Moonrise Film Festival Films

This year, Moonrise features award winning films from
past festivals including international award winner
Children of the Mountains.

Read through the list below to view the synopses of each
film. To check film schedules, click here.

Imagine what the Philippines looked like centuries ago. Practically the entire archipelago almost completely forested. Mountains teeming with wildlife, rivers, and oceans full of fish and shrimp. Meet the Agta. One of the last hunter gatherer tribes in the world. The original forest dwellers have lived peacefully with the land since time immemorial. They are the first people to have come to Philippine shores and have lived a peaceful existence living on the beaches and forests of the Sierra Madre Mountain range.

GODS OF RICE    Discovery Channel Int'l Media Authority of Singapore, DocuLand Associated Media GmbH, KG, and the Moving Visuals Co. Ptelto
Directors: Galen Yeo and Mashizan Masjum

For over 7,000 years, the use of rice for food has
shaped history and landscapes, gave birth to
civilizations and invoked the gods. The Gods of Rice looks at the art of survival in the modern world and the impact of change on rice-growing communities that
define Asia.

WAILING OF PARADISE   CEDC

   This documentary examines the Philippines' ongoing
conflicting national goals of economic stability and
"sustainable" mining practices. Situated in Southeast Asia between the South China and Philippines Seas, the
Philippines has been an attractive location for foreign investment and trade. Given this vast expanse of untapped mineral wealth, the Philippines' economic history has been heavily shaped by the mining industry. Recent political and legal developments have once again put the mining industry (and the encouragement of foreign direct investment in such industry) in the national spotlight.  Despite the strong opposition of the Mindoreños against mining, the national government believes that it is the key to progress. But whose progress is on target? A documentary film for the care of the environment, culture, and life of Mindoreños.

Memories of the Sea Neil Daza and Nanette Matilac

This film essays the lives of the Badjaw, or sea gypsies, in the city. They have abandoned their seafaring lifestyle due to the long war and sea piracy in the Southern Philippines. Displaced from their home by sea, they want to resettle in a coastal environment, where they can regain their true nature
as people of the sea.

Environmental Art Lili Arivara

There is a gallery of colorful, different species under the sea waiting to be seen. It is a journey worth taking. The picturesque and breathtaking scenes below our shores are
a feast to the eyes and a delight to the senses. Environmental Art is an experience that would last in everyone's memories.

Butch Nolasco

This documentary follows the journey of architect
Augusto Villalon as he makes a pilgrimage to the eight
Philippine World Heritage Sites. Showcased in this
documentary are sites such as the Tubbataha Reef
Marine Park, the Puerto Princessa Subterranean River
National Park, and the Rice Terraces of the Philippine
Cordilleras.

Moving Mountains tackles the destructive effects of
large-scale mining on the lives, culture, and environment
of communities in Cordillera. After playing host to
these mining companies they remain poor, their
resources depleted and their place destroyed. In
contrast, small scale mining in Balbalan, Kalinga is
being effectively managed by the Banao tribe.

Hingal Hingal Hingalo! Jose F. Cuaresma

Hinga… Hingal… Hingalo…” takes a close look at a life –threatening public menace: the largely unseen but very dangerous poisons released into our environment by open burning and the incineration of waste. Communities in high-level exposure areas give a horrifying account of the effects on their life and health. .

Paang Walang Saplot (Barefeet) Fr. Diego A. Orcino, SVD

Reflections of a Mangyan youth on her tribe's plight:Appreciating the value of their life, culture,livelihood; Analyzing their present situation-loss of land and threats to culture; Speculating on how to cope with life in the present society;Hoping lowlanders can respect the sacredness of indigenous grounds.

Sa Dulo ng Paraiso Fr. Romeo J. Villavicencio

"On the Edge of Paraise" is a documentary film discovering the richness of life in a beautiful place we called Bulalacao which is situated in the southern most tip of a province considered by its inhabitants as paradise. The film tackles its history, culture and abundant life.

The Hidden Treasures of Agutayan Johnny Cabreira

The Agutayan Marine Sanctuary showcases the positive impact of collective action in the fulfilment of a vision. The vision of rehabilitating and enhancing a dying coral reef. In what was once an almost barren, sunken desert life returns amidst the splendor and mystique of sunken pyramids and vibrant marine diversity as humans learn to unite and rebuild what others destroyed. The Society of Environmental Advocates for Mindanao, Inc. represents the non-government and volunteer efforts which largely sustain rehabilitation and monitoring activities in the sanctuary. .

The Silent Natives of Fuga Karie Garnier

A Filipina and her Canadian husband's journey into paradise turns into a nightmare when they discover the unliveable rules imposed on the 2,000 poverty-stricken natives of Fuga island.

Using elegant motion graphics, UNESCO- endorsed photographer Karie Garnier transforms 675 still photos into a potent plea that says: “Let's help these people.”

Wala ng Tiempos Muertos   Boyette Rimban

Tiempos muertos is the recurring dead season in Negros when there is no work in the sugarcane fields. It is part of a cycle that has trapped farmers into poverty and servitude for decades. Wala Nang Tiempos Muertos shows how collective ownership of land, sustainable farming and fair trade is changing the fate of farm workers in Negros.

Agno    Erlyn Ruth Alcantara

The Agno river that provides the irrigation of farm fields and sources to low-scale gold miner is threatened once more as San Roque Dam is set for construction. The government's authorization has roused the sentiments and fury of the tribal communities as they have personally witnessed the damages that previous hydroelectric dams have done to the Cordillera region.

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Tamaraw Quest   Milo Paz

Endangered and threatened with extinction, the tamaraws are sought by two hopeful students to learn more about this species who also happens to be the symbol of their University. Leaving Manila behind with purpose of returning back to shed light to fellow FEU students, the pursuit of the elusive and feral animal begins.

Winning the War on Garbage   Joe Cuaresma

Winning the War in Garbage is a documentary on real-life success stories of communities that have set up and operated their own sustainable waste management systems and facilities through the help of Mother Earth Foundation.

Wala ng Tiempos Muertos Boyette Rimban

Tiempos muertos is the recurring dead season in Negros when there is no work in the sugarcane fields. It is part of a cycle that has trapped farmers into poverty and servitude for decades. Wala Nang Tiempos Muertos shows how collective ownership of land, sustainable farming and fair trade is changing the fate of farm workers in Negros.