“THE SCHOOLHOUSE” DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

In recent years, a plethora of Filipino movies depicting stories of slum life, poverty and hopelessness has dominated the Philippine Independent film industry. Forthright & candid as they are, the films tend to perpetuate our country’s tacit acceptance of self-subjugation. “The Schoolhouse” aims to present a more courageous and heroic side of the Filipinos. 

The Philippine-American war is a seminal episode in our cultural and political history and a defining moment in the Filipino struggle to assert their national identity and reconstruct their national life.

One of the most significant events in this period is the Balangiga Massacre yet it is widely unknown in the Philippines and neglected by both Filipino and American historians. 
The film will also portray the personal and the specifics of encounter between the American soldiers and Filipinos who have bravely resisted the American occupation. It will treat from both fictional and historical perspectives, themes of deceit, betrayal and redemption. The misguided altruism and hidden bigotry that gave rise to the American colonization of the Philippines and the deaths of thousands of innocent Filipinos in reprisal for the massacre at Balangiga today strikes a chord within current socio-political conflicts and upheavals.

Although we expect the film to be a cathartic experience for many viewers in the Filipino community, both at home and abroad, we also intend to address the historical amnesia that characterizes much of the relationship between the United States and the Philippines.

A serious and personalized treatment of this story will provide post-colonial insights and perhaps spark dialogues about the ongoing struggles of other countries aspiring for self-determination. A cinematic presentation of this painful but forgotten Philippine episode is long overdue. This is why this film is important.