NYAFF 2023: 12 WEEKS - Q&A

Summary

In this interview, writer and director Anna Isabel Montadina discusses her first feature film, a deeply personal exploration of a woman's internal and external conflicts amidst the backdrop of the Marawi crisis in the Philippines. She shares the challenges of being a female filmmaker in a male-dominated industry and the importance of authenticity in storytelling. Montadina also addresses the film's reception, her documentary-influenced aesthetic, and the decision to focus on the relationship between mother and daughter rather than solely on the issue of abortion. The conversation touches on the film's impact on audiences, the importance of choice, and the universality of the story.

Takeaways

• 🎬 The filmmaker, Anna Isabel Montadina, discusses her journey in a male-dominated film industry and the challenges faced by female artists.
• 📽️ Anna's first feature film took almost 20 years to materialize due to limited opportunities for women in the film industry.
• 🌟 The film is semi-autobiographical, reflecting Anna's personal experiences and thoughts on motherhood and societal pressures.
• 🏆 The film was recognized as the Best Philippine Film of 2022 by the Critics Society, highlighting its significance and quality.
• 💰 Anna had to work with a tight budget, shooting the film in just eight days, which was a luxury compared to the common five-day shoots in the Philippines.
• 👩‍👧 Anna chose to cast real-life mother-daughter duo Max Eigenmann and Grace to play the roles in the film, adding authenticity to their performances.
• 🎵 The film's aesthetic includes a lack of soundtrack, emphasizing the documentary feel and allowing the audience to focus on the raw emotions.
• 📹 Anna's documentary background heavily influenced the film's style, with a focus on authenticity and avoiding melodrama.
• 🏥 The film's setting during the Marawi crisis and Duterte regime was intentional, aiming to highlight systemic oppression and the cycle of abuse and trauma.
• 🌐 Anna's goal is to make the film accessible to communities fighting for women's rights, using it as a tool for activism and conversation.

Q & A

Who is Anna Isabel Montadina, and what role does she play in the film industry?

Anna Isabel Montadina is a writer-director known for creating films about women in a male-dominated industry. She has been making short films since 2004, and this is her first feature film.

What challenges did Montadina face in making her first feature film?

Montadina faced difficulties because of the male-dominated film industry. It took her nearly 20 years to create her first feature film, facing obstacles like limited opportunities, budget constraints, and skepticism from people who believed women's stories do not sell.

Why did Montadina choose the story for her first feature film?

The story is personal to Montadina, dealing with themes of motherhood, societal pressure, and women's rights. It also reflects her experiences turning 40 and contemplating whether to have children.

What real-life events influenced the setting of Montadina’s film?

The film is set during the Marawi crisis in the Philippines in 2017, during President Duterte's regime. The crisis and the struggles faced by women, especially mothers, during that time deeply influenced the film.

How did Montadina’s documentary background influence the aesthetic of her film?

Montadina’s documentary background helped her maintain a sense of authenticity and realism in the film. She used handheld cameras and avoided melodrama to focus on internal conflicts. She also emphasized awkward silences and subtle moments to enhance the emotional depth.

What is the significance of the mother-daughter relationship in the film?

The relationship between the mother and daughter is central to the film, exploring generational trauma and the pressure placed on women in Filipino society. The tension between them reflects broader themes of personal and societal struggles.

Why did Montadina avoid using a soundtrack in the film?

Montadina chose to rely on sound design rather than music to keep the film authentic. She wanted to avoid manipulating the audience's emotions and maintain a documentary-like feel, using silence to heighten the emotional tension.

How did Max Eigenmann contribute to the film’s success?

Max Eigenmann, who played the lead role, brought a deep understanding of her character, especially as a mother. Her real-life mother also played her on-screen mother, adding authenticity to their dynamic. Max’s performance earned her Best Actress at the Cinema Live Film Festival.

How did the film address societal issues in the Philippines?

The film explores systemic oppression, the cycle of abuse, and how trauma is passed through generations. By setting it during the Duterte regime and the Marawi crisis, it highlights the struggles women face in a violent, patriarchal society.

How has Montadina shared her film with different communities in the Philippines?

Montadina has worked with NGOs and activist groups to make her film accessible to communities on the front lines of fighting for women's rights. These screenings, which were often emotional and triggering, have sparked important conversations about sexism and gender equality.

