VIFF Update: Standing Ovation for Treasure of the Rice Terraces 

By Julian-Rey Fortaleza

With so many features and shorts playing at VIFF, it can be incredibly easy to get lost in the crowd. It takes something truly special to be able to stand out and garner the praise that Treasure of the Rice Terraces is receiving. The documentary, directed by Vancouver’s own Kent Donguines, looks at  the tattoo culture and discrimination in the Philippines. With a heavy focus on the story of Apo Whang-Od, the film shows us that the history of tattoos in the Philippines, is her story.

The movie was received with an incredible standing ovation from the Granville Island Stage audience on it’s 2nd day, after having it’s VIFF premiere with a sellout crowd. A special live Q&A session followed the screenings with director Kent Donguines and Cinematographer John Fleming. Fleming shared the incredibly difficult process of bringing a production to Buscalan and director Kent was able to show off the tattoos he received during the film. 

Vancouver has had a long history in the film industry. Vancouver has also had a long history with it’s Filipino community (the first Filipino immigrant to Canada lived in BC after all). Now with Kent Donguines and our growing Fil-Can film community, we can truly have our stories be told and shared by us, and for us.