MANILA — National Artist Kidlat Tahimik suddenly breaks into singing Yoyoy Villame’s folk song about Ferdinand Magellan at the online launch Thursday of the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP) 2020. He goes, “In March 16,1521 when Philippines was discovered by Magellan...”

It was a nutty way to drum up support for the film fest, a hodgepodge of 140 legacy and retro films with current and never before seen photoplays and shorts starting on October 16 at the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) website.

One of Tahimik’s movies, “Balikbayan #1 Memories of Overdevelopment Redux III,” dubbed as the never-ending film-in-progress of Tahimik, will be shown at the classics section of the online fest.

The film is about the first foray of Spanish colonization of the Philippines and odyssey of Enrique de Malacca, Magellan’s slave and interpreter, believed to be a Cebuano, and considered the first Filipino traveller who circumnavigated the world in 1519-1522 from
the East Indies to Spain to the Philippines and back to Spain. He survived the fabled slaying of Magellan by Cebuano chieftain Lapu-lapu on his return to Spain with explorer Sebastian del Cano.

Liza Dino, chair of the FDCP, laughs at Tahimik’s antics while he zooms in for the PPP video conference from pristine Baguio where he asserts the pine trees have not been COVID-infected. The laughter comes with the commitment that FDCP will help support him in putting the finishing touches to the film which he started in the early '80s.

"He was first acquired as a slave pero sa huli sa pananaw ko, Enrique de Malacca was the spiritual master of the voyage. He was just leading Magellan by the nose to complete his crossing of the Pacific. I will get lynched by historians!" said Tahimik of his film which has gradually evolved through the decades.

He said he said he wants to finish his opus by 2021, the quincentennial of Spanish colonization of the country. "Matatapos ko yan by 2021, I have my bamboo camera to finish it!"

Tahimik also encourages filmmakers to eschew Hollywood superheroes to produce more films in 2021 about unsung local heroes.

Tahimik’s other movie "Ang Lakaran ni Kabunyan" (Kabunyan's Journey to Liwanag), will also be showcased at the PPP.