RH bill film wins in Vancouver

Eduardo Roy Jr.’s “Bahay Bata (Baby Factory),” an indie film that exposes the dire conditions in a crowded maternity ward of a public hospital in Manila, won Special Mention in the Dragons & Tigers section of the Vancouver International Film Festival last Oct. 6.

According to the fest’s web site, the jury “admired the film’s unique mixture of documentary and fiction.”

Jury raves

The jury—composed by filmmaker Ann Hui, producer Simon Field and actor Yang Ik-Joon—raved: “We salute its candor and directness.”

An entry in this year’s Cinemalaya, “Bahay Bata” was also commended by the jury for tackling “the cruel realities of overpopulation in a country where birth control is neither taught nor freely available.”

Indeed, it’s a timely film in light of the RH bill debates in Congress.

“The foreign viewers were shocked,” Roy, who attended the fest in Canada, recounted in an e-mail to Inquirer Entertainment. “For most of them, it was their first time to watch a movie that was completely shot in a hospital.”

He said the viewers were very much interested in the country’s reproductive health issue.

“They are well-informed about the situation in the Philippines,” he related. “They know how difficult it is to be a mother in this country. After the screening, some foreigners approached and thanked me for making a film that touched them.”

Just to be part of the Vancouver fest was honor enough, he explained, but “to be recognized is a big bonus.”

“There were a lot of good films in the lineup. It’s heartwarming and humbling to be singled out,” he said.

“Bahay Bata” went up against films from South Korea, China, Japan and two from the Philippines, Vincent Sandoval’s “Señorita” and Marlon Rivera’s “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank.”

The top prize in the Dragons & Tigers competition went to China’s “The Sun-Beaten Path,” directed by Tibet’s Sonthar Gyal. A second Special Mention was given to Nagano Yoshinoro’s “Recreation” from Japan.

The Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema seeks to highlight new directors from the Asia-Pacific region.

When Roy went onstage to receive his citation, his mind went blank, he recounted. “Everything was a blur. I couldn’t remember what I said in my speech. I couldn’t believe it. I was both nervous and happy. Before I knew it, I was back in my seat.”

He’s grateful for the Vancouver experience and hopes to tour the film in other festivals abroad, “to show the world the state of the health-care system” in the country.

Roy scored another invitation to compete in a film fest this December.

He also wishes that the film will have a theatrical run locally.

“I’m now back writing for TV. I hope to make another movie soon,” he said.

“Bahay Bata” will open in select SM Cinemas on Oct. 19.