Ajyal Film Festival 2024

All Films

The Headhunters Daughter (Hija ti Mengor)

Ajyal Competition

Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan / Short Narrative / Philippines / 2021 / 15 min / Colour
In English, Ilokano / Arabic, English subtitles
Interests: Drama, Family, Identity

Synopsis

Lynn leaves her family behind to traverse the harrowing roads of the Cordilleran highlands in the Philippines, to try her luck in the city as a country singer. Motivated not by money or fame, she simply wants her voice to be heard and the chance to appear on television so her father might see her perform. Laden with vestiges of American colonialism, this Sundance awarded short is a haunting ballad about the erosion and ultimate replacement of indigenous cultural traditions.

About the Directors

Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan is an independent filmmaker born of Ifugao and Visayan descent. Eblahan’s works explore themes of trauma, spirituality, and nature told through the cosmic lens of post-colonial spaces and indigenous identities. In 2021, Eblahan’s film ‘Hilum’ won the Student Prize and received Special Mention from the International Jury at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.

Credits

Director
Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan
Screenwriter
Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan
Producer
Hannah Schierbeek
Co-Producer
Alemberg Ang
Cinematographer
Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan
Editor
Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan
Production Company
Prima Materia Pictures
Sound
Henry Hawks
Mixing
Bonifacio B. Martin
Music
Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan
Cast
Ammin Acha-ur, Karla Prol Rev G. Naogsan, Pablo Quintos, Paul Brian Tulioc Baldoza, Shekinah Cudao

blog comments powered by Disqus