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Music and Film | Music and Film

Fund this Bontok Folktale Short Film

Philippines

Please help us shoot our Bontok folktale-inspired short film, which is the first ever to be shortlisted in a major film festival!

by Habi Collective Media
₱150,000.00 funding goal
22 backers
136% funded
Concluded

Hi, folks! Please help us shoot and polish Tokwifi, our Bontok folktale short film, which is the first ever to be showcased in a major film festival!

Inspired by a folktale about a Bontok lad who fell in love with a tokwifi (star) that descended from the sky, Tokwifi is a period film with a modern-day twist to the story. It is a finalist for the QCinema International Film Festival - Shorts Category 2019.

 Tokwifi logline and visual rendition

 

 

An estimated production budget of PhP 500,000 will help us recreate the look of the town of Bontoc and its people in the 1950s. To achieve this, we are assembling a behind-the-scenes team of about 30 film artisans and around 40 Bontok actors and actresses. Your donation will help us adhere closely to our original vision for the film AND give ample allowance to our dedicated film workers.

We have already been awarded a PhP 200,000 grant from the QCinema Shorts Program, BUT we need to raise much, much more to really get the job done.

 

Quick Look at Major Expenses:

 

  • 3 months of pre-production (auditions, storyboarding, procurement of materials)
  • 7 shooting days
  • 2 months of post-production (editing, visual effects, sound design, coloring)
  • Around 70 people involved
  • 3 crew meals per day per pax
  • Film equipment rental
  • Procurement/construction of 1950s-style television replica
  • Production Design and Wardrobe recreating 1950s Bontoc (please refer to our video above to see our pegs)
  • Visual Effects for crucial scenes (especially, the fall of 1950s star Laura Blancaflor, the “Tokwifi”)

 

Please help this Cordilleran story reach audiences from the rest of the country and abroad! Igorot, reprazent! ^_^ 

Listed below are bank options where you can deposit your donation at your convenience. Please do not forget to send us a photo or screenshot of your deposit slip, for proper accounting, and for prompt notification when your rewards are ready to be given out ^_^ 

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PRIMARY BANK ACCOUNT (when you pay via this Spark Page)

Branch: Landbank Biñan
Name: MARK LESTER M. VALLE
Type: Savings
SA # 2386 1122 50
 

 

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Metrobank

Mark Lester M. Valle

367-3-367-16663-1

 

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BPI

Mark Lester M. Valle

0989-3982-37

 

Excerpt from the screenplay of

Name Date
Micaela Rodriguez 29 May, 2019
Ja-neh 29 May, 2019
Isabelli 30 May, 2019
Layag Productions 30 May, 2019
Sebastian Brana 30 May, 2019
Sherlynne Eddiva 3 June, 2019
Vladimir Hernandez 4 June, 2019
Michelle Paunlagui 5 June, 2019
Ate Aying 7 June, 2019
Mattz Dawilan 8 June, 2019
Blanca Fuentes 9 June, 2019
J and K Baldwi 9 June, 2019
Maya & Philip 9 June, 2019
Karen Ragudo 9 June, 2019
Anonymous 12 June, 2019
Cielo Llana 27 June, 2019
Patch Dulay 27 June, 2019
El Tiburón 28 June, 2019
Joni Ferrier 8 July, 2019
Fiscal Noel Ocampo 8 July, 2019
Jaybee & Chie Santos 10 July, 2019
National Asians & Pacific Islanders Ending Sexual Violence 12 July, 2019

