Best Direction, Best Film Score, Audience Choice Award

9:10 | Animation, Family

Logline: Back once more in the province, Alex and her mother cook the very peculiar but comforting and warm Humba, fondly reminiscing about her grandmother.

Synopsis: In a remote village of Malisbong, Amina, a 70-year-old widow is shattered by the loss of her husband Amir, in the horrific Palimbang Massacre. Unable to bear the pain, she clings to a fragile illusion: a mannequin she treats as if it were a deceased spouse. “Malisbong 50” follows her as she interacts with the mannequin, projecting her love, memories, and grief onto this inanimate object. She dresses it, talks to it, and lives as if her husband still exists. This coping mechanism allows her to temporarily escape the devastating reality of her loss and the trauma of the massacre that took Amir. However, the film hints that this constructed world is unsustainable. The presence of the mannequin, while providing solace, also serves as a constant reminder of what she’s lost. As she delves deeper into this illusion, the film explores the tension between her desire to escape reality and the inevitable need to confront the painful truth of the Malisbong Massacre and the death of her husband. Ultimately, the story suggests a journey towards confronting the past, however difficult, as the only path to healing. “Never Again” becomes a silent connotation, a reminder of the historical trauma that spread through the narrative.