CCP Arthouse Cinema screens GMA docus on women’s issues

THE Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Arthouse Cinema will present GMA documentaries about women’s issues entitled Walang Rape sa Bontok and Busal on March 30. The first will be screened at 2 p.m. followed by Busal at 5 p.m. Screenings will be held at the Tanghalang Manuel Conde (TMC).

A Question and Answer portion will take place after each screening. Resource speakers for the event are Carla Ocampo who was the writer and researcher for Walang Rape sa Bontok, and Ely del Rosario, the director and executive producer for Busal.

The GMA documentaries section under the GMA News and Public Affairs includes award-winning documentaries from CineTotoo, Front Row, I-Witness, Reel Time and Reporter’s Notebook.

Walang Rape sa

Bontok is about two Filipinas, both victims of sexual abuse in varying degrees, who yearn and search for a utopia where women can live without being sexually violated. By chance, they encounter a study by renowned anthropologist June Prill-Brett, Ph.D., which states that the Bontok of the Philippine Cordilleras has lived for eras without a term, nor concept, nor incidence of rape. The documentary seeks to answer this question: in this world where the universality of women oppression is widely believed, how did a rape-less society ever become possible? The said film won Best Documentary in the 38th Gawad Urian and became a finalist at the 2015 New York Festivals.

Busal presents the experiences of three deaf rape victims and their struggle to attain justice. Interpreting their stories through contemporary dance, the film highlights the need for the viewers to hear their stories of silence and listen to the dance of their struggles.

In the Philippines, it is disturbing that only one out of 10 reported cases of rape against deaf women has been heard in court.

Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, call the CCP Media Arts Division at 832-1125 local 1705 and 1712.