by Lj Varon
‘Aswang’, a documentary directed by Alyx Ayn Arumpac, notches Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography awards and became the first documentary to win Best Film at the Gawad Urian Awards ceremony held on Thursday, October 21.
The critically-acclaimed documentary reveals the extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations under Duterte’s “war on drugs,” capturing the grim reality in the slums of Metro Manila as night falls.
The ‘Aswang’ team announced the news on Thursday night in a Facebook post, thanking the organization Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino for the recognition.
“Para po ito sa lahat ng pinaslang, kinulong, at nawalan ng mahal sa buhay sa giyera kontra droga,” they said.
“Habang ginagawa namin ang Aswang, ilang beses din naming narinig ang linyang ito: ‘Kung alam ko lang na papatayin nila ang kapatid/asawa/anak ko, hindi ko na sana siya binoto."
“Sa susunod na taon, huwag sana nating sayangin ang ating mga boto sa mga kandidatong lumabag ng mga karapatang pantao kung hindi man, sumuporta at kumonsinte sa pag-abuso nito.” they added.
They also expressed the need for a leader who will hold those accountable and who will value the lives and dignity of Filipinos, hoping that in the near future, there would not be any more stories like the ones in Aswang.
The team ended their post with a reminder that there is still a week left until the end of voter registration for the upcoming 2022 elections.
The 44th Gawad Urian Awards ceremony, which had been postponed for a few weeks, was held to honor the best in Philippine cinema.