Fiction debut explores Bangsamoro identity, tradition
After 15 years of quiet development, a celebrated filmmaker and essayist makes a fiction debut with "Closing Party and Other Stories," a collection of thirteen short stories that explore the intersections of tradition, politics and mysticism in contemporary Bangsamoro life.
Gutierrez "Teng" Mangansakan II, known for his award-winning films and anthologies that champion Moro voices, transitions from nonfiction to fiction with narratives spanning topics such as female genital mutilation, the COVID-19 pandemic, cinema and superstition.
The collection reflects his layered identity as a Moro, a Maguindanaon and a member of Mindanao’s traditional aristocracy—offering both insider insight and critical distance.
Mangansakan’s work engages with challenging, often taboo topics, but he approaches them with integrity—eschewing sensationalism or exoticism in favor of a responsible, nuanced perspective.
“As a storyteller, I’m not here to sensationalize or exoticize. I write about female genital mutilation, for example, not to shock, but to open up conversations about female agency, power, and the violence that persists in everyday life. These stories are not easy to tell, but I believe they’re necessary,” he said.
Mangansakan describes the book as a “homecoming,” bridging his work in essays and film with a more intimate form of storytelling.
Written with cinematic precision and emotional depth, "Closing Party and Other Stories" invites readers into the textured realities of the Bangsamoro, challenging taboos while honoring cultural memory.
“I hope they see that these are not just Moro stories, or Mindanao stories. They are human stories. Stories about love, loss, desire, faith and survival. Stories that resonate, whether you’re in Cotabato, Manila, or Madrid," Mangansakan said.
"At the same time, I hope they also see the nuances of where I come from, the textured realities of the Bangsamoro and the beauty and complexity of that world,” he added.