Outlines

00:00

🎥 Director's Journey and Challenges in a Male-Dominated Industry

Anna Isabel Montadina, a female director, shares her struggles in breaking into the film industry. She discusses her nearly 20-year journey to making her first feature film, the difficulties of being a woman in a male-dominated field, and the personal nature of her story. Montadina reflects on her internal conflict about having children and her inspiration from a friend's unplanned pregnancy. The discussion touches on both her personal experiences and the broader challenges women face in the industry.

05:01

🌟 Recognition Despite Challenges in Funding and Production

Montadina's film was selected as the best Philippine film of 2022 by the critic society, which came as a surprise to her. Despite the recognition, she talks about the challenges of securing funding due to the perceived lack of marketability of women's stories. The film was shot in just eight consecutive days, requiring many sacrifices. Montadina emphasizes her commitment to the original script despite pressure to rewrite it and how the film's small budget shaped the production.

10:02

🎬 Authenticity and Aesthetic Choices in Filmmaking

Montadina discusses how her background in documentaries influenced the aesthetic of her film. She wanted to create an authentic, non-melodramatic portrayal of internal conflict by using a documentary style, including handheld cameras and awkward silences. She praises actress Max Eigenmann's performance, noting the natural dynamic with her real-life mother, Grace, who also acted in the film. Montadina highlights the importance of authenticity, particularly with the difficult and emotionally intense scenes.

15:04

👩‍👧 Personal Relationships and Cultural Insights

The film's exploration of mother-daughter dynamics resonates with Filipino culture, particularly the casual use of guilt and shame within families. Montadina shares how this theme is prevalent in many Filipino relationships, reflecting the Catholic background of the country. She explains that the tension between Max Eigenmann and her real-life mother added depth to the film’s portrayal of a strained mother-daughter relationship, making the emotional conflict even more poignant.

20:05

🔊 Sound Design and Documentary Realism

Montadina explains her decision to avoid using music in the film, instead relying on sound design to create a realistic, documentary-like feel. She was inspired by filmmaker Asghar Farhadi's approach to authenticity and didn’t want music to manipulate the audience's emotions. Montadina used the handheld camera style to enhance the sense of realism and made several post-production edits to maintain the film’s authentic tone, preferring silences and gritty lighting over more polished aesthetics.

🎥 Filming Challenges and Emotional Impact

Montadina opens up about the challenges of filming the movie, particularly the emotional toll of shooting such a personal story under a tight schedule. Filming was emotionally taxing, and she frequently cried on set. Max Eigenmann, however, supported her deeply as the lead actress, especially because she connected with the role as a real-life mother. Montadina also notes that the film’s conclusion, involving a miscarriage instead of an abortion, was her decision to focus on healing in the mother-daughter relationship.

⚖️ Systemic Oppression and Generational Trauma

Montadina ties the story's setting during the Marawi crisis and under the Duterte regime to the larger themes of systemic oppression and generational trauma. She wanted the film to highlight not just the individual experience of abortion but the broader struggles of women living in a violent and oppressive environment. The film reflects on the cyclical nature of violence and trauma passed through generations, particularly as experienced by women in the Philippines.

😔 The Complexity of Choice for Women

Montadina addresses the complex issue of choice for women, emphasizing that it's not just a matter of legality or financial resources. She argues that even with abortion laws, deeper societal issues—such as how women are treated and their lack of agency—must be addressed. Montadina reflects on the global struggle for women's rights, noting that the fight for equal treatment continues, even in countries like the U.S., where hard-fought rights are still under threat.

🌍 Spreading the Film's Message and Impact

As an activist and filmmaker, Montadina is focused on making her film accessible to communities on the front lines of women's rights struggles. She has held free screenings for NGOs and human rights groups, though the emotionally intense nature of the film has required trigger warnings. Montadina avoids showing graphic violence, preferring to let the audience's imagination fill in the gaps, which she believes makes the impact stronger. The screenings have also been an eye-opener for some men involved in progressive movements, highlighting their own complicity in sexist attitudes.

🎬 Universal Appeal and Hope for Wider Distribution

Although Montadina was initially worried that her film’s themes would be too specific to the Philippines, audience feedback has shown that the story resonates universally. The film explores issues that are relatable to audiences worldwide, particularly the struggles of women. There are ongoing efforts to bring the film to a wider audience through distribution deals, and Montadina expresses her desire to continue making films that address important social issues.

Keywords

💡Female Filmmaker

A female filmmaker is a woman who directs, produces, or writes films. In the context of the video, Anna Isabel Montadina is highlighted as a budding female filmmaker making films about women, which is significant given the male-dominated film industry. Her journey of almost 20 years from making short films to her first feature underscores the challenges faced by women in this field.

