Balikbayan #1: Memories of Overdevelopment Redux III, Kidlat Tahimik’s one-off and internationally recognized creation,  is set to close the Cinema Rehiyon 7 (CR7) in Cebu this coming August.

Balikbayan #1 has won for Tahimik the Caligari Film Prize in the 65th Berlin International Forum of New Cinema in February. The work was also screened and has been well-received in other international festivals like the Singaporean Biennale and the 39th Hong Kong International Film Festival in April.

The epic freeform documentary explores Filipino colonialism from a different perspective. It follows the life of Enrique of Malacca, a Visayan slave brought by Ferdinand Magellan. Balikbayan #1 also serves as a historical corrective, putting Enrique into the spotlight as the true first man to circumnavigate the world; a claim said to be supported by Antonio Pigaffeta’s chronicles.

To strongly prop the “journey” feel of Tahimik’s film and to highlight his expertise in the art of film editing, he also utilized a combination of old and muted footages with that of new ones. Tahimik also stars in Balikbayan #1 as the protagonist Enrique along with George Steinberg, Kawayan de Guia, Wigs Tysman, Katrin de Guia, Kabunyan de Guia, Danny Orquico among others.

This one-off “Indio Genius” creation of Tahimik will be screened in select cinemas in SM Cebu on August 9 as part of the CR7, the flagship program of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts’ (NCCA) National Committee on Cinema.

For more details, please contact Ms. Bambi Beltran, Festival Director for Cinema Rehiyon 7, through 09471763343 or email your concerns to bambibeltran@gmail.com or Mr. Rene Napeñas, Head of the Public Affairs and Information Office, through 09285081057, 527-2192 loc 208 or through email address ncca.paio@gmail.com.