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The film dramatizes the internalized psychological anxieties experienced by families separated by economic circumstances represented by the main character, Nanay Cleo. The experimental docu-fiction film focuses on the fears of a half-blind mother, a Babaylan, a pre-colonial Philippine shaman, who awakens the spirits of the land to protect her overseas seafarer son whom she witnesses to be in danger from sea pirates in her visions. The hybrid film combines pre-colonial texts (baybayin), filmed footage, archival, and actual footage of Filipino seafarers at work in their container ship being attacked by sea pirates.
Jon Cuyson is a visual artist living and working in the Philippines. In 2010, he received an MFA from Columbia University in New York. His works employ different techniques and media where he investigates the complex intersections of art, history, culture, and Filipino diaspora. ANG PANAGINIP NI NANAY CLEO (Nanay Cleo’s Dream) is one of the experimental short films that he finished in May 2021. He continues to write, direct and produce films while working as an educator in Manila.
