ALT-R HEROES FILM FESTIVAL 2024
NEW VISIONS SECTION

THE RIGHT TO LIFE by Arbi Barbarona

TRT: 15  minutes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Logline:

"Amidst the pandemic, Lumad evacuees at UCCP Haran in Davao City navigate survival and traditional healing practices, documented by filmmaker Arbi Barbarona."

Synopsis:
Amidst the global pandemic, a community of Lumad people seeks refuge at UCCP Haran in Davao City. Through the stories of two mothers, an elderly cultural advocate, and a homemaker, we witness their struggle to cope with the crisis. Alongside a Lumad medical volunteer and a Datu who is a "Babaylan," the community navigates health protocols and traditional healing practices. From filmmaker Arbi Barbarona, this is a follow-up on the community's current situation, previously documented from 2014 to 201

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

Director's Statement:
I am Arbi Barbarona, a cultural worker and filmmaker from the Davao Region. From 2014 to 2016, I produced a documentary called "Pagbarug tu Pagtuon," which focuses on indigenous evacuees from Talaingod and Kapalong in Davao del Norte. The film features Volunteer Teachers who previously taught in Lumad Schools in rural areas, and how they experienced violence and militarization in their community. They brought the school to the evacuation center to continue teaching the children.

Unfortunately, almost all of the Lumad schools were closed down by the state, claiming that they were organized by left-wing rebels called the NPA, and that the children were being taught how to handle firearms. "Pagbarug tu Pagtuon" shows the teachers' objective to teach literacy and numeracy to Lumad children and how to become honorable citizens in the future.
The film also depicts the experiences of the Lumad in the midst of militarization in their community. They are caught in the conflict between the state and the NPA, and some of their tribe members were armed and turned into paramilitary. All of this happened from 2014 until now, and the Lumad schools have been permanently closed.

After "Pagbarug tu Pagtuon," I created another narrative film, "Tu Pug Imatuy," which was based on the real-life experience of one of the evacuees from Haran. There was a dialogue between the State/Military and the Lumad, which resulted in addressing their calls to stop militarization in their community, disband the paramilitary, not make their schools military camps, and let them return and live with their own decision-making, far from those who seize and claim their ancestral land.
Some of them were able to return to their own land after the dialogue. However, after several months, they still return to the Haran sanctuary because the harassment against them intensified.
In March 2020, the lockdown was declared in the Philippines due to the pandemic caused by the highly contagious COVID-19. As a freelance filmmaker, I experienced fear and hardship and thought about how to overcome these challenges, especially when some of my projects were halted. Fortunately, I gradually survived the challenges.

Despite everything, I remember the current situation of the evacuees in Haran. If I suffered, how much more did they suffer in the evacuation center? They do not receive any aid from the government, and food donations are blocked from entering their sanctuary.

I was saddened, so I decided to check on them and learn about their situation in the midst of the pandemic. I visited them in Haran, even though there was impending danger and risk as I visited Davao City, which has one of the highest COVID-19 cases.

Their stories became my strength to further amplify their situation, grievances, and triumphs. 

See less