Docu examines influencer culture, social connectivity in 3-country endeavor

Eileen Chong

With the aim of understanding “how influencers can culturally alter the way we live, eat, sleep, work and have relationships,” three Southeast Asian filmmakers are joining forces to produce a documentary feature that will redefine online influencing in the time of pandemic.

These three filmmakers—Eileen Chong from Singapore, Ratrikala Bhre Aditya from Jakarta and Doc Senoc from Manila—are inviting interested social media influencers to be a part of their project.

They are launching a 90-day social documentary series titled “I am Social,” which will “examine living in the age of social connectivity in three of the biggest digital hubs in the Southeast Asian region,” the trio said in a statement.

“We’re removing the labels. Even if you are a professional influencer who is already famous or a rising one who wishes to engage more audience in your personal site, we want to invite you to be part of a regional community of diverse voices,” said Senoc, who comes from the collective group called Film Producers Society (FPS).

FPS is behind some of the successful campaigns of Filipino independent films “Kita Kita,” “Patay na si Hesus” and “BuyBust,” as well as Senoc’s short film, “Sa Among Agwat,” which won him the best director award at the 2019 Cinemalaya.

Meanwhile, Chong, Singaporean director and project cocreator, believes that “the influencing market is making a huge splash in the entire Southeast Asia and that there’s a need to explore the phenomenon of the influencer era.”

Chong also pointed out: “We examine the growing role of social media in the lives of consumers, methods of persuading young people and its psychological effects of living in these times. What

Doc Senoc

does it truly take to stand out in this highly zealous influencer era?”

Coming from different standpoints, the three filmmakers said they look forward to working together in this rare international coproduction. “It will be extremely exciting,” added Chong. “Besides cultural exchanges, and understanding each other’s way of working and style, I think it’s a great opportunity to share ideas and prove that creativity and our shared humanity holds no borders.”

Today, Southeast Asians are the most engaged mobile Internet users in the world with 360 million internet users, as shown in the e-Conomy SEA 2019 report.

Indonesia ranked highest when it came to social network penetration rate of attracting 199 million people per month in 2020. eMarketer, a US-based market research company, projects this will rise to up to 212 million in 2021.

Ratrikala Bhre Aditya

Indonesian producer Mandy Marahimin, whose film “Islands of Faith” has been released on Netflix, said: “‘I am Social’ has a simple purpose: to show what it takes to become top influencers by telling it through three different lenses (Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines). We hope we can show how these experiences shape who we are as human beings and how we are all the same, despite our cultural differences.” Meanwhile, the Philippines ranks second, accounting for more than half of the total population at 73 million internet users regularly surfing social media networks. These numbers are still conservative considering the limited bandwidth access of Filipinos around the archipelago.

Filipino filmmaker Baby Ruth Villarama, whose documentary works like “Sunday Beauty Queen,” “Little Azkals” and “Jazz in Love” immensely shaped documentary film appreciation in the country, pointed out: “When I was offered to be part of this project through FPS, I thought it’s a good way to support voices who can keep us company while we figure out how to navigate the noisy digital space of the new world. I believe social influencing shouldn’t be just aspirational within glitz and posturing. It’s time we meet digital heroes who are more in tune with their feelings and experiences so we can better connect as humans.”

If you are a social media influencer or an aspiring one based in these three cities, you can submit a short video (maximum of four minutes) about yourself and your world. Deadline for submission is on Sept. 30. For more information, contact [email protected] and access Facebook.