ART IS A BANG: 3rd Pandayang Lino Brocka Political Film and New Media Festival


The Pandayang Lino Brocka Political Film and New Media Festival is a cultural gathering that aims to inspire the creation and popularization of truthful, artistic and relevant audiovisual works to enlighten and cultivate critical consciousness of the mass audience. This maiden launch of this festival in 2009 aims to be an aggregate of efforts in political cinema production and distribution in the first decade of the 21st century, a time of worsening economic crisis aggravating the poor people’s plight.

This affair hails the daring of the late Lino Brocka, whose works earned local and international acclaim for political cinema and whose untimely death saw a decline in political cinema in the mainstream. While critical of the government and the prevailing system, even the government recognized his talent and contribution, as he was given the posthumous distinction of National Artist for Film in 1997.

It is Lino Brocka’s strong conviction that artists are first and foremost citizens, and must address the issues confronting the country. That’s why in his practice, his films look with sympathy on the common man and the human condition and were situated in their dwellings and thoughts. Lino Brocka firmly believes that films and politics cannot be dissociated. His desire is to develop what he calls “the Great Filipino Audience” which for him is more important than creating “the Great Filipino Movie.”

Films of political and progressive content are deemed to be not widely patronized or are thought to be not commercial successes. But if the audience is the common people and the works speak of their lives, no political film shall ever be unpopular and immaterial. They will always find audience among the millions of poor and oppressed people in society, as the films of Lino Brocka.

There is a battleground in the field of filmmaking and artistic production—the struggle for the hearts and minds of the people. This festival engages itself in this battle, as it campaigns for artists and audience to revert from the dominant practice of local mainstream and Hollywood entertainment production and consumption to film as a platform for social and political commentary.


Truly, film is a powerful tool to shape mind and consciousness. Artists are here challenged to use film as a vehicle for socio-cultural reflection and as an ideological weapon to liberate the minds of the people. For films as art that exposes, identifies and defies the oppressors in society leads the way for the realization of the aspirations of the people.


List of Official Selection of Films for the 3rd Pandayang Lino Brocka Political Film and New Media Festival:
  • 43 | 14 minutes | Documentary | Southern Tagalog Exposure
  • Aktibista | 20 minutes | Documentary | Karen Camille Gutierrez/St. Scholastica’s College
  • Badjau sa Makabagong Panahon | 15 minutes | Documentary | University of Assumption-Pampanga
  • Dugo ang Iniluha ng mga Bulaklak | 5 minutes | Poetry in Motion | Rom Factolerin
  • Halas | 7 minutes | Experimental Film | Rob Jara
  • K-1 | 30 minutes | Short Film | Christopher Nazareno
  • Ka Bel | 51 minutes | Documentary | Mayday Multimedia
  • Lesson Plan | 15 minutes | Short Film | Gerry Jumawan
  • Obra ng Lipunan | 7 minutes | Poetry in Motion | Hector Calma
  • Panaw-Kalinaw | 15 minutes | Short Film | Arnel Mardoquio
  • Salute | 5 minutes | Poetry in Motion | JL Burgos
  • Sounds of a New Hope | 40 minutes | Documentary | Eric Tandoc





The Pandayang Lino Brocka Political Film and New Media Festival is now on its 3rd year of gathering students, amateur and independent film makers and film collectives in the hopes of finding the new generation of film makers following the footsteps of Lino Brocka, one of the greatest film makers in the Philippines.
According to Sam Montuya, Pandayang Lino Brocka Festival Head, “this year’s festival is not just to raise consciousness on the political situation of our country and look for new Lino Brockas, but this is also a tribute to the namesake of the festival, Lino Brocka.” The group, Tudla Productions, plan to conduct a special program during the festival to honor the life and works of Lino Brocka.
This year, the group will have a special screening of Lino Brocka’s film “Dung-aw”. The film is about the story of the famous Filipina revolutionary hero, Gabriela Silang, which was produced and starred by Armida Siguion-Reyna.
“We decided to screen ‘Dung-aw’ this year because 2011 is the 100th anniversary of women’s struggle throughout the world and Gabriela Silang is an icon in the Philippines of women fighting for their country’s liberation,” Montuya said.
Lino Brocka’s sympathy to the women’s situation can be seen in several of his films where women are the main characters like Dung-aw, Bona, Insiang, Wanted: Perfect Mother, Gumising Ka Maruja, Lucia Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang among others.
In addition to film screenings, a forum on the Filipinization of Mass Media and workshop on scriptwriting will be held during the festival.
“We always make it a point to conduct these forum and workshop during the festival to raise the consciousness of the festival’s audience and encourage them to create their own films that are relevant to the society,” she added.
The film screenings, forum and workshops will be held from August 10 to 11, 2011 at the UP Film Center, Cine Adarna and Ishmael Bernal Gallery respectively.
After the festival at the University of the Philippines, Pandayang Lino Brocka will be brought to other schools, workplaces, urban poor and peasant communities.
The 3rd Pandayang Lino Brocka Political Film and New Media Festival, organized by Tudla Productions in partnership with the U.P. Film Institute and Rotary Club Manila-Kalaw Chapter, is supported by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

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