In December 2019, Cha, Matt and I returned to Marawi in search of a story. We had spent quite some time in the region working on features for NGOs. This time we wanted to concentrate on something more personal, without the restrictions.
Three years after the Marawi Siege, people continue to struggle with the effects of war. They also face the backhoes of the government, who have threatened to take over their ancestral land. We pitched our 3-minute trailer to the Tribeca Film Institute’s If/Then program and were elated that our project was selected as a finalist for their development lab. It is unfortunate that due to the ongoing pandemic, the scheduled session in Bali, Indonesia this June 2020 was canceled. But things could be worse, we still have our health to be thankful for, so we will adjust and work with an online mentoring and pitching session instead. It’s still a great honor to be chosen by such a prestigious institute.
This will be my first directorial feature documentary.
Here’s hoping the film can be completed by mid-2022. xoxo
Read more from the Tribeca Film Institute Website
Shirin Bhandari 