AUSTRIA
[K]Ahon – An unplanned project that arose in the pandemic
By Ralph Chan
A
s we have all witnessed, the pandemic has caused a lot of pain, tears, and uncertainty for all of us. For a long time, we were trapped in the dark and wondered if there would be an end. We looked for something like activities that would bring us joy and distraction. For many like me, one of these was the famous Filipino screenwriter Ricky Lee’s online script workshop. Sir Ricky and his team conducted and organized the workshop. I was lucky enough to be part of it among many participants. Although we did not know each other personally and most of us have never seen each other face-to-face, it immediately felt like a familiar situation. Perhaps it was also because we were all on fire for one thing: to learn from a maestro how to write a movie script. In times like these, creative work is a relief, although it takes a lot of time, energy and is hard work.
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Art Film
Batch 24 It was not planned at all, but because of that workshop, this group of aspiring Filipino screenwriters – named Batch 24 – worked together on a film project. Since we all have to keep a physical distance from each other because of the pandemic and because some like me do not live in the Philippines, everything was handled electronically. That is also, what makes the project special. Thanks to technology, project development and execution has taken place in the digital world. Who would have thought that a global pandemic and lockdown(s) would allow 62 aspiring Filipino screenwriters from around the world and their mentor to collaborate on a short film project? The pandemic and its effects on society, but also on individuals, gave us the idea for this film project. Our shared visual interpretations of isolation is the reason why this project was developed and executed. [K]Ahon is a play on broken images, cuts and mirroring. This film is the result of the collaboration of all 62 participants in the Ricky Lee Scriptwriting Work-
