ACF
Asian Cinema Fund
Asian Network of Documentary(AND) Fund
2016 Asian Network of Documentary (AND) Fund
LIST Sunday Beauty Queens
| Category | BIFF Mecenat Fund |
|---|---|
| Project | Sunday Beauty Queens |
| Director | Baby Ruth VILLARAMA |
| Country | Philippines |
| Director's Profile |
For the past 10 years Baby Ruth Villarama has been involved in documentary and narrative film production in the Philippines and the SE Asian region. Having begun with producing films and researching for international organizations, Ruth has since worked with the British Council, National Geographic Channel, Bloomberg TV, and CNN among others as a producer. She eventually co-founded Voyage Studios, which provide assistance to international and local independent filmmakers doing stories in the Philippines and its partner country regions. Her advocacy on championing social issues using films is greatly reflected on the global Filipino films her studio has produced and supported since 2009. |
- Synopsis
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The film is a deconstruction of how the world perceives beauty, happiness and dreams through the point of view of a local beauty pageant organized by migrants in a foreign land.
To feel like a beauty queen in whatever form is every woman’s desire. We capture both physical and emotional senses of a woman through visual representations and its synecdoche. Along the way, we capture life, love, sacrifices and longing.
On Sunday, Cherrie, 29, joins thousands of Filipino women commuting to Chater Garden, Central Station of Hong Kong MTR to take a sweet day-off from the week′s hard life. Sunday is freedom day.
They flock in thousands, almost congesting the city′s tram stations to accommodate the hordes of women living their 24-hour independence.
While there are posh coffee houses and restaurants available, Cherrie and her friends gather underneath the subways, in rented carton mattress chanting non-stop as if it’s their first time to talk in years.
Leo (formerly Noemi) is the mastermind behind this pageant. Working for more than three decades in HK, Leo knows almost all faces and corners of the city.
Cherrie, Mylyn and other candidates would search the best bargains in Hong Kong for their gowns and shoes. They will try to rehearse their dance numbers in between their Cinderella duties. Together with the others, they will create their Sunday fairy tale.
And the one who has the most number of votes, best talent, costumes and answers for the Q&A wins.
But everything must end at 7 pm. As the clock strikes 8, they must return to their buildings to be slaves again.
- Director's Note
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In a recent trip to Hong Kong, I had the opportunity to sit down with the Philippine Consulate with representatives from the Hong Kong government. More than 250,000 registered migrant Filipino workers are in Hong Kong. With USD 500 monthly salary, these Filipino women manage to provide for an entire family back home. I am personally moved by how our domestic helpers spend their years struggling to balance selflessness and survival in a foreign land.
The Beauty pageant held annually is their day of reckoning, their Cinderella transformation to be someone special even for just a day. But this dream and illusion of beauty come with a price.
I find their plight a microcosm of my own country or perhaps a lot of women around the world on how we adhere to the promise of beauty no matter the cost.
- Festivals
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2016 Busan International Film Festvial - Wide Angle_Documentary Competition
2017 Canada HOT DOCS International Documentary Film Festival - World Showcase
2017 Taoyuan Film Festival
- Still Cut