Igorot Film "Dad-aan Na" (Her Walks) is CineMarya 2020 Finalist; by Igorot director Julius Legoen Lumigued
The Igorot film "Dad-aan Na" (Her Walks) by Igorot director Julius Legoen Lumigued from Besao, Mountain Province made it to the final 12 short films of the CineMarya Women’s Film Festival this year.
The Igorot short film is about an Igorot elderly woman who traverses the terrain of her hometown in search of her son during a military-rebel conflict.
In line with the advocacy of the local government of Mountain Province, "Dad-aan Na" calls for an end to the armed conflicts in the province, the unity of the people, of the families, for whatever our ideologies, it is our families who will suffer.
UPDATE: "Dad-aan Na" (Her Walks) wins DILG Advocacy Award
The film "Dad-aan Na" (Her Walks) by Besao director Julius Lumigued won the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Advocacy Award.
"Dad-aan Na" (Her Walks): Julius Lumigued's Heartbreaks and Inspirations for the Igorot film
The Igorot film director from Besao, Mountain Province shares his heartbreaks and inspiration for his short film "Dad-aan Na".
In 2015, the heroism and sacrifice of 44 Special Action Force of the PNP shocked the country and brought tears to families. 13 out these 44 were Cordillerans. But, apparently, several more of them who died in Mamasapano were Cordillerans by roots, with the survivor of that day lived to tell of the heroism of his colleagues and, one of those who died took the death blow to let him escape since his high hand combat ability will give him greater chances of surviving. It must have been like an ML game sans the voice over "killing spree!"
Families and the rest of the country cried as one by one, boxes of their bodies arrived to their families. It was a haunting moment. And I tried to write down what I was feeling then into a story and then made it it into a script. This was the birth of San Daan (The Path). The title comes from the Kankanaey word (translated literally in its English version). Originally intended for development to a full script.
A year later, a brother and friend was carried home to his family in an urn from his assignment in Mindanao. He was a PMAer, and an Philippine Army Major. Hearing the wailings of a mother in receiving the urn still brings the sadness inside.
Fast forward. A call for submissions came for a festival that calls for stories about women. It was originally of women by women then it opened gates to anyone who had stories to share on the strength of women. I took the opportunity. We can all relate about having stories about women for everyone has a mother, the strongest woman in families to bind them together.
In 2018, the Film Development Council of the Philippines, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Philippine Commission on Women, and the Quezon City Film Development Council, launched the Cinemarya Women's Short Film Festival.
When I saw the extended call for entries, I clicked the send button to submit my story. In adapting for Cinemarya, I changed the title to Dad-aan Na (Her Walks). Although in Kankanaey, Dad-aan Na does not have a gender reference, the English translation will give its gender pronouns (His/Her Walks). Several meanings can be taken out of the title: it can be by how she walks, her path, her direction, her struggles and her experiences. Through the different Cinemarya Film Labs, the story developed to life with tweaks as the great mentors shared to improve the story to its eventual breathing to life in the short film.
From 167 stories submitted, now we are about to show the 12 stories, Dad-aan Na included, in the upcoming 1st Cinemarya Women's Short Film Festival. The short Film Dad-aan Na was shot entirely in Besao.
"Dad-aan Na" (Her Walks), CineMarya 2020 Finalist
It's official, another special PPP4 section will premiere the final 12 short films of the CineMarya Women’s Film Festival.
The 12 finalists each received seed money worth PHP 100,000 and they underwent mentorship at Cinemarya Film Lab & Pitch in October 2018, Cinemarya Story Development Lab in December 2018, and Cinemarya Editing Lab in February.
The Luzon finalists are “Dadaan Na (Her Walks)” by Julius Lumiqued, “Super-Able” by Arjanmar Rebeta, “Night Shift” by Mariel Ong, and “Dalaginding na si Isang” by Nigel Santos while those from the National Capital Region (NCR) are “Noontime Drama” by Kim Timan and Sam Villa-Real, “She’s Perfect” by Jochelle Casilad, “Hakab” by Mel Aguilar-Maestro, and “Super Woman” by Angela Andres.
“Winged Dreams to the Blue Heavens” by Aimee Apostol-Escasa and “Binakol sa Dahon” by Gary Tabanera hail from Visayas and “Ola” by Mijan Jumalon and “Adira” by Jorzheema Hamid come from Mindanao.
The film festival is an initiative of the FDCP in partnership with the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), Quezon City Film Development Council, and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
CineMarya challenges Filipino filmmakers to create short films centered on women that aim to empower women and men alike to promote gender sensitization.
The CineMarya Awarding Ceremony in November will present the following awards with corresponding prize money: Best Film, Best Director, Jury's Choice, Best Screenplay, and other special awards.
Igorot from Besao is highest ranking official of PNPA class 1998
