Kidlat Tahimik returns to Berlinale after 38 years, wins Caligari Prize

Filmmaker Kidlat Tahimik's film “Balikbayan #1 (Memories of Overdevelopment Redux III)” has won the Caligari Prize at the recently concluded Berlinale in Germany.

"Balikbayan #1" premiered at the film festival, which ran from February 5 to 10.

The Caligari Prize is awarded to a film entered in the Forum, which is the section for experimental films and documentaries from around the world.

According to a statement from the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), "Balikbayan #1" tells the story of Enrique, Magellan's slave, who travelled with him and served as the explorer's translator. He is also "paralleled by a present-day character trying to discover who Enrique of Malacca was upon the discovery of film rolls dug up from the ground."

The film, said the council, "explores the themes of rebirth, memory, cultural heritage, and cinema itself."

Tahimik returned to the Berlinale 38 years after the film he became known for, "Mababangong Bangungot " (Perfumed Nightmare) premiered at the festival in 1977.

According to the FDCP statement, Tahimik started work on "Balikbayan #1" way back in 1979 and finished it 35 years later. "This film may be my swan song," he said.

After the film screening at the Delphi Film Palast Theater, the filmmaker answered questions from the audience and performed a skit and a native ritual dance. He was accompanied at the event by his wife, Katrin Mueller De Guia, and their sons Kidlat Jr. and Kawayan. — BM, GMA News