💡Personal Film

A personal film is one that is deeply connected to the filmmaker's own experiences or emotions. Anna Isabel Montadina describes her film as very personal, reflecting her own life stage and thoughts about having children. This adds authenticity and depth to the narrative, making it relatable to viewers who might be facing similar personal dilemmas.

💡Internal Misogyny

Internal misogyny refers to the internalization of negative attitudes or stereotypes about women, even by women themselves. Montadina mentions confronting her internal misogyny through the creation of her script, indicating a self-awareness and a desire to challenge societal norms and prejudices within herself and her work.

💡Marawi Crisis

The Marawi crisis refers to a specific conflict in the Philippines in 2017. Montadina integrates this real-world event into her film to highlight the external conflict alongside the internal struggles of her characters, emphasizing the broader context of violence and societal challenges that women face.

💡Systemic Oppression

Systemic oppression refers to the ways in which societal systems and institutions perpetuate discrimination or marginalization against certain groups. Montadina's film is noted to focus on the systemic oppression and cycle of abuse and trauma, particularly highlighting the struggles of women in a violent environment and country.

💡Authenticity

Authenticity in filmmaking refers to the truthful representation of characters, emotions, and situations. Montadina emphasizes the importance of authenticity, drawing from her documentary background to treat the film's story as realistically as possible, which is evident in her decision to include awkward silences and handheld camera work.

💡Aesthetics

Aesthetics in film refers to the visual and sensory style used to convey the story. Montadina discusses her decision to use a documentary aesthetic to avoid melodrama and to keep the story grounded in reality, which is crucial for the film's impact and the audience's emotional connection.

💡Max Eigenmann

Max Eigenmann is an actress mentioned in the script who played a significant role in Montadina's film. Her casting choice and performance are highlighted as crucial to the film's success, particularly in the context of the intense and personal nature of the story.

💡Catholic Culture

The Catholic culture in the Philippines is mentioned as a backdrop to the film's themes. Montadina discusses how the predominantly Catholic society influences attitudes towards women, guilt, and shame, which are deeply ingrained and affect the characters' lives and decisions.

💡Agency

Agency refers to the capacity of individuals to act independently and make their own decisions. Montadina argues for the importance of treating women as humans with agency, which is a central theme in her film. The film aims to spark conversations about the need for women to have control over their own lives and choices.

Highlights

Anna Isabel Montadina discusses the challenges of being a female filmmaker in a male-dominated industry.

It took Montadina almost 20 years to make her first feature film due to limited opportunities in the industry.

The film is semi-autobiographical, reflecting Montadina's personal experiences and thoughts on motherhood.

The film's setting during the Marawi crisis and Duterte regime was intentional to highlight systemic oppression.

Montadina used her documentary background to treat the film with authenticity and avoid melodrama.

Max Eigenmann was a last-minute casting decision that turned out to be a great fit for the lead role.

Real-life mother and daughter, Max Eigenmann and Grace, were cast to play mother and daughter in the film.

The film's lack of a soundtrack was a deliberate choice to emphasize the documentary feel and internal struggles.

Montadina's decision to end the film with a miscarriage rather than an abortion was to focus on the mother-daughter relationship.

The film was shot in only eight days, which was considered a luxury compared to the common five-day shoots in the Philippines.

Montadina's approach to sharing the film includes free screenings for NGOs and human rights groups.

The film has been well-received, with Max Eigenmann winning Best Actress at the Cinema Live Film Festival.

The film was selected as the best Philippine film of 2022 by the critic's society.

Montadina's goal is to make the film accessible to communities fighting for women's rights.

The film has sparked conversations about women's struggles and systemic issues, even among progressive groups.

Montadina emphasizes that the film is not just about abortion but about the broader issues of women's rights and agency.

The audience's reaction suggests the film's story is universal, not just specific to the Philippines.

