Page 15 - 2017 JUL -DEC KAAKBAY

15July to December
2017

Origins and Trade of “Bul-ul” Explored in NY Focus Group Film Screening

Probing into the archeological and economic
significance of the bul-ul, a focus group of film and history
enthusiasts participated in a special screening of the short
documentary film Hugô: A Hidden Past Revealed last 26
October 2017 at the Philippine Center New York. The
screening is part of the Philippine Consulate General’s
series of events for Filipino-American History Month.

Hugô is a 36-minute documentary about the bul-ul,
a traditional and iconic Ifugao human-like wood carving
from the northern region of the Philippines, and the various
claims about its origin, use, and function.

Consul General Ma. Theresa Dizon-De Vega (6th from right) hosts a focus group
screening of filmmaker Rhadem Morados (5th from right) documentary Hugô: A Hidden
Past Revealed along with history and film aficionados at the Philippine Center.
(PCGNY photo)

Talkback for Shorts Night moderated by young Fil-Am director Paolo Throughout the film, the many faces of the relic are
Bitanga (1st from right) revealed, inadvertently unmasking, among others, issues about
the commodification of culture, as well as the tension between the
(continued from page 14.. Closing of Sinehan) need for heritage preservation and the inherently evolving nature
of cultural transmission.
The Festival’s closing night film on 30 August,
“Purok 7”, a Cinemalaya entry in 2013, was likewise well- Filmmaker Rhadem Morados was on hand to give his
received. It earned the ASEAN Spirit award and Best insights during the talkback that followed.
Film at the Lucas International Film Festival for Children
and Young People as well as a slew of nominations at Mr Morados relayed that his curiosity about the value of
the Orlando Film Festival, Hamburg Film Festival, and the bul-ul led him towards a study that involved several trips to the
Calgary International Festival. library, to mountain tribe communities, antique shops, and to
conduct in-depth interviews with Ifugao leaders while making the
The entire month of August, film lovers were film. He stressed it was important for him to create a film that
treated to screenings of the classic “Pagdating Sa Dulo”, educates, and promotes the heritage of the Filipino indigenous
award-winning Indie Film “Dagitab”, two nights of short tribes to the younger generation.
films screenings featuring up and coming filmmakers,
and the closing week celebrating independent cinema. Consul General Ma. Theresa Dizon-De Vega is hopeful
that his film will receive a wider audience, and looks forward to
During her Closing Night remarks, Consul Gen- seeking opportunities for more Filipinos to see it.
eral Theresa Dizon-De Vega thanked all the filmmakers,
producers, supporters, sponsors, the audience and the Hugô: A Hidden Past Revealed was shown during the
Programming Committee for making the 2017 edition of Filipino Arts and Cinema International (FACINE) in San Francisco
Sinehan sa Summer possible. She promised an exciting earlier that week, where it bagged the Special Award for Cultural
and diverse slate of films for the next festival in 2018. Heritage. Screenings of the film were also held at the Producers’
Club and Columbia University in New York.

Consul General Theresa Dizon-De Vega (center) with Sinehan Programming Filmmaker Rhadem Morados expresses his aspirations to elevate storytelling in Filipino
Committee members and young Fil-Am filmmakers at Shorts Night (photos cinema with more historical content. (PCGNY photo)
by NYPCG)