MANILA – Women of the Weeping River, one of the most critically acclaimed Filipino films of 2017, finally gets its much-deserved theatrical release this March in time for the National Women’s Month.
Directed by award-winning director Sheron Dayoc, the film tells the story of two women in a remote Muslim community caught in an escalating blood feud that stretches back generations. Satra, a young widow who has lost her loved ones because of the conflict, goes against the wishes of her family in the hopes of stopping their feud that has been going on for several years.
Set in Jolo, Sulu, Women of the Weeping River is about “the cycle of violence in Mindanao,” says Dayoc. “But [told] from the women’s perspective.”
The director explains that the conflict in Mindanao goes beyond the political. The blood feud—also locally known as the “rido”—is “a deeply rooted culture of violence” that is often unaddressed.
Dayoc, who grew up in Zamboanga, admitted that the stories of the rido were a distant reality for him. Inspiration for Women of the Weeping River didn’t come until he started filming his documentary, Crescent Rising, where he had direct interaction with war victims.
“Noong na-expose ako sa ganitong stories, doon ko nakita na I may never be able to understand their pain because I never experienced what they experienced. But I know that they have a right to live a dignified life. I know how important their voices are kahit anong gender.”
Rido is considered as a “battle of men, awayan talaga ng kalalakihan.” But it is often the women who are left at home to shoulder the losses and the damages caused by the feud. With that in mind and backed by a strong female influence such as his mother, Dayoc knew he needed to explore and tell the story of how the women viewed this unending conflict.
The film is shot entirely in Tausug and features an all-Muslim cast of non-actors. “More than their physical features, inalam din namin ang kanilang personal background so they would be able to connect to the character they are playing,” Dayoc says.
An example is breakout star Laila Ulao, who plays the movie’s main protagonist Satra. Ulao, a former nurse, didn’t even think she could be an actress someday. But Dayoc saw raw talent and strength in Ulao that made her perfect for the role.
“She also experienced a loss in her family because of a blood feud, so she knows how it feels. More than acting the character, she’s living the character. She lives and breathes the character in the film kaya mapapansin talaga yung kanyang rawness and sincerity,” Dayoc says of Ulao.
Women of the Weeping River made its premiere at the 2016 QCinema International Film Festival where it won three awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Ulao, and Best Supporting Actor for Taha Daranda.
Since then, the film has received numerous acclaim both locally and internationally.
Women of the Weeping River won the highly coveted Best Picture plum at the 40th Gawad Urian along with Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress (Sharifa Pearlsia Ali-Dans), Best Editing, and Best Cinematography. It also received the Best Film and Best Performance (for Laila Ulao) citations from the Young Critics Circle in 2017.
In the international film festival circuit, Dayoc was named Best Director at the 5th War on Screen International Film Festival in Châlons-en-Champagne in France, while the movie received the Fasken Martineau Award for Best Feature Film at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival in Canada.
Meanwhile, Ulao was named Best Actress at the 1st Asean-China Film Festival in Malaysia.
It was also selected as the opening film of the 2018 Asia Society’s 5th Asia on Screen Film Festival, which runs from February 22 to February 25 at Greenbelt 3 Cinemas.
“I am excited for Filipinos to see Women of the Weeping River,” says Dayoc. “I hope it shows to moviegoers all over the country that Mindanao is not just about war. Mindanao is also about humanity. The people of Mindanao, especially those affected in conflict areas, are people with dreams and aspirations.”
Women of the Weeping River does not hold any answers, Dayoc adds. “I don’t know how to solve the conflict in Mindanao. I don’t know how to stop the blood feud. But, at least through the film, I hope we get to explore, to see what it is that we can do.”
Women of the Weeping River, produced by TBA Studios, opens on Friday, March 23, 2018, at SM North Edsa, SM Megamall, SM Mall of Asia, SM Manila, SM Sta. Mesa, SM Fairview, SM Southmall and SM Bacoor as part of Cine Lokal. It is also slated to have an art-house theatrical release in the U.S. starting this April in New York City.
