A DOCUMENTARY on the West Philippine Sea dispute directed by an alumna of the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters (AB) has reaped an award in an international film festival.
“Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea” by Journalism graduate and producer Baby Ruth Villarama won in the Tides of Change category at New Zealand’s Doc Edge Festival on July 4.
Established in 2005, the Doc Edge Festival is an Academy Awards-qualifying film festival run by a non-profit organization in New Zealand. This allows the West Philippine Sea documentary to be considered for an Oscar this year.
The winning film centers on the maritime dispute between China and the Philippines, including the life-threatening journey faced by Filipino fishermen, Coast Guard and Navy personnel in defending their rights over the area.
“This is for every Filipino defending the West Philippine Sea. In the face of silence and fear, we carry the truth and now the world hears us,” production firm Voyage Studios said in a Facebook post.
The Tides of Change category honors the most compelling stories on waters that explore the depths of life, “shaping identity, struggle, and transformation in currents both tender and turbulent.”
Villarama finished her bachelor’s degree in Journalism in 2000 at UST. She earned her master’s degree in film marketing and distribution at Birmingham City University in the United Kingdom.
The film director is also known for her internationally acclaimed and 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival Best Picture, “Sunday Beauty Queen.” F
