MANILA, PHILIPPINES – To Calm the Pig Inside, a poetic and insightful personal short film essay into the effects super typhoon Haiyan leaves on the people of Tacloban, a small seasides city in the Philippines, will have its world premiere in competition at the 26th edition of the Slamdance Film Festival.
The filmmaker, Joanna Vasquez Arong, shares at first she was not sure if a film on typhoon Haiyan was her story to tell, since although she spent many weeks in the devastated areas, she is from a neighboring island. She felt there was another layer to the stories which had not been shared. Locals recounted to her their reflections, disappointments, dreams and even the jokes they shared with each other in order to cope with the trauma. She then decided to approach this story as a personal film essay, interweaving her own experience with the stories she heard from the community at large. The film became a contemplation on how people cope with both personal and collective pain.
Super typhoon Haiyan was one of the strongest cyclones to ever make landfall, and left the Philippines with an official death count of around 6,000 over six years ago. Many locals, however, believe the actual death toll is closer to 15 – 20,000.
The Philippines is vulnerable to natural disasters including volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and typhoons. At least 20 typhoons pass through the country every year. Just at the end of 2019, a few islands known as tourist destinations were devastated from Typhoon Ursula, and the long dormant Taal volcano close to Manila erupted at the beginning of 2020. In this context, it is frustrating to hear similar stories of continued suffering from mis- management of these disasters, persisting.
Joanna has always been interested in the human spirit in the face of difficult choices and has explored this theme in her films. She also filmed her first narrative shorts, Sol and Gabby, exploring how children deal with the aftermath of an earthquake and a typhoon. She is also now set to direct her first feature narrative, The Sigbin, named after a mythological creature known to be loyal to its master, which explores the relationship of an assassin and his daughter he only recently discovers.
For To Calm the Pig Inside, Joanna collaborated with photojournalists Veejay Villafranca and Piyavit Thongsa-ard, as well as storm chaser James Reynolds, to include powerful and sensitive images and footage taken during the powerful Haiyan storm and in its immediate aftermath.
Written, directed and produced by Joanna Vasquez Arong | Associate Producers Christopher Clower, Erica Brenner, JM Rodriguez | Editor Lawrence S. Ang | Still Photographs by Veejay Villafranca & Piyavit Thongsa-ard| Typhoon Footage by James Reynolds & Mark Thomas | Sound Design Akritchalerm Kalayanamatir | Music Evgueni Galperine | Support from National Commission for Culture and the Arts
