'Hasik' director calls on fellow filmmakers to 'listen' to communities, subjects
MANILA, Philippines — Mandy Qua, co-director and co-producer of the documentary "Hasik," laid down the importance of connecting with subjects throughout the filmmaking process.
The documentary follows indigineous and traditional seed savers from around the Philippines, fighting to preserve agricultural heritage in a rapidly shifting world.
"'Hasik' sheds light on the urgent need for seed sovereignty and local food security — issues deeply intertwined with environmental and cultural sustainability," a synopsis for the documentary goes.
During a talkback event held in Shangri-La Plaza's Red Carpet Cinema, Qua said artists, including her fellow filmmakers, attempting to represent communities outside their own should value the importance of listening to people.
"Open your ears and listen to the stories these communities and people have to share," Qua added.
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Another thing the young filmmaker considered significant was discourse among individuals, whether it is the project team or the community being documented.
"What we've found is a lot of gaps regarding discourse among different sectors where things either get lost in translation, mistranslated, or not discussed at all," Qua said. "So, as filmmakers, I think it's important to responsibly first build and develop relationships with the people you want to feature."
She reiterated the need to listen, specifically making sure that artists are displaying what subjects want to show and feel is important.
Qua also shared that her team sent edited segments of "Hasik" to the farmers before deciding on its final cut. The director said they wanted to make their subjects comfortable and that the farmers would feel good on how they were presented in it.
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