Sorsogon City, Philippines—In celebration of the National Arts Month, various teachers from Abuyog National High School, together with artists from Kurit-Lagting Art Collective and Concerned Artists of the Philippines Bicol Chapter (CAP Bicol), will be holding a film showing on February 13, 2023 and an awards night on February 17, 2023 in Abuyog, Sorsogon City.
“Entitled Pagbutwa, which means “emergence or surfacing” of creative works such as films, the theme is an exploration of different issues and concerns that our youth face today,” said Edgardo Bungcag, the Principal of Abuyog National High School.
According to teachers Joseph Bausa, Ma. Jean Mandap, and Divina Esllera, films do more than entertain. “Put simply, films educate the public to deal with our social issues where films provide critical analysis and visual representations of the way daily life unfolded in a community like in schools and barangays,” they said.
Mentored by Kurit-Lagting and CAP Bicol artists, the event is also a culmination of the Pag-sid ip Filmmaking and Media Literacy workshop through the Sorsogon Initiatives for Culture and Arts Development, which was conducted last December 2022 for Senior High School students in Abuyog National High School.
“We will be showing the short films and documentaries made by the Senior High School students that tackle women and youth empowerment, gender relations, gang violence, friendship, collective memory, early teen pregnancy, and reproductive health. We hope to raise awareness and start conversations on these issues through this event,” added Geri Matthew “Choi” Carretero of Kurit-Lagting Art Collective and Gerald Jintalan of CAP Bicol.
The trailers of the films can be accessed through this link: https://tinyurl.com/PagbutwaFilms
