Explore the vibrant culture of Filipino fishermen and their deep connection to the sea. "Margarita Island'' retells ancestral Filipino wisdom about the relationship with "buwayas" or crocodiles. Through the artful use of audio, Marion Aguas captures the essence of the tradition of sharing our Filipino culture, in the same way that these myths and customs have been shared for centuries.
''I made 'Margarita Island' to continue the practice of sharing our Filipino myths and customs through oral storytelling. Through the audio in the film, I am able to pass down a piece of ancestral Filipino knowledge the same way that the protagonist hears about the story of buwayas from their father." - Marion Aguas
Marion Aguas (he/they) is a photographer and filmmaker based in New York. They cut their teeth in the streets, documenting and organizing with the Filipino National Democratic movement and the W.O.W. Project, a women, queer, and trans-led community initiative that uses art and activism to protect NYC Chinatown’s culture. In 2017, they started a portrait project of queer Asian-Americans, which inevitably led them into the QTBIPOC nightlife and drag scenes in New York. Informed by their own experience as a trans person of color, Marion uses their camera to immortalize queer joy as a form of liberation. They have shown work at The Wing Luke Museum, Red Hook Labs, the San Diego Filipino Film Festival, and MoodRing.
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Facilitating the conversations are award-winning filmmakers and SDFC co-founders Benito Bautista and Emma Francisco Bautista, and Alicia de Leon Torres, Deputy Director of the Nemeth Foundation and SDFC Board Member. Sound design and edit by SDFC Technical Director, Miko Aguilar. Key art design by SDFC Communications & Social Media Manager, Tiara Liz Deriquito.
Nemeth Narratives is presented by The Nemeth Foundations in partnership with San Diego Filipino Cinema and New Americans Museum
sdfilipinocinema.org