After Daang Dokyu Film Festival’s successful launch of its second batch of films with the theme “Perception is Real, Truth is Not”, the biggest documentary film festival in the country releases another collection of documentaries that people can watch from October 16 to 22 for FREE.
With the theme Off The Road, Daang Dokyu Film Festival’s Taboo Section presents stories that explore intimate and intricate spaces and examine social problems and systematic oppression at the lens of marginalized sectors.
Included in this section is the striking autobiographical film Documented (2013) by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Jose Antonio Vargas which tells the story of the director as an undocumented immigrant in America and his journey going back to the Philippines to reconnect with his mother. The film is available for streaming for only 72 hours, October 16, 9:00 AM – October 19, 9:00 AM.
Other documentaries that also included in the list are:
Director: Wena Sanchez
A filmmaker closely follows her teen brother as he starts a new life in college. Her brother is smart but a bit of an oddball, and he finds it hard to navigate the world like a normal teenager. As she observes his progress, however, she notices similar traits with her own daughter. This makes her question her ability to help the people she loves the most.
2. Dreaming in the Red Light (2019)
Director: Pabelle Manikan
In Angeles City, we get inside the lives of two women: a mother who’s a former worker in the Red Light district and her half-German teenage daughter, as they make small everyday choices to improve their conditions. A film that intimately observes how women try to survive when their options are few and far between.
3. Dory (2017)
Director: Beverly Ramos
Dory is about a 101-year-old trans woman who walks around the streets of Tondo, Manila, where she works as a beautician. As she faces her twilight years alone, she ponders whether her long life is a gift from God or a curse.
Director: Nick Deocampo
The first installment in Nick Deocampo’s Ang Lungsod ng Tao ay Nasa Puso trilogy, Oliver follows a female impersonator who supports his family by performing in Manila’s gay bars during the Marcos dictatorship. It is one of the most compelling illustrations of the fluidity of sexuality, as well as of the power of human agency in times of hardship.
ABS-CBN News production (Docu Central)
Still considered a taboo topic, mental health is usually associated with craziness, mental derangement, or lack of faith. In the Philippines, there are about 3.3 million Filipinos afflicted with this “invisible” ailment, many of whom are afraid to admit it and deal with their condition for fear of being ostracized. Sometimes, warning signs are ignored and things end up tragically. In this full-length documentary, ABS-CBN hopes to destigmatize mental health by taking a more optimistic approach with stories of recovery and redemption.
6. Mga Batang Mandirigma (2004)
Director: Cheche Lazaro
The Probe Team traces the roots of two Muslim youths who are currently studying in the U.S.: Khalid Dimaporo and Romina Bernardo. More than another war story, this is a tale of two individuals who are out to discover what it means to be a Muslim of their generation. Both come from prominent political clans in Mindanao, but consider themselves “modern Muslims,” having been raised and exposed to different cultures in other countries.
Daang Dokyu is organized by the Filipino Documentary Society (FilDocs), composed of filmmakers Jewel Maranan, Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala, Baby Ruth Villarama, and Coreen Jimenez. It aims to showcase the most extensive collection of documentaries about the Philippines from the past one hundred years all for free.
“We offer five weeks of free access to this rare and wide array of films from 1914 to 2020, portraying multiple and diverse facets of the Filipino story, shattering old myths and illusions, and opening new ways of thinking. We selected these films from more than 300 titles, some literally had to be lifted from their hiding places and now we hope that people will take advantage,” states Maranan, one of the organizers.
If you are one of those people who have a great interest in watching or making documentaries, this festival is the perfect avenue for you.
Visit Daang Dokyu Film Festival website for more updates and announcements.
For more movie online streamings, you can visit Cinema Centenario’s MOOV.
