Latest news with #VoyageStudios
Nikkei Asia
12-08-2025
- Nikkei Asia
Drama at sea in Philippines' maritime clash with China
Arts Documentary shows Beijing's aggressive tactics in disputed waters A still from the new documentary "Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea," which focuses on the maritime confrontations over fishing rights around the Scarborough Shoal and other disputed waters within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. (Courtesy of Ivan Torres/Voyage Studios) ELLA HERMONIO August 13, 2025 08:00 JST MANILA -- In late 2024, four Filipino fishermen went missing near the Scarborough Shoal, a small atoll in the South China Sea that is claimed by both the Philippines and China. Fellow crew members and the Philippine Coast Guard conducted an extensive search, but the men were never seen again.
The Star
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Filipino director pushes back after Beijing tries to block South China Sea film
MANILA: A Filipino documentary chronicling military resupply missions and fishermen's daily struggles in the disputed South China Sea has sparked diplomatic tension after China attempted to halt the film's initial screening. Directed by acclaimed film-maker Baby Ruth Villarama and produced by Manila-based Voyage Studios, the film Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea was initially set to premiere in March at the PureGold CinePanalo Film Festival in Manila. The title uses the term Filipinos officially call the portion of the South China Sea that lies within the Philippines' 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone, but which Beijing insists falls under its control. The film was quietly dropped from the Manila festival line-up due to what organisers cited as 'external factors'. No official reason was given, but Villarama's team believes political pressure from China played a role. 'It was clear these efforts weren't about artistic dialogue. They were about control. The Chinese government has long used economic pressure to influence institutions into pushing a single narrative,' Villarama told The Straits Times. 'But here's the thing: We've listened to their stories. We buy their products. We've watched their films and respect their culture. I just hope they have the same courage to listen and to watch ours this time.' Despite the controversy, the Philippine premiere is set for July 27 at a popular shopping mall in Manila. The government's board of censors had rated the film suitable for general viewing with parental guidance since March, days before it was pulled from the local film festival. The film made its international debut on June 30 at the Doc Edge Festival in New Zealand, where it screened to positive reviews despite a formal protest from the Chinese Consulate-General in Auckland. Screenings in Wellington and Christchurch have been scheduled for later in July. In a letter to festival organisers before the screening, which was later posted online, the Chinese Consulate-General called the film 'rife with disinformation and false propaganda' and urged the organisers to refrain from screening it, saying it would 'mislead' the public and harm China-New Zealand relations. Doc Edge rejected the request, affirming its commitment to 'independence and curatorial freedom'. Food Delivery won the Tides of Change award, which the festival grants to films that highlight global issues, such as conflict, human rights and climate justice. The Straits Times has reached out to the Chinese government for comment. The controversy only drew more attention to Food Delivery, which offers rarely seen civilian and military perspectives from the Spratly Islands, a region in the disputed sea claimed by the Philippines, China, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan. Told through the lens of Filipino troops delivering supplies to remote military outposts and fishermen facing Chinese harassment at sea, the film seeks to humanise an issue often framed in technical or political terms. 'It's about so much more than the West Philippine Sea. It's about how food, a basic human need, becomes a language for connection, resistance and care,' said Villarama. 'And in that way, it becomes something every audience can understand – Filipino, Chinese or anyone who's ever craved meaning in the middle of chaos.' Despite the global attention, Food Delivery has not secured commercial distribution in the Philippines. No major cinema operator has agreed to screen it as tensions between Manila and Beijing simmer on. In general, documentaries rarely reach mainstream cinemas in the country, where commercial chains favour blockbuster fare. Independent film-makers often rely on film festivals, university circuits or grassroots community screenings. Ms Villarama's team has embraced this model, coordinating independent screenings with advocacy groups, schools and film collectives. The documentary will be shown again at the same Manila shopping mall in August, with more community screenings planned after that. Associate Professor Danilo Arao, who teaches journalism at the University of the Philippines (UP), said China's efforts to block the film reflect both media suppression and diplomatic overreach. 'It's not just an issue of media freedom; it's also an issue of overreach on the part of China because they are trying their best to deodorise their image and to control the narrative pertaining to what they claim to be control over the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea. So it's deplorable that they're doing that,' he said. Dr Arao believes the Philippine government should be more proactive in defending artists and journalists from foreign political pressure. Villarama said that since reports of China's intervention in New Zealand, some Philippine officials have quietly reached out to her team. 