Frequently Asked Questions

We very rarely see films about indigenous peoples of the Philippines that portray their sensibilities and cultural nuances with accuracy and respect. The short film Tokwifi will be produced and shot by Bontoc-born and Bontoc-based artists, and the characters (except for 1950s star Laura) will all be played by Bontok Igorot non-actors who will have passed the auditions with flying colors. Hence, we assure not only a heartwarming story, but also a period-specific and accurate rendition of the indigenous Bontok psyche.
The short film is written and directed by Bontoc-based grassroots filmmaker Carla Pulido Ocampo, and is produced and lensed by her creative partner: community organizer and Ilokano-Pangasinense filmmaker Lester Valle. They are the duo behind the critically-acclaimed documentary "Walang Rape sa Bontok" which won Special Jury Mention at the Cine Totoo Philippine International Documentary Film Festival, and the Best Documentary award from the prestigious Gawad Urian in 2015.
Filmmaking is a very tedious process which involves a lot of people. These hardworking artisans (from the director to the cinematographer, down to the production assistants and utility personnel) need to be given, at the very least, a per-day allowance which they deserve for their effort. --- Also, money is needed for major logistical expenses like food, film equipment rental and maintenance, and transportation from one shoot location to another. As the script requires shooting in forests, glades, and rice terraces, we would also need to pay for porters who will carry heavy film equipment to these locations. --- Production design for period films is also crucial. For example, the budget for the 2002 film "Dekada '70", which is a little over two hours, is pegged at PhP 40 million. This includes the talent fee for the actors and actresses (Vilma Santos, Christopher De Leon, Piolo Pascual, to name a few), but a considerable part of the budget went to painstakingly recreating 1970s Manila (wardrobe, furniture, vehicles, even '70s-style Coke bottles). Similarly, in our short film "Tokwifi" (which will be more or less 15 minutes short), we need to painstakingly recreate the look and feel of Bontoc and its people in the 1950s (kindly see the video attached to this Spark project for reference). --- Our short film only has one big star in its cast (Adrienne Vergara, FAMAS Best Supporting Actress 2019) but we wish to pay our Bontok Igorot actors and actresses, especially the one who will play the lead role Limmayug, the fee they would deserve.
With 17 pages of screenplay, we estimate the short film's total running time at 15 minutes.
Pronounced tok-wee-fee, it is the Bontok word for "star". One version of the tokwifi folklore in Bontoc, Mountain Province tells about a group of tokwifi who regularly descend to earth to take a bath in the pristine lakes of the Mountain Province. One of them stayed on earth and eventually married a Bontok man.

  • June 7, 2019

    Auditions have begun ^_^ So far, so good!

  • June 7, 2019

    Auditions have begun ^_^ So far, so good!

  • May 30, 2019

    We have created a Facebook Group where we would funnel in all updates about the projects, and where our dear Sponsors can directly ask questions to our filmmakers :) Feel free to send us a message if we have not given you an invite to this group, yet! Here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2510889425590256/

  • May 30, 2019

    We have created a Facebook Group where we would funnel in all updates about the projects, and where our dear Sponsors can directly ask questions to our filmmakers :) Feel free to send us a message if we have not given you an invite to this group, yet! Here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2510889425590256/

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Back this Project

Futattiw - ₱500.00

  • Mention of name in the Acknowledgement list, in the film’s end credits
  • Access to online downloadable copy of the final film (after Festival Round, average of 2-3 years waiting time)
  • Exclusive invite to limited Special Screenings of "Tokwifi" at Balay Habi - Bontoc
4 out of 300 claimed

Tokwifi - ₱1,500.00

  • Mention of name in the Acknowledgement list, in the film’s end credits
  • Access to online downloadable copy of the final film (after Festival Round, average of 2-3 years waiting time)
  • Signed copy of Official Film Poster (matte paper, A3 size)
4 out of 50 claimed

Chaya - ₱5,000.00

  • Mention of name in the Special Thanks list, in the film’s end credits
  • Access to online downloadable copy of the final film (after Festival Round, average of 2-3 years waiting time)
  • Framed and Signed copy of Official Film Poster with your name in the Special Thanks list (40 x 60 cm matte paper, plain black frame)
  • Exclusive invite to limited Special Screenings of "Tokwifi" at Balay Habi - Bontoc
5 out of 20 claimed

Kalalaychan - ₱20,000.00

  • Free Studio Photo Session + Digital photo files (family portrait) at Balay Habi - Bontoc
  • Film credit as PRODUCER
  • Access to online downloadable copy of the final film (after Festival Round, average of 2-3 years waiting time)
  • Framed and Signed copy of Official Film Poster with your name in the list of Producers
  • Exclusive invitation to the Gala Premiere of Tokwifi during the QCinema International Film Festival to be held on October 2019 at Quezon City, Metro Manila
4 out of 10 claimed