Ramblings after watching Sigfried Sanchez's Moro-themed films
Sorry for posting this writeup late, for this writer had been busy focusing on the latest issues.
In fact, prior to the infamous issue regarding the anti-cybercrime act, this writer went to UP film center wherein he watched films made by one of his friends, director Sigfried Sanchez.
One of his friends from the University of the East, Sigfried is known for his movies as an actor, scriptwriter and what he is known to, as director. This writer's friend had made yours truly went there to watch two of his movies, mostly Moro-themed and quite realistic as it mirrors the issues what Moro people known for.
And as expected, quite interesting, nice as this writer, watching from early to late evenings with few people interested, two films, namely "Tsardyer" and "In Bangka Ha Ut Sin Duwa Sapah" showed the Moro point of view as well as its struggles, life, and the rebellion itself with its featured Tausug tongue alongside Tagalog and English.
In the movie "Tsardyer", it features a life of a kid being used by a radical Islamic group to carry cellphones of hostages for charging and be used as a tool to communicate with a media group for ransom. The kid, being a nephew of a leader, felt concerned with the hostages as well as befriended them. Only to be killed by a cruel soldier who also killed the kid's mother years before.
One scene in Tsardyer noticed by this writer was that how the kid protagonist had to walk long miles carrying cellphones of captives to a relative's house for charging. The house had electricity despite situated in a secluded area in Mindanao that is full of trees and lush vegetation. Such scenery, although paradise in nature, quite depressing for some coming to think that few had afford to have electricity or any kind of improvement prior to the tension between government forces and the rebels.
Same as in the movie "In Bangka Ha Ut Sin Duwa Sapah", wherein it involved a mother tries to survive along with two kids by swimming from one end of the river to the other using a makeshift bangka made out of banana stalks just to put her two kids to school and selling vegetables.
However, upon watching that movie, it showcases how that mother was once raped by a cruel soldier and being blamed as a sympathizer of a rebel group due to living in the other side of the river. Being a victim of a war torn homeland made her mute yet still trying to invoke her message as much as she could.
Quite concerning though as people like Maryam (the mother) felt the scars of battle such as rape, being displaced, torture and be accused as rebels just because they are Moros, as Muslims who wanted self-determination and peace in their homelands.
After all, true to his activist past, Sigfried Sanchez tends to invoke message of human rights of these people such as Moros using cinema as its tool. And as a writer, gladly appreciate especially on the second movie yours truly had watched and think that such atrocity made would rather somehow speak of vengeance and sympathy to the struggle than a mere peace being tried to invoke to.
Anyways, kudos to Sigfried. Keep up the good work.