Mindanawon indie film ‘Hello, Daisy’ garnered acclaim on the international stage as ‘Best Emerging Filmmaker’ at the 11th Emirates film festival in Dubai held last January 15.
‘Hello, Daisy’ also stood out among a pool of 427 international film entries, having received nominations for ‘Best Film,’ ‘Best Actress’ for Mia Cabaobao, and ‘Best Screenplay’ for Franky Arrocena.
The film boasts a full Mindanawon and Dabawenyo cast and crew. This is a testament to the ingenuity of local indie films, especially those from the Mindanao region, which audiences don’t always get to see in the mainstream.
In a similar light, the actors were also instrumental in breathing into life the story of ‘Hello, Daisy’ which was starred by Cabaobao, Joshua Parba, and Kayen Benaiah Bufe.
Duwende Films, a Davao-based indie filmmaking and multimedia production house, was the genius behind the award-winning short horror film where the story also unpacked the grim realities of sexual exploitation of children.
In a Facebook post, Arrocena, the film’s Director and Writer, expressed the importance of providing a platform for the rampant sexual abuse in children, “The possibility of saving even at least one single person outside of this horrifying reality is the ultimate goal of this entire film.”
Seeing how the film was put into actuality only with small-scale team members, even claiming that the production had no major sponsors or brands to reinforce the costs and labor, it truly takes a village to build a motion picture from scratch and ultimately see the vision come to life on screen. Arrocena shared his initial strains in directing the film, “I really was not planning on making this film at all (nor do I thought I could’ve afforded it financially and spiritually).”
Hence, Duwende films probed upon the thought, “How much more can talented artists do if only given the support they deserve [?]” Given that the art of filmmaking is both a tedious and costly process, especially within the indie film scene, it has long been a call to proactively support and show up for local artists and makers such as ‘Hello, Daisy.’
Who knows how many more films Filipinos can present both locally and internationally to get the recognition filmmakers and crews rightfully deserve?
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