ANG SINTAS
SA PAGLUPAD KA BANOG
The Flight of Banog [English Title]
L' envol du Banog [French Title]
El vuelo de Banog [Spanish Title]
synopsis
A old man from the Panay Bukidnon Indigenous Peoples of the Philippines named Amang Baoy, and his youngest son, Rohan, sit quietly in a bonfire under the full moon one evening when the latter looked very sad, prompting the father to chant a portion of the Suguidanon Epic of the Panay Bukidnon of Western Visayas region in the Philippines. This portion of the epic which is handed down through oral chanting history narrates the golden hero, Humadapnon, poisoned by the "binukot" (well-kept maidens) and will be resurrected only by the water from the river where Pabayhu (the hungry crocodile) lives. The water was to be fetched by Banog (The Hawk) at the command of the warrior Sunmasakay who will eventually turn into Mali, the most beautiful woman of the land who is love interest of Humadapnon.
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The Story of Banog in the epic led the father to teach Rohan the Visayan Hawk Dance "Binanog" inspired by the movement of the Visayan Hawk, symbolizing hope and celebration, reminiscing scenes from Amang Baoy and Rohan’s indigenous family and their community. Eventually, the characters in the epic become inspiration to move on with hope and bravery as indigenous peoples face the challenges of modern life.
DIRECTOR'S NOTES
THE INDIGENOUS IMAGINATION IS FULL OF CREATIVITY AND HOPE
the story of our people
This film, with 95% of its major cast and crew being indigenous (including writer, producer, etc), makes history in The Philippines as the first film to have been given consent by the Panay Bukidnon Council of Elders through the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) to do a cinematic translation of portions of the Suguidanon Epics.
Our film is made together with the Panay Bukidnon community and have the following Panay Bukidnon in major/key production roles: Co-Producer, Writer, Main Actors, Dancers & Percussionists, Original Music, Chanter, Consultants.
The film is meant to evoke hope amidst the most challenging of times including the struggles of the inidgenous peoples everywhere. As both filmmaker and cultural worker, it has been my honor to collaborate with the indigenous peoples of our country, particularly the Panay Bukidnon.
The Panay Bukidnon is one of only two indigenous communities in Visayas, The Philippines, and are scattered all over Panay islands. Because of isolation, most of their pre-colonial practices persist to this day.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
ELVERT BAÑARES
"It is my deepest honor to shoot side by side with my Panay Bukidnon brothers and sisters."
Elvert Bañares is a filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist born in Iloilo City, Philippines who shoots his films independently, acting as his own cinematographer, editor and production designer. He started making underground experimental films and video art since 1993 and has moved on to direct narrative shorts and documentaries starting from 2008 onwards. He has exhibited his art and screened his films in more than 20 countries in Asia, The Americas, Australia, Africa and Europe.
He is a three-time Cultural Center of the Philippines Award winner (Gawad CCP) for Independent Film - the first to win Best Regional Entry (an award given to the best films by filmmakers who works outside of country's imperial capital Metro Manila); recipient of the Garbo sa Bisaya Award for Film & Visual Arts at the VIVA Excon Biennale 2016; two-time URIAN Awards nominee (given by the Philippine’ Film Critics group called "Manunuri") - his latest nomination being the documentary "Habi ng Yakan" (Weaving of the Yakan), one of the indigenous peoples in Mindanao, Philippines.
During the pandemic alone (2020-2021), his five latest short films have collectively won 3 awards; garnered 12 nominations, semi-finalists and runners-up; and selected/competed in 36 international film festivals.
ABOUT THE SCREENWRIGHT
JESUS INSILADA
​“I want to be remembered as a teacher who also writes. I wish to continue what I have started. It has been my advocacy to write about the beauty and the uniqueness of my culture. I wish to continue highlighting my culture in the lessons and in my writings.”
Jesus is a proud member of the indigenous people’s Panay Bukidnon community. From a poor faming family, he is the first family member to achieve professional qualifications, and he’s now the leader of, and teacher in, a school in the Philippines in a community where over 90 percent of students belong to Indigenous Peoples groups. Through his advocacy work he has promoted education to indigenous communities, encouraging greater participation and far higher rates of enrolment in higher education. He is also active in promoting the rights and welfare of indigenous peoples. He now uses his own story of hope and perseverance to inspire others to overcome hardship and reach their dreams.
Jesus’s approach to teaching is known as culture-based education (CBE), which he models in his school throughout the curriculum. It is his dream that education throughout his country will become truly inclusive and culture-sensitive. With this approach, students become engaged in their education, learning through traditional dances, songs, epics, local games and crafts that give context to their studies. Test scores have revealed that at least 87 percent of his pupils achieved their age-expected grades through culture-based teaching.
He has received many national and international awards for teaching, and also for his writing and his promotion and support for indigenous culture.