Maratabat (2014)

The massacre of 58 people mostly journalists, lawyers and women in the town of Ampatuan in the province of Maguindanao last November 23, 2009 placed the Philippines on top of the list of most dangerous places for journalists. The heinous crime did highlight the real danger faced by working journalists especially in local areas in the archipelago like Maguindanao. However, beyond this incomprehensible and undeniably horrendous crime are layers and layers of stories that also speak about the kind of reality that is unique in a place like Maguindanao. It's about clan wars that are often dictated by the clan's pride and honor anchored on the standing in the community. The movie Maratabat (pride and honor) is not about the Maguindanao massacre of 2009. The movie draws parallelism to that grim event in recent history and expounds on both the simplicity and the complexity of how a clan's honor and pride is protected and how one man's strong hold on his faith and belief changed the course or path of the inevitable revenge of the aggrieved. Yes, it is based on true events, covered and reported through the years by journalist turned filmmaker who is known for her intrepid pursuits of stories especially in certain conflict areas in Muslim Mindanao.