Transcripts

foreign

[Applause]

once again in welcoming writer director

Anna Isabel montadina

it is really a pleasure to be able to

sit once again with a budding artist

who's female who's making films about

females and who's doing that in a system

that is so

um

well must be very difficulty even more

difficult if you were

um

yeah a woman yeah a woman it's difficult

isn't it yeah it's um

that's why it took me a long time to get

to my first feature I mean I've been

making short films since 2004.

so almost 20 years this year yeah

congratulations for surviving this long

without making a feature yeah it's hard

to get opportunities there especially

with a very male dominated industry and

I know it's I'm not the first one who

set it like it's it's also in every

other industry it's not just in film

right and also not just in the

Philippines yeah what we'd like you to

do if you have a question and we hope

you have questions please summon one of

the runners on the side they have cards

and we'd like you to write your

questions on cards and then we'll get to

those in a little while first I'm going

to have a conversation

so this is your first feature after

almost 20 years as a filmmaker and a

documentarian

why this film why did you decide on this

story

well first of all it's of course it's a

very personal film

um and I was at that stage in my life

where I was also turning 40.

so and I wanted to have kids and I

thought about

um do I really want to have kids in this

kind of climate

and

um and at that point also at the same

time while I was

feeling

um there's so much pressure about having

children

another friend found herself pregnant

and it was she was in a very toxic

relationship

and she had no plans of having children

but by the time she found out she was

pregnant it was too late like she was

already five months pregnant

so

so there were a lot of questions in my

head and that was my way of confronting

even my internal misogyny by by writing

the script and then having it done I'm

so glad it's not

semi-autobiographical of course it's not

so

tell me about deciding making this

decision that Alice should also

um not only have this internal conflict

but also this sort of external conflict

which is the marawi

um crisis that was happening at the same

time that the film was set in 2017 right

yeah

um because that that was the second year

under the the duterte regime and we it

was really really bad and I had

I in order to be able to process what

the things that were happening I had to

start writing because it was just too

much and it's hard for

a woman who who knows the suffering that

is going on everywhere

and of course you also have your

personal

stuff that was happening in your life

and most of the front liners are women

you know and even when the marawi thing

happened

we were there for the women the mothers

so

and that was the time when my friend who

was pregnant also came to marawi with me

yeah so I was with her and

because the main problem then was like

the mothers didn't have milk for the

children

or they don't have sanitary napkins

so

um how do you even begin to process what

you're going through the trauma that

you're going through in your life when

you're seeing so much violence or not

I'm sorry I'm very emotional

I said I was going to cry but yeah shall

we change subjects real quick yeah okay

let's talk about the reception of the

film in the Philippines where it was

actually selected as the best Philippine

film of 2022 by the critic Society this

is a big thing yeah it was a surprise

I didn't expect that

um

it's not the most popular film because

it's it's it's kind of hard to sell

films like this

um especially when we were looking for

funding you know it's like one person

told me like

I don't know how to sell your film

and I was going through inside my head

was like okay women stories do not sell

and that was kind of hard to swallow so

we had we really had to limit the budget

so we shot that in eight days

and it was consecutive so it was

exhausting

so we really

cut a lot of things

and

um

and yeah I just didn't want to accept

that I would have to rewrite my film

because another man told me that they

couldn't sell it

thank you for not rewriting it and

sticking with that and even with a small

budget but you know you mentioned the

budget to me before and that's actually

not as small as it is in some other

places so yeah okay Bravo and eight days

we've heard here some people also having

to shoot yeah apparently I'm lucky to

have to do eight days a luxury because

the practice now in the Philippines as

you do a film in five days

yeah that's do you all understand how

crazy that is

I mean independent film in the US you're

never shooting for less than

I don't know three weeks

is that true filmmakers on in the

audience yeah I would say three weeks

and that sounds like oh my God that's

not enough time but okay let's talk

about the Aesthetics then you have this

long career making documentaries and it

feels to me especially the opening

sequence which is really interesting

which really sort of sets the scene for

us introduces us to Alice and

um we see what's going on how did you

decide this is the aesthetic style that

I'm going to go for

yeah I mean from the very start even

when I started pitching the film I knew

that my documentary background was going

to

come into play in the how I treat the

film because I wanted it as authentic as

possible because it's not an easy story

to tell especially

most of the conflict is happening

internally

um and it's like some would say it this

story can get melodramatic and I wanted

to avoid that so I took my documentary

background and Aesthetics into the film

but yeah the first just with the first

shot

and I already wanted to focus on the

perspective this is going to be her

story her version of things every scene

is with her in it

and yeah I'm kind of used being like

whenever I interview subjects it's

usually like that you have someone there

and then they bear everything

