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Jan Milo Severo - Philstar.com
February 12, 2025 | 2:55pm
Members of the Chinese Coast Guard (CGG) were seen roving around the Rozul Reef in Palawan as they patrol the area on April 21, 2024
STAR / Ryan Baldemor
MANILA, Philippines — Award-winning documentarian Baby Ruth Villarama released the teaser for her much-anticipated film "Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea," her entry into the 2025 Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival.
The teaser begins with a fishing boat bobbing along the ocean waves when, after sinking beneath the water, an overwhelming amount of fish show, signaling the overwhelming burden placed on the fishermen assigned to catch them.
The teaser then moves to a more ominous visual two boats — a fishing boat and a coast guard ship, carrying the Philippine flag — and ending with the titular statement: "fresh from the West Philippine Sea."
According to Villarama, the film, which harkens to the current maritime conflict between the Philippines and China, is ultimately a story about empathy.
"We want the audience to understand that sovereignty is not just a political issue; it's a deeply personal one for every Filipino," the director said.
"From the fishermen risking their lives to feed their families, to the Coast Guard and Navy personnel delivering food to the soldiers on remote outposts, 'Food Delivery' illustrates the shared sacrifice and the collective love we all have to protect our way of life," she added.
The director described "Food Delivery" as a film about unity, sacrifice, and the Filipino spirit, and she hopes audiences find a sense of empathy and connection to the people who are often unseen in protecting our food, and by extension, our sovereignty.
Villarama is best known for her documentary "Sunday Beauty Queen," which won Best Picture at the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival.
She has also been involved for over a decade in international co-productions as a producer and director for global news organizations, many of them documentaries that take a socially-conscious angle and have been featured in prestigious festivals like Cannes, Berlin, and Venice.
This year's CinePanalo entries in the full-length category are JP Habac's "Olsen's Day," Christian Paolo Lat's "Journeyman," Mes de Guzman's "Sepak Takraw," Jill Singson Urdaneta's "Co-Love," Catsi Catalan's "Fleeting," TM Malones' "Salum," and Tara Illenberger's "Tigkiliwi."
Meanwhile 25 student directors will be competing in the Puregold CinePanalo’s annual student shorts category.
The 2025 Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival will run from March 14 to 25 at Quezon City's Gateway Cineplex 18 in Cubao.
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