'We're not expecting uniform support from them, especially when geopolitics are involved. But I do hope this film encourages our leaders to defend freedom of expression, and to stand with the people whose lives and labour make that freedom necessary,' she said. Dr Aries Arugay, visiting senior fellow at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore and chairman of UP's Political Science Department, called China's actions 'undue intrusion into the internal affairs of another country'. He said Beijing increasingly uses seemingly benign sectors such as trade, art and cultural exchange as tools of influence. 'There are no benign aspects of relationship with China because they can weaponise and use it against the country,' Dr Arugay told ST. He said Food Delivery might not contain direct criticism of China, but its existence contradicts Beijing's tightly managed narrative on the maritime dispute. In April, then Senator Francis Tolentino accused the Chinese Embassy in Manila of running a 'hidden and sinister' disinformation campaign to sway public opinion and discredit critics of Beijing's South China Sea claims. China denied the allegation and has since banned Tolentino from entering the mainland and its territories. Dr Arao and Dr Arugay say Food Delivery's visual storytelling is especially powerful in the Philippines, where television and cinema heavily shape public consciousness. 'A documentary is potent from a Filipino cultural perspective because we are visual as a people. It will penetrate the public consciousness more, so it's threatening to them (China),' said Dr Arugay. The backlash from Beijing has only strengthened Villarama's conviction that her film's message is more urgent than ever. 'The attempts to block the film didn't intimidate us. They clarified our purpose,' she said. 'Food Delivery isn't just about delivering food. It's delivering a message: that Filipinos have had enough. Enough of being pushed aside, erased or told who we are. It's a call to remember who we are, and who we must never become'. - The Straits Times/ANN
South China Morning Post
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Filipino film on South China Sea tensions wins in New Zealand despite Chinese pressure
Filipino documentary spotlighting the daily struggles of fishermen, naval cooks and coastguard personnel in the contested South China Sea has earned international recognition, with its director telling This Week in Asia that the award was a validation of honest storytelling in the face of political pressure from Beijing to cancel its screening. Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea took home the Tides of Change prize at the Doc Edge Festival in Auckland, New Zealand, on July 3. Directed by Baby Ruth Villarama, the film chronicles the human dimension of Manila's maritime claims, offering what she described as a 'gentle yet powerful' way of reframing geopolitical tensions. Villarama is best known for her award-winning 2016 documentary Sunday Beauty Queen about Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong, which earned Best Picture at the Metro Manila Film Festival. Her latest film's win in New Zealand comes after it was pulled from a Philippine event earlier this year for undisclosed reasons. Just days before its scheduled premiere at Manila's Puregold CinePanalo Festival in March, the festival organiser and film producer released a joint statement confirming the movie had been pulled. 'While the decision was made jointly … it is clear that external factors played a role in this outcome,' they said, without providing further details. Baby Ruth Villarama during the filming of 'Food Delivery'. Photo: Voyage Studios Villarama told This Week in Asia the experience was disheartening, but her team 'quietly submitted' the film to overseas festivals. Doc Edge was the first to respond. 'They saw it not as a threat, but as an urgent human story worth sharing with the world and the people of New Zealand,' she said.
Filipino Times
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Filipino Times
Filipino documentary on WPS wins at Doc Edge Festival in New Zealand
A Filipino documentary highlighting the maritime tensions in the West Philippine Sea has gained international recognition after winning an award at the 2025 Doc Edge Festival in New Zealand. 'Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea,' directed by Baby Ruth Villarama and produced by Voyage Studios, received the Tides of Change Award under the Best Festival Category in the Academy Award-qualifying film festival. The documentary follows the high-risk missions of Filipino fishermen and personnel from the Philippine Coast Guard and Navy as they deliver essential supplies to military outposts in the West Philippine Sea, an area within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone that remains under pressure from China's expansive territorial claims. In a statement on Facebook, Voyage Studios dedicated the award to those safeguarding Philippine sovereignty in the disputed waters. 'This is for every Filipino defending the West Philippine Sea. In the face of silence and fear, we carry the truth and now the world hears us. The journey has just begun. May more people see our fight,' the post read. Doc Edge, short for Documentary Edge, is an internationally acclaimed documentary festival and a leading platform for non-fiction storytelling in the Asia-Pacific region. Held annually in cities across New Zealand and online, the festival showcases films that challenge perspectives, inform audiences, and inspire change.