and I wanted I wanted that those

awkwardness the the awkward silences

which when when I'm doing a documentary

usually edit those out you know it

because it's for TV but here I wanted it

there because it says more with the

silences when you know she's not really

telling the truth but she has to appear

as if she's

like feeling okay in front of the camera

or in front of whoever's interviewing

her so

that was my angle for that and how did

you find Max Eigenmann she's she's

fantastic in this part yeah and also one

uh best actress at Cinema Live Film

Festival along with your net pack award

win congratulations thank you I actually

didn't know her before doing this film I

don't know her films

um because the other films where she

played as lead hasn't been shown in the

Philippines

um but I was I was actually

that was a last minute casting and she

was the most important piece of the cast

um I was working with two other

actresses and then the schedule then you

know didn't happen and then I was

encouraged to get her

because according to my script

consultant she can surprise you and that

she did and I was also very

um adamant about getting a real life

mother and daughter to play as mother

and daughter in the film

so this so Grace is her real Max's real

mom yeah because you know the reality of

you're shooting for eight days and you

want all the tension there already it

makes my job easier so you don't you

know even after I say cut they're still

like playing themselves

so I mean

line you know you know I mean she

repeats it several times about you know

I

seriously thought of aborting you sort

of thing I mean what a lovely thing to

say to your living daughter is that um

based on a

on their

relationship on a personal well there it

is all it's aside from it being based on

the relationship it's a very Filipino

thing it's something I've heard

everywhere

especially when mother and daughters

don't disagree like

you know I could have aborted you like

it's it's almost like it's something

used very casually

it's because

because we're very Catholic we're

predominantly we're I think we're the

only Asian country that's predominantly

Catholic so shame and guilt is built in

in our culture

so that's one one of the things that we

have to go through

all the time with our parents fabulous

and did had these two ever worked

together these two actresses yes they

have but

um not as much as like this that not as

intense as they had to do here

indeed okay I didn't realize this when I

was watching the film so it was more

difficult for Max I think because it's

like she never she could never rest

because her mother is there like it's

like imagine having your mother around

you all the time I mean and then having

to work with her like

and on something as intense as this with

with a not lovely relationship

great film

how was the decision of lack of

soundtrack in other words music and

um the silence you know became deafening

how did you make that decision

um I think and it also says

um thank you

um

yeah because I am a fan of asgar or Hadi

and the way he makes films and it's also

it also on emphasizes the documentary

feel of the film like it's like you're

watching real life happen right in front

of you and I just didn't because

everything is so I think everything is

so subtle and everything is so

internalized and I didn't want to use

music to manipulate the audience like I

was too scared to use music

I

I relied on sound design like yeah I'm

doing fiction but I wanted to feel as

real as possible

so and I think it works better with a

kind of treatment that I was doing with

the handheld and and the gritty dark

lightning and right someone else asked

about why why was everything so shaky

and I think this yeah handheld camera

and lack of did was there ever a time

because of course searching for

authenticity there's Still Moments where

you think you might have overdone

something was there ever a time that you

stepped back and said okay you know this

looks too good or This sounds too good

or

we need to make it

more authentic and less less polished

well what what happened was because

there's really no time to process

while shooting everything happened in

post-production where we had to delete

scenes

yeah like okay this is not working it it

doesn't feel authentic enough

and I'm sure there are still scenes I'd

love to cut out from that cut because I

don't know I mean of course every film

could be better the more that you watch

it that's why I don't like watching it

anymore yeah you say anymore have you

actually watched it projected ever

I wish I could here in the Lincoln

Center because I'm sure you have a very

good projector but I've watched it a lot

of times in the Philippines for you know

for the first Festival run because

that's where I saw the the DCP was

incorrect I had to check all those

things and if the sound was like yeah so

I watched it a lot of times and I'm just

like okay but now you're and I was also

editing it so I'm I'm just done with it

like I want to move on

um this this you've you've answered a

bit if you'd like to elaborate on it

this decision to set it during the

marawi crisis and during the duterte

regime you know how it affected the

storytelling

yeah it was also part of

um my intention for the film to

to zero on the systemic oppression and

the cycle

of abuse and Trauma and the wars and the

violence that we have to go through and

how gener it's being passed on from

generation to generation because

um I was thinking of

of course I started writing this in 2017

when The marawi Siege happened

and then you you have the the

Declaration of Martial law and then of

course I can't I couldn't help but think

of

How It Was Then in the 70s and

especially since I was doing a 40 year

old woman story she's

she's a pro she's a martial law baby of

course so I would have to reference that

and that also

I think that that makes their characters

and the ones deeper for the mother and

the daughter

so it was important for me to to zero in

