DAVAO CITY (MindaNews /21 January) – Duwende Films, a homegrown indie filmmaking and multimedia production company in Mindanao, won “Best Emerging Filmmaker” at the 11th Emirates Film Festival in Dubai, United Arab Emirates last January 15.
The firm also received a nomination for “Best Film” for its entry “Hello, Daisy!” along with seven films chosen among the 427 films from Europe, Canada, the USA, the Middle East, and South Asia.
Mia Cabaobao and Franky Arrocena of Duwende films were respectively nominated for “Best Actress” and “Best Screenplay” awards for the same film entry.
Their entry was a chilling horror short film depicting the “dark reality of online sexual exploitation of children.”
“We fully dedicate these awards and our film to the victims of online sexual abuse, especially those who cannot afford to have their voices, and to those who are still fighting to be heard,” it said.
Through its film, the group hopes to bring to light the growing problem of online sexual abuse against children in the Philippines, which the United Nations Children’s Fund tagged as the “center of child sex abuse material production in the world.”
“I know that our film will not solve this large societal problem, but I hope that through this film, we become more aware that this problem exists, and acknowledging its existence is the first step to solving it,” it added.
Through their art, the group vowed to continue promoting this issue, hoping to give a voice to those “who are and were left in the dark.”
“The possibility of saving even at least one person outside of this horrifying reality is the ultimate goal of this entire film,” it added.
Duwende Films stated that they independently produced the film through passion and hard work, without major brand sponsorship.
“As a fully Mindanawon and Dabawenyo cast and crew, we are also hoping that this milestone is a testament that indie filmmaking, especially in Mindanao, is at an international level where it deserves all the support, especially from its locality,” it added. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
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