Online entertainment platform Viddsee has produced a short documentary
series for personal care brand Dove in the Philippines. The documentary series – an extension of the brand’s hero film ‘My Hair, My Say’ released in January this year – comprises three episodes that spotlights women with unconventional hairstyles who share their journey of overcoming fear of judgement and stereotypes, while defining their own standards of beauty.
The hero film of ‘My Hair, My Say’ was driven by the brand’s insight that women feel
discouraged to wear their hair freely for fear of being judged and shamed by others. To ensure hair is a constant source of happiness that inspires women, Dove wanted to convey the message to Filipinas that there’s no single standard for beautiful hair. The film has garnered over 4 million views to date.
“The documentary profiles women whose looks – particularly hairstyles – aren’t represented in Filipino mainstream media, which is often seen as long and straight black hair. We want the series to deliver bold and empowering stories, while being relatable to everyday individuals who defy beauty standards, and inspire them to express what is uniquely themselves,” said its director Annika Yanez.
The series kicked off on May 12 with ‘Mother’s Day’, which chronicles the relationship between Phaister, an avant-garde daughter with coloured hair, and Lolit, her conservative mom. This was followed by ‘Wedding Day’ (June 10), which profiles Rizza, an unconventional bride with a pixie cut; and ‘Curl Power’ (July 5), which profiles Erianne, a curly-haired girl pressured to conform and her journey to self-love and acceptance.
The online series will be promoted through a variety of channels, including Dove Philippines
social media channels, and YouTube channel.
“The overwhelming response we received with the ‘My Hair, My Say’ campaign encouraged us to go beyond, and to shed light on real and empowering stories that inspire women to be bold and fearless, and to pursue the hair they want despite what others say.” said Jackie Mañago, Dove Brand Manager.
Defining her own style
The documentary series is directed by Annika Yanez, a 21-year-old filmmaker whose film ‘Sa Pag-Agos ng Panahon (As Time Flows By)’ won a host of accolades including Best Feature Film at Indie-Un Film Festival 2018, and was one of the finalists at Viddsee Juree Awards Philippines 2018. Annika worked with producer Melanie Entuna, whose film ‘The Eternity Between Seconds’ was one of the eight finalists of CineFilipino Film Festival 2018.
“As seen through her work, Annika makes films that are bold, compelling, and compassionate: exactly the values that Dove embraces in its storytelling,” said Kenny Tan, Head of Viddsee Studios.
“Working with local filmmakers like her is part of our mission to empower storytellers throughout the region, and having partners like Unilever can only encourage more budding filmmakers in the Philippines and beyond to create more important, entertaining and inspiring films,” he added.
Viddsee’s partnership with Unilever goes back to October 2017, when it became part of the
Unilever Foundry programme, which provides selected start-ups access to their corporate
network as well as the Level3 co-working network. Through the programme, Viddsee produced several branded pieces including two-part documentary series ‘Visible Scars, Invisible Strength’ for Vaseline Singapore; fictional short films ‘Enrichment’ for Breeze and ‘Paper Promises’ for Lifebuoy; and ’90 Days Of Hiding My Feelings’ for UniCornetto in Indonesia.
