The Town
THE TOWN OF PAYATAS:
Payatas, possibly the poorest place in the world, is a garbage collecting town in the outskirts of Manila in the Philippines. We started pre-production in the town in 2002, started the workshop for the scavengers in 2004. We shot the film in 2007 and we are currently in the final stages of post-production.
Here are some links and articles that I found in the internet that will best describe Payatas.
Harper’s Magazine- The Magic Mountain
VIDEO DOCUMENTARY: Payatas, A Mirror of Poverty
ARTICLE about the film written at ADVANCE MAGAZINE FOR OT
Read Below
I will add more links later. Let us know if you want to add your or site or any link.
Richard in a scene from THE MOUNTAIN THIEF. He is sitting in a ground of trash accumulated for decades. In the background are their shanties on top of trash.
An OT sheds light on the lives of an impoverished Filipino community in his film The Mountain Thief
Located outside of Manila in Quezon City, Philippines, is Payatas, a landfill that
has become infamous not only for its mountains of garbage but also for the people who live in and around it.
According to visitors, Payatas is recognizable first and foremost by it overwhelming smell. “Imagine taking a couple of sticks covered in garbage and shoving them up your nose, into your brain. That’s what it’s like when you get there,” Gerry Balasta, OT, said of the area “There’s a toxic element to the stench.”
That element comes from the garbage added daily to the site. There are no restrictions on what can and cannot be dumped, and so everything from paper goods to rotten food to dirty diapers is trucked in and left.
Among other conditions, disabilities are common in Payatas. According to Ma Theresa Agdoro, a representative of the Vincentian Missionaries Social Development Foundation Inc., a non-profit organization and the social action arm of Ina ng Lupang Pangako Parish, her organization treats children up to age 25 who have conditions ranging from learning disabilities to hearing impairments to hydrocephalus, a disorder in which an abnormal amount of fluid accumulates in the brain, causing swelling.
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Balasta is one of those individuals. Raised in the Philippines, he became and
worked as an OT. He then moved to the United States, working over at hospitals, schools and nursing homes in Texas, Florida and New
York.
He then decided to pursue his passion for filmmaking, and after making
several short pieces, began putting together his first full-length piece, The Mountain
Thief.
The Mountain Thief tells the story of a father and son who move to Payatas in an
attempt to escape the violence of the southern Philippines. They seek refuge in the
garbage-collecting town, believing it is their only chance for survival.
The film uses actual people from the dump in the cast and crew. Balasta
conducted an extensive training workshop in Payatas prior to the start of filming, and
with the help of acting coaches, selected cast and trained members whom he felt fit best
personified the characters.
One actor in particular stood out, a now 10-year-old boy who played the son in
The Mountain Thief. The character is blind, so when Balasta began casting for him, he
looked specifically for a visually impaired child. He chose Richard Casas, a child with
hydrocephalus.
Born with the condition, Richard has never received medical treatment for it. His
head is slightly larger than normal, and he is nearly blind. Eventually he will require a
shunt to drain the excess fluid from his brain, but for now he is stable and is affected only
somewhat by the disease. “It’s his world,” Balasta said. “He’s a little embarrassed
because his head is bigger but . . . he makes the most of it.”
To teach him the lines, acting coaches read the script to Richard, which he
memorized. “He would get it so quick,” said Balasta. “I could say a random dialogue
[including one he wasn’t involved in] from any part of the script, and he responded to
each and every line.”
With an actor like Richard and a similarly impressive cast, Balasta filmed the
movie and then returned to New York to edit.
Although not through post-production, yet, Balasta has already received a
considerable amount of positive attention for the film. It was selected to be a part of the
IFP Film Lab in June and received favorable scores in a recent New York screening.
The IFP Lab is a prestigious program that receives hundreds of submissions every
year, Balasta said. Only 11 narratives are selected and invited to participate in it. Those
who do participate attend workshops and lectures on distribution models and networking,
and receive editing advice from renowned film editors.
The screening Balasta conducted in July proved what he learned from the IFP Lab
was helpful. Out of 43 audience members, “Only 4 didn’t like it. Most gave 8, 9, 10.
They said it was powerful, amazing, upbeat,” Balasta reported.
Balasta hopes the success of The Mountain Thief will continue so he can give
back to the Payatas community. “I don’t know where I’m going to be,” he said. “But I
can join the dialogue and tap into different groups. If the film does well, I’ll directly help
them.
-Sue Coyle, Advance Magazine for OT
For more information on The Mountain Thief including production stills and a trailer,
visit www.mountainthief.com.
Filming Hope (excerpts)
Advance Magazine, Sept. 1, 2008
Advance For OT
By Sue Coyle
