Overseas Filipino Workers, an A-Z of Cultural Exports

K is for Kali Martial-Arts, A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports

‘Arnis/Eskrima/Kali – The three are roughly interchangable umbrella terms for the traditional martial arts of the Philippines. These arts emphasize weapon-based fighting with sticks, blades, improvised weapons and hand-to-hand fighting which is formally known as Mano Mano or Pangamut. Because of this training with live weapons, elements of Arnis have made an impact in film, video games, television, and comic books. Arnis is often used to train actors and stuntmen how to handle similar weapons for use in movies’.

Jeff Imada (b. 19955), Filipino/ American born  martial artist, stuntman, actor and director is arguably the most recognised Kali practitioner worldwide. According to Imada’s IMDB profile, he has worked on over 177 projects, across Hollywood feature film, shorts, TV & video games, from 1982 up until the present day. Starting out as an uncredited stuntman in ‘Bladerunner’, Imada’s  30+ year career has steadily progressed, with credits including – lead stunt co-ordinator for the ‘Bourne’ films.

#OFW more than a country of good looking, half-wit, opportunistic terrorists

J is for Jailhouse Rock, A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports

‘I have put the true meaning in the real sense of the term jailhouse rock’

The letter J is dedicated to Filipino Prison Governor Bryan F Garcia, for his curatorial vision, in utilising the arts as an instrument to social rehabilitation . In doing so, Governor Garcia uploaded a 4 minute video to Youtube of 1,500 inmates, with matching orange jump suits, dancing choreographed sequences from Michael Jackson’s 1982 music video ‘Thriller’. ‘Philippine Prison Thriller’ became viral with over 51 million hits worldwide, since it was uploaded in 2007.

‘I wanted something to thrill the world. I just found it so hilarious, so melodious. What an irony. They’re right here in this jail, considered the rejects of society, and yet these rejects are now making our province and our country proud.’

Philippine Prison Thriller’ has captured a post internet generation – followed by consequential views and criticisms broadcast alongside documentaries which tell a bigger story about the current political system in the Philippines. One such view includes –  ‘Murderers on the Dance Floor’ (2008) –  a 23 minute TV documentary for Channel 4, directed by Australian born, award-winning, film maker Sarah McCarthy.

Text taken from IMDB – ‘Murderers on the Dance Floor’ tells the story behind a YouTube clip that has now been viewed by over 9 million people. In this incredible clip 1500 inmates of a Filipino prison dance to Michael Jackson’s Thriller. But Thriller isn’t the only dance the inmates perform; their dazzling repertoire includes Giorgio Moroder’s Electric Dreams, a rock version of Canon in D and numbers from Sister Act. Director Sarah McCarthy went to the Philippines to discover why on earth a prison full of murderers, rapists and drug dealers were dancing to 80s pop. The dance spectaculars are the brainchild of Byron Garcia. Byron was appointed Head of the Prison in 2004 by his sister Gwendolyn, who is governor of the province. When Gwendolyn requests a special performance by the prisoners as part of her birthday celebrations, Byron adds one more dance to the programme – Vanilla Ice’s Ice Ice Baby. Murderers on the Dance Floor follows the creation of the newest dance in a jailhouse that seriously rocks’.

#OFW more than a country of good looking, half-wit, opportunistic terrorists

I is for Imelda Marcos, A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports

Forty years have passed since the 20 year Marcos regime, yet Imelda Marcos, first lady to President Ferdinand Marcos (1965 – 1986) continues her cultural legacy inadvertently through pop culture, in the smash hit ‘Here Lies Love’. The immersive theatrical musical and concept album, by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, ‘traces the astonishing journey of Imelda, from her meteoric rise to power, to her descent into infamy and disgrace’. ‘Here Lies Love’ premiered at the Adelaide Festival of Arts in 2010 and has toured globally since, with a recent slot at London’s ‘National Theatre’. A review by Guardian – theatre critic, Michael Billington can be read here.

#OFW more than a country of good looking, half-wit, opportunistic terrorists

H is for Rose Hancock, A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports

Rose Hancock (b. 1948) is the Australian definition of Filipino Gold Digger. ‘The House of Hancock’ launched on Aussie TV network, Channel 9, in early 2015 as a two part true-drama. The story follows Filipino ex-maid Rose Hancock and her courtship to Australia’s wealthiest man, the now deceased iron-ore mining tycoon Lang Hancock. British audiences may be more familiar with Lang’s daughter Gina Rinehart, the richest woman in the world, with an estimated £13 billion to her name, for her bold allegations against the working poor. The TV drama chooses not to sympathise with either women in Lang’s life, portraying them with humour, as both victim and villain.

#OFW more than a country of good looking, half-wit, opportunistic terrorists

G is for John Gianvito, A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports

Not strictly a Filipino Cultural Export, an exception has been made for US essay filmmaker John Gianvito, in gratitude to his 2010 film ‘Vapor Trail (Clark)’.

‘Vapor Trail (Clark)’ recently showed at the Tate Modern, in February 2015, as part of ‘Conflict, Time, Photography’, an exhibition surveying 150 years of conflict around the world. Gianvito’s ‘cinema of urgency’ examines the effects of war, on the Filipino’s 108 years after the US / Philippine war between 1899–1902. Working within the principles of Cinema Verite, Gianvito’s 4 ½ hour, essay film ‘combines interviews, historical texts and landscape photography to unravel the crippling effects of distant conflicts and legacy of colonialism on the present day’.

John Gianvito’s ‘cinema of urgency’ – I suppose it’s fair to say I’ve become, or at least aspire to be, some kind of agitator. I seek an agit-prop cinema in the original non-pejorative sense of the term—agitating emotions and propagating thoughts. As I see it, the world we find ourselves enmeshed in demands a cinema of urgency as opposed to the cinema of distraction and alienation.

Many of the Filipino artists, especially filmmakers that I have discovered through delivering this blog, are focused on delivering a truth through the lens of social realism. In order to understand the current political climate, a good deal of historical knowledge is required – which is not readily available throughout libraries, schools or mainstream press.

In an online video interview John Gianvito discusses his approach in making ‘Vapor Trail (Clark)’, through building online relations with Filipino indie media activist collective – ‘Peoples task force, for basis clean up’. Over a period of time, through sustained contact, both online and face time, Gianvito was able to gain the collective’s trust. He was thus granted access to a network of activists, where together they dedicated themselves in exposing the USA government for leaving behind a colonial trail of misery – the effects of which are still felt in the present day.

#OFW more than a country of good looking, half-wit, opportunistic terrorists