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Dambana
Production Country (s) Philippines Production Company (s) Center Stage Productions
Genre Drama Production Spec 4K / Color / 80min
Production Stage
(or Project Status)		 In Development Expected Date of Completion Q4 2021
Total Budget
(Negative Cost)		 400,000 USD Confirmed Financing 10,000 USD
(Production house investment)
Fellow Name Carlo Camilo VALENZONA
Director Honee ALIPIO Email of Director honee.alipio@gmail.com
Profile of the Director A long-time collaborator of Carlo Valenzona, she has been working as a freelance screenwriter in the Philippines. Her works include Taklub (Cannes 2015) and Mindanao (Busan 2019) both by Brillante Mendoza. She started as a screenwriter for TV and independent films until Brillante Mendoza saw her passion in 2015, where she was a volunteer for an NGO helping the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban, Philippines. Dambana is going to be her debut film as a director.
Producer (s) Carlo Camilo VALENZONA Email of Producer (s) film@carlovalenzona.com
Profile of the Producer (s) Studied Associate in Arts and Multimedia Studies in University of the Philippines. In 2014, he started in the industry as an assistant line producer to the late Larry Castillo, who was Brillante Mendoza’s producer. He also started on producing short films, Imago (Cannes 2016) and Judgement (Cannes 2017), both directed by Mendoza’s protégé Raymund Gutierrez. Since then he steps up as a producer of the films; Underground (San Sebastian Fedora Award 2017), Alpha: The Right to Kill (San Sebastian Jury Prize 2018) and the Netflix series AMO (2018). He previously attended TIFF Japan, HAF Forum, and Cannes Producers’ Network.
Logline A prominent but mercenary sculptor, Jon, is commissioned to build a symbolic monument of Filipino comfort women for past Japanese soldiers. Ignorant of the history, he discovers tragic stories of three old grandmothers. However, his journey with them faces challenges by the current diplomatic pressures.
Synopsis JON (38), a talented and money-driven sculptor, is asked to erect a monument by a humanitarian organization named ‘Lila Pilipina’ for Filipino comfort women during the 2nd World War. Feeling hesitant, he starts to meet a few fragile, teary-eyed grandmothers in their 90’s who dare to speak of their past.

First, MARIA (92) shares how she was captured and tortured by the Japanese soldiers in the 1940’s while she was gathering rice for dinner. She shows huge scars and bruises in her stomach caused by their abuse. Jon is disturbed with her story and becomes a good friend of her grandson, ROD (40). Second, LUCITA (90) shares memories about sneaking to unite and give hope of getting away with other captive girls, while her father performs music for the Japanese soldiers. As Jon sees hope in it, he gradually improves his sketch model for the monument. Another grandmother MINDA (90) reminisces about the sacrifice of the comfort women, when one of the captive girls has to die in exchange for their freedom from the comfort station.

After meeting them, Jon’s heart changes upon hearing their stories and realizes that they are real heroes from the past. He is very committed and succeeds to unveil the monument in front of the grandmothers. However, when the Japanese government expresses their dismay and threatens Philippines-Japan relations, it gets taken down. After Maria dies, Jon connects to Rod and finally installs his artwork again in a private property.