Roll Calls to Break Free and Action!
By Amanda Punzal | May 15, 2024
Film festivals are avenues to discover new movies and emerging talent in filmmaking and other forms of multimedia. Yet, the lineup of films is not only there to entertain us but also to evoke and educate.
With that being said, the command of “action!” should not only cue the start of a scene but also protest against societal ills.
The University of the Philippines Baguio Obra’s (UPB Obra) Metapora Film Festival 2024 debuted three new short films and showcased two short films from last year’s lineup. Although they are different from one another storytelling-wise, the students who worked on them did not fail to entertain, evoke thoughts and feelings, and educate the audience about their chosen social issues. These films reflect UPB Obra’s principles as a Nationalist, Scientific, Mass-Oriented, and Creative (NSMOC) multimedia organization in the university.
The film festival thus became a platform for its members to present their works to the UPB community and raise awareness about the pressing social issues students face. With this year’s central theme, “Alpas” (to break free), these films showed that people will continue to struggle as long as these issues persist.
I first attended the Metapora Film Festival in 2023, which debuted two short films, Hindi Hinihintay Ang Kalayaan and Ilio. While watching those films, I felt disturbed yet hopeful at the same time, as I was reminded of our country’s socio-political state.
Fast forward to when I attended this year’s edition of Metapora. A realization came to me besides a bag of popcorn. Watching their three new films, Pilapil, Pula, and Paid? Off alongside last year’s film lineup still brought enjoyment and enlightenment. As reflected in their theme, to break free is to protest or fight against the wrongdoings and ills of our society.
The Philippines has a long history of protests, but Filipinos have held varying views about them, like seeing them as a way to promote social change or as an “anti-government act,” and some even feeling apathetic. For instance, during the Duterte administration, there were various protests around the country stemming from different issues, including the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 and the extrajudicial killings that occurred during the infamous War on Drugs.
But no matter what, protests will continue to exist until everyone can finally break free from the rotten system that enables injustices to thrive.
Still, how do we continue to address injustices despite intimidation? Look no further than the Metapora Film Festival’s two most recent lineups of short films.
The films’ respective characters, like Dolores from Hindi Hinihintay Ang Kalayaan and Andrea from Pula, were significantly shaped by the injustices they witnessed or faced. These characters eventually gather the courage to stand up and protest in their own ways, like by joining an organization or union, participating in a rally, or standing on their ground against their oppressor.
However, the attempts of these characters, including Dolores and Andrea, to stand up to societal ills have had its challenges along the way in freeing themselves from the circumstances of those stories. Nonetheless, the struggle to break free carries on because the system that enables oppression and injustices persists.
The films in the Metapora Film Festival were told in a fictional setting, but we cannot deny the reality these stories were grounded in, like being a teacher in modern-day Philippines in Paid? Off and the struggles of farmers in the films Pilapil and Ilio. Reality seems uncomfortable, but there is still hope for a system that is kinder to the masses and not just a select few.
Whether it be in fiction or in real life, there is always a need for protest until social issues are adequately addressed. We must also muster the courage to stand up to the oppressors and join the struggle to break free, like many of the characters from the films we have watched. May it be through art, educational discussions, policymaking, and many more.
