Project Description
God BLISS Our Home | 오 나의 블리스 (2017)
For 10 years, Nawruz has lived in BLISS, a former government housing project that has now become a shelter for local migrants, city workers, and university students. Originally from the southern Philippines, he has decided to stay in Manila not only for work opportunities but also for the comfort and freedom of urban living.ButstayinginManilaisn’teasy— and it isn’t cheap either.He accepts freelance design and animation work, sells beauty products, joins a community lending scheme, and thinks of renting a whole flat in BLISS and lease its rooms to others to earn and save money. One day, his mother calls and asks him to come home. She is worried about his financial troubles and offers to help.Reluctantly, he agrees and uses this opportunity to connect again with his family, especially with his mother whose values have always been old-fashioned. God BLISS Our Home is Nawruz’sself-portrait documenting his struggles to survive in Manila, his passion to pursue his dreams and continue making films, and his efforts to position himself in the vast socioeconomic and political sphere of a fast-paced city. But it is also his personal letter to his mother, an attempt to make her understand his sexuality and changing priorities in life.
Director | NAWRUZ PAGIDOPON |
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Producers | SINAE HA | WOOYOUNG CHOI |
Country of Production | KOREA | PHILIPPINES |
Shooting of Production | PHILIPPINES |
Shooting Format | HD | 1920 X 1080 | 60p |
Screening Format | DCP | Digital |
Sound | 5.1 Surround | Stereo |
Length | 76′ | 45′ |
Languages | Cebuano | Tagalog |
Subtitles | English | Korean |
Genre | Animadoc | Selfie Documentary | Social Issues |
Year of Production | 2017 |
Website | http://godblissourhome.com |
Director’s Statement
What could possibly a Filipino millennial face today?
– Love, career, self-fulfillment, motivation, connection, independence, and the List goes on!
As a filmmaker, I pour my heart and soul to tackle a deep concern we face in spite of the assertion that the Philippines economy is growing. In Manila, good and quality housing, healthy working conditions and Long-term security are still difficult to achieve especially for an IocaI migrant coming from the south.
This heavy contemporary issues in the film are presented in a most simplistic story in a Lighthearted approach that can easily be followed by a Filipino and global audience. This creative documentary explores the method of “selfie” footages considering that the Philippines is a “selfie” capital of the world according to an article in TIME Magazine. The story presents a fresh and unique Angie about urban migration in a personal perspective coming from a young filmmaker and animator.
– NAWRUZ PAGUIDOPON, DIRECTOR
Awards
Premieres
WORLD PREMIERE | Salamindanaw 2017 (Philippines)
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE | Skip City International D-Cinema Festival 2018 (Japan)