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Events and groups in Mindanao which have not been included or “glossed over” in Philippine history books as well as new researches about local heroes will be the focus of the first Mindanao History & Literatures to Film Summit that will open on May 9 at the Capitol University in Cagayan de Oro City.
Around 25 historians, writers and filmmakers will attend the event to plan the use of historical events and heroes in Mindanao and works by local writers as subjects of short films, animation or as documentaries for the planned Mindanao Film Fest in February 2020.
“Works by Mindanao writers such as their poetry and fiction will likewise be tackled as possible subjects for the short films or animation to include Mindanao folk materials such as epics, legends, and other narratives. Other possible subjects for the films are cultural practices and rituals, traditional dishes and native attire from the lumad and Moro groups,” summit convener Dr. Christine Godinez Ortega said.
Ortega said she would like scripts to be written in Sebuano, Mindanao’s lingua franca or in the ethno-languages with translations in English.
The prize-winning short films will be shown in local universities to popularize locally-made films and promote understanding and peace among Mindanao’s diverse peoples with the participation of the MSU-IIT Institute for Peace & Development in Mindanao, she said.
“Trainings and forums on screen writing, film production and management will be launched in September this year while guidelines for the film fest for Mindanao’s filmmakers will be released soon,” she added.
The two-day summit is hosted by the Mindanao Creative Writers Group and its Multi-Media Arm and Capitol University. (MindaNews)
