The Flight of Banog (Sa Paglupad Ka Banog)

Amang Baoy, a Panay Bukidnon old man, and his son Rohan sit in a bonfire one evening when the latter looked very sad, prompting the father to tell a portion of the Sugidanon, an epic of the indigenous Panay Bukidnon people of the Philippines, by way of chanting. This portion of the epic narrates the hero, Humadapnon, who will be saved through the help of Banog, the hawk. This leads the indigenous peoples doing the traditional hawk dance, celebrating a tale of hope, love and resurrection.

Elvert Bañares is a film director, producer and multidisciplinary artist. He is a two time Urian Award nominee given by the Philippines’ longest-running Film Critics’ group; three time Cultural Center of the Philippines winner for independent film; and, winner of 5 awards during the pandemic years in Copenhagen, Berlin, Los Angeles and Ontario. His films have been selected in more 70 international film festivals in 30+ countries across 6 continents. In 2021, he was an invited guest at the 34th Tokyo International Film Festival. His film Sa Paglupad Ka Banog is the first film in Philippine history to have been given consent by the Panay Bukidnon Elders to do a cinematic translation of portions of the Suguidanon Epics. The film has been selected in 15 film festivals by far including the 42nd FANTASPORTO, 38th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Fest and the 33rd São Paulo International Short Film Festival.

Plays in

Shorts Program I: DIVERGENT TALES