Tribu (film)

Tribu
Directed by Jim Libiran
Produced by Dodge Dillague, Jim Libiran, 8 Glasses Productions
Written by Jim Libiran
Starring Shielbert Manuel, Karl Eigger Balingit; Honey "Hi C" Concepcion; Malou Crisologo; Charena Escala; Jamir Garcia; Rey Javier Guevarra; Apollo Labastida; Gilbert Lozano; Ira Marasigan; Albert Moreno; Resty Perez.
Music by Francis de Veyra, Mark Laccay
Cinematography Albert Banzon
Edited by Lawrence S. Ang
Release dates
  • July 21, 2007 (2007-07-21) (Cinemalaya)
  • December 3, 2008 (2008-12-03) (Philippines)
Running time
 95 minutes
Country Philippines
Language Filipino

Tribu (English: Tribe) is a 2007 Filipino crime drama film directed by Jim Libiran, released in its home country of the Philippines. It stars real life gangs members from the film's setting in Tondo, Manila. The tagline is: "Every night, juvenile tribes prowl the streets of Tondo. An explosive hiphop, freestyle gangsta celebration of inner city Manila."[1]

Most of the actors were residents of Tondo, and most were still active in street gang activities in the area during the making of the film. Fifty-two members of seven rival clans agreed to work together to finish the movie.[2]

The film received nine awards and fourteen nominations, including Best Actors and Best Film at the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, Best Actor Ensemble at the Cinemanila International Film Festival[1] and the Gawad Urian Awards. Tribu also won the Pari de l'Avenir 'Bet for the Future award' at the Festival Paris Cinema awards – the only non-European film to do so.[3][4]

Plot

Taking place at present times, Tribu tells the story of street life in the slums of Tondo, Manila, a lower class suburb in the northwest portion of the city of Manila. The film is told from the viewpoint of a young ten-year-old boy named Ebet whom we follow as he witnesses the deadly lives of teen age gang members in Tondo and the events that lead to their explosive confrontation. The film follows Ebet who witnesses three youths being initiated into the Thugz Angels gang. In the opening sequence of the film, the 10-year-old boy explains the genesis of the tribes. They exist, he says, because the children are poor. They are poor because they or their parents lack jobs. In Tondo, the boy says, you have to be tough or you die. Even a child needs to be tough. But in the hell that is Tondo, he says, even a child can be God.

The Thugz Angels tribe members chance upon a blood-soaked body of a member of another gang. Police arrest a Thugz Angels member for the murder. The murdered teen is a member of the Sacred Brown Tribe, whose leaders vow to avenge their fallen member. They learn that Diablos gang members killed the SBT neophyte. During the wake, SBT members forge a reluctant alliance with the Thugz Angels, and assemble to raid the Diablos lair. The dangerous unlit streets and labyrinthine alleyways in the ghetto district of Tondo in Manila serve as a claustrophobic backdrop to a random killing that triggers a wild and bloody gang war

The Diablos are older, more experienced, and confident of their fighting prowess. They know that they are being targeted for revenge and prepare accordingly. Ebet lurks throughout the story, an enigma that is part innocent child and cynical adult. His loyalties are a mystery, and all that is clear to us is his love for his drug-addicted mother.

Cast

The main roles are played by actual gang members, some of whom used their real "gang alias" in the movie, such as O.G. Sacred, Young Cent and Raynoa.[5]

Production background

Film director Jim Libiran often had to deal with the fact that some of his cast members were being pursued by rival gangs or the police, and production was occasionally interrupted by incarcerations or shootings. Several members showed up at the acting workshop held by Libiran armed with weapons.[5]

Reception

Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino pointed out the gritty portrayal of the Tondo district in the film: "[Libiran's] Tondo reeks of the true effluent of human sewage, pulsing with the din and blare of its noise and confusion, to the howl of animals led to their slaughter in Vitas [...] Gangs foster fellowship though the brutality of hazing and the camaraderie of drinking sessions. They celebrate life in and out of season, even as they seem bent on a bloodbath for the killing season. There’s no let-up to life and passion."[6]

According to Variety Magazine the film "takes the viewer deep inside a Manila slum blighted by drugs and gang violence [...] a disturbing snapshot of a community in chaos."[7]

Screen International described it as "[a] powerful but downbeat portrait of a world ruled by the vicious circle of poverty and crime, focuses on its main victims, the young generation, angrily self-destructing itself out of sheer desperation."[8]

Public acclaim

Tribu has won nine awards and fourteen nominations and has been praised in its homeland of the Philippines. The success of the film has sparked an increase in independent filmmaking in the country.[5]

Awards and nominations

According to the Internet Movie Database,[4] Tribu won five awards and received ten nominations. Among those:

Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival 2007[9]

Cinemanila International Film Festival

Festival Paris Cinema

Gawad Urian Awards

Gawad TANGLAW 2007[10]

Notably, Tribu was the only non-European film to win at the Festival Paris Cinema. Tribu competed with films from France, Japan, China, Haiti, Mexico, Great Britain and Hungary-Germany.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 "» Agimat : Film » The 10 Best Filipino Independent Films of 2008 ...". Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  2. ↑ Staufer, Helen; Christopher, Michael. "Urban/Rural - Let's have a talk with Jim Libiran". manycinemas.
  3. 1 2 Diego Jr., Bayani Sa (July 12, 2008). "'Tribu' is only non-European film to win at Paris fest". Inquirer.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Awards and nominations for Tribu at the Internet Movie Database
  5. 1 2 3 Conde, Carlos H. (November 1, 2007). "In "Tribu," real-life Filipino gangs collaborate onscreen". International Herald Tribune. Archived from the original on March 1, 2009.
  6. ↑ Zulueta, Lito B. "Tribu: Blood-lusty ballad of an inner city". Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (MPP).
  7. ↑ Variety's Richard Kuipers on TRIBU
  8. ↑ Fainaru, Dan (October 11, 2007). "Tribe (Tribu)". ScreenDaily.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2009.
  9. ↑ Cruz, Marinel (July 31, 2007). "Shrieks, roars at Cinemalaya awards rites". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on December 30, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  10. ↑ Dimaculangan, Jocelyn (4 March 2008). "ABS-CBN named Best Station by Gawad TANGLAW". PEP.ph. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
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