‘I-Witness’ director tackles motherhood, misogyny in debut feature film ‘12 Weeks’

When Anna Isabelle Matutina first started writing “12 Weeks” in late 2017, she was about to turn 40 and was struggling with the possibility of never having children.

“So I took to writing in order to confront my frustrations and feelings of inadequacy as well as reexamine my preconceived ideas about motherhood,” she said.

“That journey was messy but cathartic, an earnest attempt to expose myself and my darkest thoughts. And though I still have no clear answers, I knew I had a story—one that I’ve always hoped to see in our own local cinema.”

That story ended up being “12 Weeks,” one of the entries to this year’s Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.

It follows 40-year-old Alice, who ends her toxic relationship with Ben and learns she is carrying his child. Alice thinks of abortion, but while her body undergoes dramatic changes, her emotional state goes into turmoil with feelings of insecurity, confusion, and anxiety.

Another challenge is how her estranged mother Grace insists that she keep the baby, while her only ally Lorna has a crisis of her own.

As the date of her abortion draws near and her first trimester symptoms become more severe, Alice struggles with gaining control over her body and mind. Alice must then decide if she wants to get back together with Ben, but also sees how her choices can affect her baby.

“‘12 Weeks’ is not just a story about mothers, but the modern Filipino woman who continues to struggle in a highly conservative and deeply patriarchal country where anti-woman laws continue to exist and misogyny is as blatant and common as your daily dose of midnight press conferences,” said the multi-awarded filmmaker, documentarist, and editor.

“It is about the women who struggle to give birth to the kind of world we want our children to live in.”

Isabelle is a director and editor for the longest-running and multi-awarded television documentary program, “I-Witness.”

Having worked in the same show for more than 15 years, she and her team have bagged multiple local and international awards, including the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award in 2009 and a nomination for the International Emmy Awards in 2013.

“12 Weeks” is Isabelle’s first feature film. Before Cinemalaya, the film was recently part of Bangkok ASEAN Film Festival’s first Southeast Asian Project Pitch (SEAPITCH).

The film stars Max Eigenmann as Alice, Vince Larena as Ben, Bing Pimentel as Grace, and Claudia Enriquez as Lorna.

Cinemalaya Film Festival opens Aug. 5. The full schedule of film screenings is available on the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ website and social media pages. – RC, GMA News