Cinemalaya 2024 entry 'Tumandok' shifts focus to Ati community in Iloilo
MANILA, Philippines — The feature directorial debut of Richard Jeroui Salvadico and Arlie Sweet Sumagaysay, "Tumandok," about the Ati ethnic group in the Visayas, is among the finalists of the 20th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival.
The Ati is a Negrito ethnic group located in the islands of Boracay, Guimaras, Panay, and Negros, and in a historic first, a film will present an Ati community's impassioned battle to reclaim their ancestral lands.
A synopsis for the docu-fiction film notes tales from legend, contested by historians, that an Ati chieftain traded their land to Bornean datus for a necklace and a wide-brimmed hat made of gold.
The plains and rivers went to the Malays, while all that were left to the Ati were the mountains, which to this day are under threat of being taken.
"Tumandok," which means "The Native," features an all-Ati non-professional acting ensemble from Sitio Kabarangkalan in Barotac Viejo, Iloilo, speaking their Inati language in their struggle to reclaim their land.
"Tell us where the end of the earth is, and we will go there to live in peace, untouched," one Ati told the filmmakers during their week-long shoot.
The Iloilo-based duo of Salvadico and Sumagaysay is no stranger to Cinemalaya, having submitted entries in the 2019 and 2022 editions. Their feature directorial debut this year, however, is especially significant, given their close ties to the Ati community.
The directors made frequent visits to the community to produce several advocacy videos, and they became more aware of their aspirations and sorrows during those visits.
"It is this deep connection that impelled us to create this film. 'Tumandok' endeavors to illuminate the ongoing battle of indigenous peoples to safeguard their identity and preserve their homeland," said the filmmakers.
Their film received support from the National Commission for Indigenous People (NCIP).
Salvadico mentioned during a press conference for Cinemalaya 2024 that a majority of proceedings from "Tumandok" screenings will go to the Ati community of Sitio Karabangkalan to aid their efforts in securing their ancestral domain.
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The film's production company, Southern Lantern Studios, the studio behind Cinemalaya Best Films winners "Halaw" and "John Denver Trending," also set up a bank account for anyone interested in donating while it searches for a partner non-governmental organization because the community has no organized cooperative yet.
The directors also emphasized their film goes beyond the narrative of Sitio Kabarangkalan, covering as well the collective narrative of every indigenous peoples community, "Though this is our debut film, we do not regard it as solely ours. 'Tumandok' is made by the Atis, for the Atis."
Violence against Atis
The "Tumandok" team obtained information from the Sitio Kabarangkalan community members Ronnie and Ronemae Elosando, the former the community chieftain, about the escalating violence against them and the attempts to displace them from their lands.
They recalled that these displacements occurred since 2007. The families in the community, which includes nearly 300 residents in 76 households, were forced to relocate within the last decade after facing persistent harassment, including crop destruction, livestock theft and intimidation.
Many families had to seek refuge with other tribes, with one elder noting an incident where armed individuals threatened her family.
According to the Elosandos, the area is intended for tree growth and timber harvesting without formal ownership rights but encroachments by private land interests have disrupted the community.
The community has been trying to secure their land title through the NCIP since 2007. It has completed the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title application requirements in 2021 but it was excluded from funding proposals the following year.
The filmmakers hope that "Tumandok" will help the NCIP secure funding for data gathering and validation to substantiate the community's certificate application.
"The Ati is said to inspire festivals like Ati-atihan and Dinagyang. But they have long been marginalized from the festivities and discussions," ended the directors. "It is time to heed their call and illuminate their plight, allowing them to finally call their land their own."
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