What does lack of education mean? To 40-year-old Agustin, an indegenous charcoal-maker in the Philippines with a family to support, it means being exploited by your boss, cheating you out of wages. Fed up with others taking advantage of him, Agustin, with a dream to change his life, undaunted, decides to go to school - starting with first grade. At school and in his community, Agustin is optimistic, friendly, helpful and a good singer. Being the breadwinner, a husband and father, Agustin’s dreams are challenged by the harsh reality of balancing his education with the demands of supporting his family. When he goes to school, his time at work suffers; when he skips school, he is scolded by the teacher for falling behind. What will Agustin choose, his life-long dream of education, or continue to sacrifice his health and the environment for his son’s education and keeping the family afloat? In her feature documentary debut, with compassion and humanity, director Grace Simbulan examines the life of a man struggling to create a future for himself and his family. Through an intimate lens that follows Agustin, his family and their community for years, the film echoes Agustin’s singing: honest, raw and beautiful. — Jing Yang, Features Programmer
*Single-film ticket purchases begin June 4. Virtual film screenings are only available for Texas viewers.
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Grace Simbulan
PRODUCER: Benito Bautista, Emma Francisco
EDITOR: Johnny Bassett
LENGTH: 73 min
LANGUAGES: Tagalog and English with English subtitles
COUNTRY: Philippines
GENRE: Documentary
ACCOLADES / FESTIVALS
2020 Gawad Urian Award for Best Documentary
FAMAS Award for Best Documentary
2019 DMZ International Documentary Film Festival
2019 QCinema International Film Festival
2019 Hainan Island International Film Festival
2020 Cinema Rehiyon XII Film Festival
2020 Guam International Film Festival | Grand Jury Award Nominee for Best Documentary