‘GROWING UP YOUNG’: Docufilm features child fisher’s life amid ECQ

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

 

“What will I get with playing? I’d rather fish, I could still get something from it.”

In the outskirts of Iloilo City, along the shores of Villa Arevalo, a young male went fishing with some of the fisherfolk in their community, while the children his age played games, all during the early days of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in April.

He was always working, and never played with the other children, choosing instead on focusing how much fish he could catch on that day.

He is the subject of the short documentary “Paano Mangin Bata” (How To Be a Child) by Ilonggo filmmakers Kevin Piamonte and Kenneth Dela Cruz.

The 13-minute documentary has qualified as one of the top ten films of the Adult Division of the DokyuBata 2020.

The documentary film festival is organized by the National Council for Children’s Television (NCCT), an attached agency of the Department of Education.

It is also a spin-off of Piamonte and Dela Cruz’s 2020 documentary “Ginhawa”, which featured the same community of fisherfolk in Villa Arevalo during the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).

The two filmmakers found the boy as they were shooting the prior documentary, and after having conversations with him, they were able to develop this new documentary.

Piamonte told Daily Guardian that they were attracted to the child because of his perseverance to have food on the table and pursue his education despite his young age.

“He never played and he was always working. He answered amazingly. We all played when we were children. We would always look forward to the afternoons to play, or going to the beach and playing on the sand. His experience was completely different to ours in our childhoods, and that’s what hooked us,” Piamonte said.

He added that this may serve as a reminder for adults to not give up despite life’s challenges.

“It was very admirable for us adults when you see somebody who does not succumb to the not-so-good circumstances in his life. This boy was practically there, by himself, and he’s surviving. As adults, we should be reminded not to quit. If the child can do it, we can too, especially in this time of the pandemic,” he added.

He also shared that the audience “will be inspired” when they learn about the boy’s story through the documentary film.

“The boy is undergoing the same situation as we are right now, but when you look at him, it would inspire you. It is amazing that we as adults, were inspired by that boy, and we believe that the audience will be inspired as well,” he said.

Piamonte elatedly said that those who wish to watch the documentary should definitely anticipate the boy’s answers to their questions.

“The boy makes his own narrative in this film. The things that he says, when you hear his voice in the film, it really breaks your heart. I was surprised about the things that he was telling me, like what he said about COVID. He says, ‘Ti parehas ma lang na sa dagat. Kun kisa gadako man ang balud, pero malipas ma lang na. Ang COVID, malipas man na.’ The story is entirely his,” he said.

The boy still has a desire to finish his schooling, according to Piamonte, and the entirety of the prize, should they win, will be forwarded to him to finish his schooling.

According to DokyuBata 2020’s mechanics, the Best Documentary under the Adult Division will win a tax-free cash prize of P30,000, with second and third place to win P25,000 and P20,000, respectively.

“He is currently going to school, and he really hopes to finish his schooling all the way to college, and that is also the reason why we decided to join this competition, with the hopes that if we win the competition, then everything goes to him so he gets to finish his education,” he said.

“Paano Mangin Bata” will be shown through the NCCT’s official Facebook page on Nov. 19, 2020 and will remain on the page for up to 24 hours.