iii Biographical Data iv Acknowledgments v Dedication vi Abstract vii Table of Contents viii List of Tables xi List of Figures xii I. INTRODUCTION 1 A. Review of Related Literature 7 B. Framework 18 1. Operational Definition of Concepts 28 C. Methodology 32 1. Research Design 32 2. Research Instruments and Sampling 35 3. Data Gathering and Analysis 38 II. LOCATING DAVAO AND ITS CINEMA 39 A. Davao City and the Davaoeño 42 B. Defining Davao Cinema 50 ix 1. History 50 2. Sensibility and Identity 52 3. Business Model 55 III. MAPPING THE LOCAL FILM CULTURE 59 A. Filmmakers and Cineastes 59 1. Filmmakers for Social Justice 61 2. Pasalidahay Movement 66 3. Mindanao Film and Television Development Foundation 74 4. The Trio 78 B. Films 89 C. Film Festivals 102 1. Nabunturan Independent Film Exhibition 105 2. Davao Ngilngig Festival 109 3. Salamindanaw Asian Film Festival 112 4. Mindanao Film Festival 114 D. Financial Stakeholders 120 E. Institutions 126 F. Screening Places 137 IV. THE DAVAO CONNECTION 148 A. Davao as Place 148 B. Davao as Liminal Space 154 1. Insideness/Outsideness 155 2. Liminality in Films and Festivals 159 x 3. Problematizing the “Regional” 162 4. Davao as the Center 168 C. The City in Films 171 1. Impoverished Davao 172 2. Davao as Shooting Location 177 3. Davao’s Rural Spaces 180 4. Crime Against Geography 183 V. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 191 A. Executive Summary 191 B. Implications and Recommendations 201 Bibliography 205 Appendix A: Questionnaires 215 Appendix B: Ordinance Creating the Film Development Council of Davao City 219 Appendix C: MTRCB Memorandum Circular 12-2013 224 xi LIST OF TABLES Number Title Page 1 Film Culture 19 2 List of Interviewees 36 3 List of Regional Films 37 4 List of Film Festivals 37 5 List of Filmmakers and Cineastes 59 6.1 Davao Cinema 90 6.2 Davaoeño Filmmakers and Films 91 6.3 General Attributes of Mindanao Films (data of all 19 films) 95 6.4 Filmmakers Occupying Liminal Spaces 99 6.5 Shooting Locations (data of all 19 films) 99 6.6 Mindanao Films Screened Outside the City (data of all 19 films) 100 6.7 Awarded Mindanao Films or Filmmakers (data of all 19 films) 101 xii LIST OF FIGURES Number Title Page 1 Spatial Triad 19 2 Place 22 3 MediaSpace 25 4 CinemaSpace 27 5 Map of Mindanao 39 6 The Four Film Festivals 118 7 Cinematic Map of Davao City 146 1 I. INTRODUCTION I spent six of my formative years in Davao City, and consider it as my second home. Upon transferring from Manila to Davao in 2004, my parents enrolled me at Davao Christian High School (DCHS), a Chinese-Christian private school located at downtown Davao. I willingly learned Mandarin because of its global influence, especially in pop culture and the media. But I was adamant about learning the vernacular language of Davao City, Bisaya, not because I perceived it as parochial but because I never wanted to transfer from Manila to Davao to begin with. It was my form of protest. Only when I came back to Manila for college did I realize how beautiful Bisaya is. The only thing that I have adopted is the linguistic nuance Davao-Tagalog because it was popular in school then. As I reflect on the city that shaped me for six years, I find it funny and unfortunate that my memory is limited to school-related encounters. I frequented Gaisano Mall of Davao with my friends because it is just a 10-minute walk from DCHS. I got to meet other Davaoeños because of inter-school contests and Girl Scout events. I learned more about the city and its tourist spots because of field trips. I got to taste the local cuisine because of birthday parties. Now, I realize that my appreciation for the Davao culture, the places I visited and the people I have known actually emerged from afar.