Bontoc Eulogy

The historical frame spans the Philippine Revolution (1896) and the Philippine–American War (1899-1902), leading into the 1904 World’s Fair. The narrative shifts to the present as the narrator reconstructs his past through archives, footage, and recollection. Time in the film is braided, intertwining past events with contemporary reflection to explore memory and belonging.

The Philippines serves as the narrator’s homeland and the backdrop for his grandfathers’ histories. The central event is the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, a stage where Indigenous people were exhibited, reflecting the era’s colonial gaze. The story also touches San Francisco and Manila as travel routes and locations tied to memory, with possible ties to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. as a repository of remains and archives, grounding memory in a network of places.

🌍 Identity

A Filipino-American narrator grapples with belonging to both the Philippines and the United States. The film follows his search for roots, revealing how identity is shaped by memory, lineage, and the stories we tell ourselves. Personal history becomes a lens to question national loyalties and cultural assimilation.

📜 Memory

Memory functions as a fragile archive, reconstructed through narration, reenactments, and archival footage. The film questions what is remembered and what is erased, especially when history is mediated by screens and museums. The narrator's quest to locate his grandfathers' fates highlights memory's power to shape identity.

🏛️ Exhibition

The World's Fair segment exposes the commodification and gaze through which Indigenous people were displayed. The narrative critiques how Western audiences framed 'other' cultures as objects of curiosity, stripping them of agency. This theme confronts the ethics of display and the lasting impact of colonial exhibitions on memory and history.