Document Type
Honors Project
Abstract
The Philippines holds a long history of colonization and occupation from Spain, Japan, and the United States of or (the US). Today, the Philippines is heavily influenced by Western culture, holding ideologies paralleling their past colonizers. For this project, I would like to explore the culture of pre-colonial Philippines and how it is reviving itself in the present, which I frame as the postcolonial. Looking specifically at Filipino folklore and mythology I am interested in understanding the scars of colonization and how lore and rituals have sought to heal these pasts through its remembrance of traditional thought. In this moment we can witness the production of post-colonial Filipino culture through mythology/folklore in present-day media. As a media making project, I am thinking about the ways my own work contributes to this postcolonial moment. I am interested in the ways that experimental media such as Bontoc Eulogy (1995) and Trese (2021) have been utilized by Filipino animators and media artists. Through Marlon Fuentes work in Bontoc Eulogy, he demonstrates the emotions of his heritage and recounts his grandfather’s experience in the St. Louis World’s Fair. As Budjette Tan, the author of Trese, states, it is the stories from generations back, stories that stem back to our indigenous roots that are the most compelling. Through my research and film project, I examine the question, is Philippine folklore a possible form of healing from colonization, and how has it become a pathway, through art, to their pre-colonial beliefs?
Recommended Citation
Mercene, Tara Renee Masangya, "The Stars Told Me About You: Reclaiming Filipino Mythology Through Film" (2022). Media and Cultural Studies Honors Projects. 10.
https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/hmcs_honors/10
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Comments
As a continuation of this Capstone research on Filipino mythology and folklore, the author will be producing an Honors short film project. https://taramercene.com/upcomingwork
The Stars Told Me About You: Based on the Filipino mythology and deities, this short film follows Tala as she navigates through her newfound ability to see into the near future while helping Rizé, a life coach, get out of debt.