12th Active Vista Human Rights Festival: Breaking the Cycle through Cinema
12th Active Vista Human Rights Festival: Breaking the Cycle through Cinema
Feature art by Abigail Manaluz
This year, the Active Vista Human Rights Festival called for speculation on the nation's current state—“to speculate is to resist.” The Philippines has seen intense highs and lows throughout its history, many of which occurred during election season. In any democracy, the turnover of administrations allows citizens to aspire to—even imagine—a future free of burden.
Thanakrit Duangmaneeporn and Aekaphong Saransate’s documentary Breaking the Cycle chronicles the tumultuous 2019 elections in Thailand. At the center of this storm is the now-dissolved Future Forward Party (FFP), a progressive left party that stirred up socio-political consciousness among Thai voters. The party became a symbol of hope against the country’s persisting cycle of military coups.
Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit in Breaking the Cycle.
Thai businessman Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit led the FFP from 2018 to 2020. And in those two years, the party’s collective ambition, which inspired millions, instilled fear among the ruling military authority. As the FFP’s prime minister candidate, Thanatorn gained an online following, and for many, this translated to votes. The fledgling party came in third in the 2019 elections with over 6 million votes, winning 81 seats in Thailand’s parliament.
However, FFP’s political aspirations were short-lived. Several party leaders, including Thanatorn, faced numerous legal cases. The party was seen as a threat to the dominant military rule, and in a snap, was dissolved by the Constitutional Court along with Thanatorn being suspended from his MP duties.
Members of Thailand’s National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) in Breaking the Cycle.
The Philippines is no stranger to crises of democracy; the nation has lost, grieved, and revolted. Still, the cycle of corruption and negligence rings throughout history, passing burdens from the previous generation to the next. Elections are the foundation of democracy; they’re also a test of politicians’ transparency, accountability, and integrity. But with one broken promise after another, Filipinos grow weary and dangerously border on apathy.
Electoral forum at the 12th Active Vista Human Rights Festival.
The electoral forum that came after the screening touched on the Filipino voter’s right to be hopeful amid multi-generational and multi-sectoral frustration. The forum featured human rights advocates and youth representatives who discussed the power of film in shaping culture and politics.
Atty. Tony La Viña, founding president of the Movement Against Disinformation (MAD), said the future of the nation hinges upon the youth and their ability to imagine.
“It all depends on the youth–the youth being able to imagine that we can have a better future; to take their future into their hands by organizing and taking political action,” La Viña told SINEGANG.ph in a brief conversation.
Now more than ever, alternative media is indispensable. The Active Vista Human Rights Festival stands as an avenue for unfaltering criticality expressed through creativity. Films like Breaking the Cycle crucially document the human struggle amid authoritarian administrations. Through the power of cinema, prevailing notions can be challenged and help in sowing the seeds of revolutionary change.
The 12th Active Vista Human Rights Festival ran from September 19 to October 5.
