From July to September 2019, an edition of the touring film screening program, Cinemaralita, was held at the heart of Sitio San Roque in Quezon City in the midst of threats of demolition of the urban poor settlement. Founded in 2012 by the Urban Poor Resource Center of the Philippines (UPRCP), the 2019 edition of Cinemaralita was organized by UPRCP), the San Roque chapter of the Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap or KADAMAY (Federation of Mutual aid of the Poor) – a national alliance of associations and organizations from the Urban Poor sector, along with the Save San Roque alliance and SIKAD, a cultural organization which promotes urban poor rights. Since 2015, Cinemaralita are being held by UPRCP and SIKAD on various venues.

 

The aim of Cinemaralita for the 2019 edition is to strengthen its alignment with community organizing within the urban poor communities and to forge alliances with other sectors participating. It aims to grow its audience and help the community grow by reforging and realigning cultural activities with the activities of the community. On the other end, the screenings also became an avenue to encourage more community members and guests from other sectors to get organized.

 

This lecture looks into the formation of a film aesthetic not contained on its own development, but rather developed through audience feedback. More specifically, this proposes that the development of a radical film aesthetic can only come from engagement, participation and criticism from the site of struggle. As a case study, Epoy Deyto will look into the narrative and lessons from the 2019 Cinemaralita screenings.

 

SIKAD is a Nationalist-Democratic cultural organization advocating for urban poor rights through the arts. Its main activities are centered on urban poor communities, particularly those areas where the Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap or KADAMAY (Federation of Mutual aid of the Poor) organizes. SIKAD’s programs are divided into different disciplines: the Tanghalang Mulong Sandoval for Theater, the acts Zero Eviction and Dagundong for its Music programs, SIKAD Visual Art and SIKAD Film. Cinemaralita is one if the projects organized by the SIKAD Film.