Cinemalaya's First Full-Length Animated Film Explores Trauma Through a Mouthless Protagonist
Only a day left before the 19th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival hits local theaters from August 4 to 13. One of 2023’s most anticipated entries is Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing), the first full-length animation film at Cinemalaya, ever.
Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing) follows Eric’s life as it twists and turns following the arrival of a familiar alien and the death of his uncle, both of which trigger Eric to remember his past. Did we mention Eric is mouthless, too?
Behind this story is director and writer Carl Joseph Papa, a software engineer who "likes to make films every now and then." It actually took him more than 10 years to become a Cinemalaya finalist. Don’t mistake him for a rookie, though. Papa is far from it what with several films on his roster (but more on that later).
The Filipino-Ilocano animation stars Carlo Aquino, Gio Gahol, and Golden Globe and BAFTA Award-nominee Dolly de Leon, with Never Not Love You and Alone/Together filmmaker Antoinette Jadaone as one of its executive producers.
SPOT.ph talked to Papa to know more about the film, who explains that Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing) explores “the effects of trauma to people and how it can affect one’s day-to-day living.” Papa added that he created Eric’s story with hopes of coping with his own trauma.
Watch the sneak peek of Cinemalaya 2023's Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing)
How Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing) came to life with Carl Papa’s direction
According to Papa, the film uses two kinds of general animation: Rotoscope and traditional 2D hand drawing. Rotoscope is a technique used in animation to trace over live-action motion picture footage. In Papa’s case, he used this style as a way to show Eric’s mental state without the use of words.
“We shot everything first [in] live action, then we traced the frames. This style I chose because it complements the story and the journey of Eric. In Rotoscope, viewers tend to question whether things are real or not. That goes for Eric's plight as well,” Papa told SPOT.ph. “The other style is traditional 2D hand-drawn animation. This was to evoke nostalgia and to reflect memories of one's childhood.”
Everything was shot in just four days, but the post-production process took much longer than that. It took over a year for the Project 8 Projects crew to finish the movie, with seven months’ worth of animation work.
“I couldn't say that there were any major challenges we encountered but more of we have a goal that we made sure all of us are aware of. The film tackles a very sensitive issue and the goal is to tell the story with utmost sincerity. Not just in writing, but in all aspects of creating the film,” Papa said. In fact, he was reported to have cried several times while shooting Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing) because of how close the story was to him.
Even someone as critically acclaimed as de Leon couldn’t contain her excitement for the film’s release: “I couldn’t be prouder of this first in my career as an actor. This film is also extra special to me because my character speaks Ilokano here - the language from my Dad’s side. Excited for you all to see this!”
Our trailer is out!???????? To perform in an animated feature film -??and I couldn’t be prouder of this first in my career as an actor. This film is also extra special to me because my character speaks Ilokano here - the language from my Dad’s side. Excited for you all to see this!
— Dolly de Leon (@DollyEdeLeon) July 31, 2023
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A groundbreaking step for animation in the Philippines
Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing) may be Cinemalaya’s first full-length animation film, but it was already Papa’s third. There was Manang Biring in 2015 and Paglisan in 2018. The former was about a terminally ill mother trying to survive until her daughter arrives for Christmas (what Papa acknowledges as a love letter to his mom), the latter was about the fleeting memories of a middle-aged couple.
When asked if he’s working on a future project, he replied: “Not anytime soon. Maybe. I don't know. I need to go back out there and experience life more. That's where I get my stories from.”
Ultimately, Papa is “happy and honored” to showcase Filipino talent in animation with Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing) at the 19th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.
"It is rare to see a full-length animated film from the Philippines, much so in a festival like Cinemalaya. So being the first is something I would cherish forever,” Papa said. “I hope to see more Filipino animated films in the future.”
You can watch Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing) starting Friday, August 4 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) and at selected Ayala Malls screenings.
From: Spot
