"'BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED' BECOMES FIRST DOCU TO WIN BEST FILM AT CINEMALAYA"

"BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED" WON BEST FILM AT THE 21ST CINEMALAYA, marking the first time that a documentary has taken home the biggest honor at the country's premier independent film festival.

- By Baby A. Gil

Director Noni Abao was ecstatic upon receiving the Balanghai trophy for the Full-Length Film Category for his documentary shedding light on the plight of land rights activists in Cagayan Valley — a project that was six years in the making.

“Bloom Where You Are Planted” was particularly cited for “its powerful and deeply humane portrayal of political activists uprooted by violence yet steadfast in their pursuit of justice and belonging; for transforming the struggle for land, peace, and dignity in Cagayan Valley into a meditation on home, hope and resilience.”

“I'm happy because a story like this has long been needed. For it to be given a platform and an award means that Cinemalaya recognizes the farmers' lack of land ownership and the violations of human rights,” Abao told The STAR in a post-awards interview.

What's next for the film? “We'll try to submit it to the MTRCB (for rating)... We have no plans for a commercial screening. Our ultimate plan is to bring it to the communities. Because where else is it better to show the film than to the people who actually experience the story? So they can see that this story is their story.”

Carl Joseph Papa's "The Next 24 Hours" was named Best Film in the Short Film Category for "its hauntingly tender portrayal of trauma and survival; for rendering silence, fear and resilience through rotoscope animation with profound sensitivity and compassion; for using art as advocacy to give voice to those still struggling to speak."

It's another win for Carl, who continues to champion the use of rotoscope animation as a medium. His first major win was for the 2023 Cinemalaya Best Full-Length Film “Iti Mapukpukaw.”

"It's crazy. We came here and joined just because we wanted to tell a story, to find a platform where we could show our film. It's so overwhelming and we're thankful that we were given the chance to direct a Cinemalaya film," Carl said.