Ten students from Mapúa University’s Digital Film and Multimedia Arts programs have collaborated with 10 creators from the Ontario College of Art & Design University (OCAD U) for the Narratives Through Global Space 2021, a showcase of experimental films to be held on June 21 to 25 through OCAD U’s screening events at www.ocadu.ca/live.
The Narratives Through Global Space 2021 is led by accomplished Filipino artist Julius Poncelet Manapul, who is also the Associate Chair of Contemporary Drawing and Painting and an assistant professor at OCAD U.
Bringing together 20 emerging artists from 9 countries – Philippines, Canada, Portugal, Mexico, Iran, India, Hong Kong, China, and South Korea – has produced materials that give a refreshing take on art due to their diverse and varying cultures and perspectives. It brought together filmmakers, visual artists, digital artists, animators, photographers, writers, and musicians with different experiences to respond to issues of gender, sexuality, religion, language, and identity, among others.
The creators defied obstacles brought by distance and the pandemic through daily virtual connection, which birthed these 10 films: “Cracking the Connection Code” by Amanda Foulds and Daniel Rafael V. Ramos; “Abaca-Kenaf” (Rope) by Vic Leonard V. Ventosa and Raha Alipourfard; “Tú and Ako, Ikaw and Yo” (You and Me) by Luis Cisneros Alavez and Samantha Buso; “Parang Yiyang” (It Seems the Same) by Chyna Faye G. Merin and Jessica Liu; “Makahiya” (Ashamed) by Patricia Anne Nino and Isadara Malaya Bulaklak; “Defying Divinity” by Evelyn Trista Baik and Lauren Gabrielle Gonzalez; “Lola, Poh Poh: This Is Everything I Didn’t Say” by Agnes Wong & Angelica C. Llanera; “Indak ng Saudade” (Dance of Longing) by Sofia Velosa Borges and Fatima Louise C. Estrada; “In Our Being” by Ghislan Timm and Jann Earl Q. Madariaga; and “Kahon” (Box) by Andrea Guerrero and Daniel James Magayon.
The screening events by OCAD U will include a behind-the-scenes process and panel talks from the creators, mentors, and university faculty. Moreover, it is seen to create conversations on global collaborations that address issues of migration and diasporic belongings.
The films will also be featured in the Reel Asian International Film Festival this July.
