Jim Libiran would have loved to personally present his music feature film, set in the HipHop sub-culture of the Philipines, to the Hamburg audience, giving background details, informing about his new project as well as discussing with the audience.

Unfortunately, due to financial reasons, Jim Libiran could not come to Hamburg for the festival. (Remember: UNERHÖRT! is a small non-commercial festival, operated by a team of volunteers and dependent on donations and sponsorship money.)

Thus, Jim Libiran wrote an open letter to the UNERHÖRT! team and audience: a touching document which we want to publish:

To the staff and programmers of UNERHÖRT! 2009, and to you kind audience of today's screening of TRIBU, my deepest gratitude.

I write to you today (3:00 pm, 27th November, Manila time), faced with two challenges: One is a shocking online report about the killing of 57 people in Maguindanao province in the south (where 27 journalists were killed and women were shot in the genitals). The other, a short questionnaire from a college student here asking me this: "If independent cinema gets very little audience, hence NO EFFECT, why do you keep on making films?". A mass killing and an innocent question, both as shocking and as intimidating as the other.

Dear audiences in Hamburg, you are about to see a small film from a far away country. A small voice in a wide universe of shouting voices. When you watch this film, please remember that what you are watching is not a violent story from a far away country but a challenge to our collective humanity.

TRIBU was shot in 12 days with a US $20,000 budget, using real-life gang members from seven enemy gangs - not because it was "COOL" to do it, but because we had no budget to pay professional actors. From one small problem, we accidentally solved two other problems.

These enemy gang members, who first came to the acting workshop with their weapons, eventually became good friends. 52 kids who could have killed each other are now supporting each other, trying to keep each other alive. Thus, I discovered that cinema is not just for entertainment; it could be used to CONCRETELY change society, one life at a time.

I made this film because when I saw these gang members, I didn't see delinquents, thieves or murderers, I saw a bunch of poets scribbling down or rapping out the story of their lives - in a language that could shame many of our so-called literary poets. These kids where doing poetry with one foot on the grave.

TRIBU is the first instalment in a trilogy about Tondo, the tough place where I grew up. It is a homage to my hometown which has taught me a lot about life.

I am currently doing the second instalment of the trilogy, HAPPYLAND, a heart-rending and true story about a whole generation of poor street kids who were taught to play the strange sport called football.

Football is strange (and not very popular here) because of a crazy colonial result of American dominance: in this country of short people (hehehehehe) basketball is the most popular sport.

HAPPYLAND is about street kids taught to play football but they were so poor that they couldn’t even afford to buy special football shoes. Thus, they played barefoot. The barefoot football players from Tondo is a fantastic but true story. I hope to inspire kids around the world with this film.

Like TRIBU, the 2nd film HAPPYLAND also becomes a social project. We hope to spark a greater interest in football in young Filipinos through this film - and as a success story, the Tondo players (who will also be the actors in HAPPYLAND) will teach the kids in all provinces in the country.

Everybody is trying to change our social system through politics and war and the military that they have forgotten that music can be a force for change (like in TRIBU), or sports can be a powerful tool for change (as in HAPPYLAND).

I want to finish this film in time for the World Cup 2010, and we are hampered by lack of funds. We appeal to your humanity and love for the future to help us make this film: if you don’t want to give money, offer your friends; if you don’t want to offer your friends, spread the word around; if you don’t want to spread the word around, pray for our success.

This film comes from a country where people are killed like chickens in a Kentucky Fried Chicken store, a country where people are killed for telling stories, a country where films like these are seen only by a few people.

This, then, becomes a film made not for profit but for another reason. It is not meant to entertain but to tell a story. Not meant to make you feel good but to challenge you.

Against barbarity and brutality, I must continue to make art and inspire more culture in my people. Even if, at first, nobody notices what we are doing. We must continue to push on with art.

I pray that TRIBU inspires you to care more for the youth, whatever their nationality. The beauty of small films like TRIBU is not just in its 90 minute onscreen story - the beauty lies in what people do after watching the film.

I remain
respectfully yours
Jim Libiran
director TRIBU

TRIBU will be screened at the UNERHÖRT! Musikfilmfestival Hamburg on Saturday, 5th December at 4 pm at Abaton Kino. For tickets please call: 040/41 32 03 20

Jim Libiran was born on September 30, 1966, in Tondo, Manila. He started his career as a journalist in various print media companies. At the same time he was a labor activist in political grassroots organizations. After working as a reporter for several TV stations, he became the head of production for news and public affairs at ABC 5. As a broadcast journalist, he has made documentaries and reported on the war in Iraq, the political process in Afghanistan as well as socio-cultural investigations on things uniquely Filipino. Moreover, he is a writer, poet and essayist. TRIBU is based on a screenplay that won the prestigious Palanca Award for Literature in 2006. Jim Libiran is currently finishing his Master’s degree in media studies and film at the University of the Philippines. TRIBU is his Master’s thesis and his first feature-length film.
(Quote: http://www.berlinale.de/external/de/filmarchiv/doku_pdf/20080057.pdf))

Jim Libiran's Berlinale Q&A on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ7WeHXoW7Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18M8SOoFhtQ

Interview Arte TV (in German):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV4FcO9fSak



Posted by Christine on 29.11.2009 at 13:12 Uhr