‘The sights and sounds are comforting and special — allowing me the space to ruminate from an early age about the land and the sacrifices that fortified it. – Don Eblahan’
Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan, from La Trinidad, Benguet, is one of the newest Pinoy filmmakers to break into the international filmfest scene. Don’s “Vox Humana,” a short sci-fi drama about an eccentric biologist interviewing a wild man, is making its debut at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). “Vox Humana” is one of four movies made by Filipinos that will be screened at TIFF which runs from September 5 to 15; the other Filipino-made films are “Sunshine” starring Maris Racal and directed by Antoinette Jadaone, “Viet and Nam” produced by Bianca Balbuena, and “Bona” directed by Lino Brocka and starring Nora Aunor.
The TIFF hailed Don’s sci-fi short film and described the 28 year-old as “One of Filipino cinema’s most remarkable talents… (He) crafts his boldest vision yet: an utterly distinctive blend of science-fiction allegory and existential drama that yields a profound enquiry into human interconnectedness.”
Growing up in the Cordilleran mountains was certainly inspiring for Don. He told Malaya Business Insight, “The sights and sounds are comforting and special — allowing me the space to ruminate from an early age about the land and the sacrifices that fortified it.”
The indigenous culture would also be reiterated to him in school. “[Regardless of whether] they were Catholic or Christian institutions, deep indigenous values and culture were ingrained (on us, the students). Teachers and staff would remind us of our ancestry each and every chance they would get,” explained Don.
As a kid, Don was shy and somewhat of a loner. He revealed, “When I first moved schools and had a hard time finding friends as a sixth grader, I spent a lot of time in Centermall, the most iconic local shopping center in Baguio.”
There, a mundane activity like lining up to take a jeepney had a profound effect on him.
Don recounted those moments with very visual and poetic detail. “Waiting in lines that stretch as long as the building itself, often wrapping around in corners. This became my routine daily, seeing the sun come down through the tight alleyways and overflowing power lines, often hearing the blaring country music from boom boxes, and avoiding betel nut spit on the ground.”
Those trips trained him to be keen and intuitive. Not only did he take in the sights, he observed his fellow passengers and everyone he encountered. “I people-watched my way through such an exhaustive journey, making friends with people’s personalities without interacting, creating stories in my head about who they are and how they connect to me…. Everyday.”
Aside from having a dreamlike, misty look, Don’s films also tend to be about displaced characters who are finding their way in the world. For instance, his short film “Hilum” is about a young female professional who seeks a shaman to cure her inability to cry. Don’s other short, “Headhunter’s Daughter” – Jury Prize winner at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival – is about an aspiring singer who leaves her family and tries her luck in the city.
“Due to my upbringing, all of my films feature native identities, no matter if it’s a film about indigeneity or not,” he underscored.
Don’s identity comes to fore as he embarks on making his full-length film entitled “Hum.”
The story, he elaborated, “is a loose adaptation of an ancient Ifugao folktale that my ancestors used to tell to explain the sound of thunderstorms.”
For this project, he would like to cast actors with a Cordilleran background. “One of tribal descent or grew up in the northern indigenous regions,” said Don. “While I have a few professional actors in mind to portray our main characters… I am interested in getting to know performers in our industry who share a Cordilleran background as well. Many local actors from the region are very talented so they are definitely in the pool of performers that I would like to involve in the casting process of the film.”
While Don is now based in the US, he continues to tell the stories and experiences of the Cordillera that is close to his heart. “The land inspired me to portray it as how I saw it growing up there, and I want to show it honestly and through memories.”