on that and not just make it an abortion

film but actually talk about

the struggles of women in a very violent

environment in a very violent country

this ties right into that this is a very

stressful film yeah

um even the tiniest of sounds is is

somehow irritating in a story like this

it depicts how hard women's lives are in

this Society

the question I want to know is how were

you feeling during filming

and I might add you know after spending

were you shooting during covid and did

that affect

you know how you were feeling during

filming that's why I said I wasn't even

able to process what I shot during the

day because you have to think about the

next day because it's consecutive shoots

so basically you get what two to three

hours of sleep before you have to shoot

again

and then of course everything you you

get all the problems as well and this

was also campaign season of the election

so that was hard to do

um so I had to give up a lot of the wide

shots

um

but it was

just shooting it was very difficult

because a lot of it was also from

personal experience

so it was very triggering there were a

lot of times I would cry on set

but were you really feeling like oh Max

is so

um but Max was very supportive the thing

is

she actually she understood what her

character was going through at a very

deep level and I think she understood it

more than I do because she is actually a

mother

so she knows how it feels

also she was a very young mother

here's a tough question did you have to

end with a miscarriage

instead of an abortion

for the sensors

no that was my decision

um

because

and it's not just because I don't want

it to be an abortion film

it's because the store for me the story

is bigger than abortion

um

it was

I wanted it I wanted to bring it back to

the relationship between the mother and

the daughter

and for me it was a way to

close the gap between them like a space

for healing between them

because at least now

um

Alice understood what her mother had to

go through having losing a daughter not

in the same way but losing a child that

she never actually wanted in the first

place

and then she also and then Alice also

ends up losing a child that she actually

wanted to abort also that was like for

like okay finally I I understand what my

mother had to go through that's why my

last frame was also about her mother

having like the the that moment when she

gave birth to Alice

so in the backdrop of you know the war

in

in Mindanao

so for people like Alice is there any

choice at all

people like Alice is there any choice

and what about the people who don't have

the resources that I want to say that

people like not just people like Alice

but everyone should have the choice

but

when you talk about choices it's very

complicated it's not just okay you have

a choice because you can afford it you

have contacts

it's all right it's a human right the

because I want to give back the agency

and maybe that's what needs to be talked

about it's not it's not as easy as

having an abortion law suddenly in the

Philippines but you know

you still you still treat women the same

way

and you know I mean we've seen it happen

in the U.S where they repeal abortion

laws and look where it's got us we're

back to fighting the same

the same monsters so

maybe we need to actually talk about

what needs to be what is the root of the

problem the root of the problem is women

are not

treated as equals they're not treated as

humans they they

yeah they don't have agency they are

removed from that it doesn't matter if

they're financially well off or not if

they're educated of course it factors in

but

first and foremost

treat them as human beings who have

agency

here here here

[Applause]

and I want to ask because I think the

audience would be really interested your

approach to sharing the film in the

Philippines

oh yeah

um well

because this is a very personal film and

for someone who also worked as an

activist

[Music]

um

my my my goal is really to have it seen

more widely and make it accessible to

to communities who are in the front

lines of fighting for women's rights so

I've had a few screenings free

screenings to

to

um ngos

who are like in the front lines also for

fighting for women's rights and who were

actually doing all kinds of Human Rights

work not just for women

so yeah those were the scariest

screenings I ever attended

but yeah a lot of them say it's kind of

traumatic that I should have put a

trigger warning

and I'm like oh this is really tame

I really changed it up like you don't

see any actual violence perpetrated by a

man like the like in full like what you

what we are so used to seeing rape

scenes in movies and really violent

stuff on movies so I I really try to to

avoid that and

and it still works so you don't actually

need to see it I mean

yeah our imagination is far worse anyway

yes so those women's groups have helped

get the conversations yes started okay

yes so

and even the my even the men are

actually quite surprised because

suddenly they realize they've been part

of the problem and these are from

Progressive groups these are leftist

activists and they

yeah it's so much harder

when you discover that the men in the

movement or in Progressive Movement can

be quite sexist

so yeah and there it's kind of like a

wake-up call for them too

so how many of you felt that this film

was a universal story could you just

raise your hands please

see yeah she was very worried that it

was so specific to the Philippines that

no one would be able to really

understand or or even empathize properly

but I think that that's not the case at

all

Universal and we really hope that you

can bring it I know you're

talking to some Distributors and we

really hope you can bring it to a much

wider audience than

than just a few screenings okay thank

you so much keep making films please yes

questions once again thank Anna Isabel

Martina thank you so much for staying

and thank you very much for staying for

the Q a and for your questions we hope

to see you again