RISING WATERS, RAISING RIGHTS: Cinemata presents human rights through the lens of water

SHORT FILMS that explore human rights in relation to water — as survival, environment, memory, livelihood, and resistance — make up “Rising Waters, Raising Rights,” a film festival commemorating human rights.

Exhibited online, the festival kicked off on Dec. 10, which was International Human Rights Day, at the University of the Philippines, and will run until Dec. 20. It is organized by Cinemata, a video platform dedicated to showcasing independent films from the Asia-Pacific region, with a strong focus on social issues, community storytelling, and human rights advocacy.

“Often, environmental rights are seen as separate from human rights, but water is a fundamental human right. It’s about the territories we live in, our access to a healthy environment, and our survival,” Eunice Hel-era, the festival’s film programmer, told BusinessWorld in a Facebook message.

The Philippine edition of the program is co-organized by Film Workers Against Corruption and curated by Elevated Frames PH, which Ms. Helera leads. In addition to the online screenings, there are also physical and communi-ty-based screenings to be announced, including talkbacks and facilitated discussions, mounted across partner venues and organizations within the 10-day screening window.

The chosen films, divided into three interconnected thematic programs, present stories of coastal labor, climate vulnerability, displacement, queer becoming, cultural memory, and community resistance:

Sinking Grounds — This program centers on climate, flood, and survival, with five films that tackle environmental destruction, displacement, and everyday adaptation. The films are: Dahican (2023) by Boogs Rosales; Sunog sa Sugbo (2025) by Jon Owen Lepiten; Kung Bakit Madumi ang Ilog sa’min (2024) by Aaron Alsol; Here, Here (2020) by Joanne Cesario; and Dagami Daytoy (2020) by Noni Abao.

The program offers subtle depictions, like in Here, Here, where water is not directly seen but is instead heard, to show how mining operations pollute and disrupt communities. It also offers straightforward documentary, like Dagami Daytoy, which shows the effects of mining on indigenous lands.

Ms. Helera pointed out that the films don’t only guard against overt violence. “Sometimes it’s about how people fight to preserve their environment and their way of life,” she said, adding in a timely note that “we shouldn’t glo-rify resilience when people are struggling with the consequences of government neglect.”

Tides of Silence — A unique take on the overarching theme is “Tides of Silence,” which presents stories of queer identity, psychological violence, longing, myth, and becoming. The films here are: Sea Lullabies (2025) by Mina Cruz; Silang Mga Naligaw sa Limot (2021) by Vahn Pascual; Read-Only Memory (2022) by Kristine Camille Sulit and David Corpuz; More Than Just Ripples (2024) by Xanthe Baldonado; and Astri & Tambulah (2017) by Xeph Suarez.

“We do think it’s important to recognize that the urgency of these recent films reflects the immediate crises we’re facing — climate change, political tension, and social upheaval,” Ms. Helera explained.

On the more cultural themes of family, love, loss, and memory, she told BusinessWorld that the films may be new, but their subject matter is not. “The issues and concerns we fight for in human rights have been longstanding and have always been here longer than what we’re currently sharing in our program,” she said.

Fisherfolk & Frontlines — Finally, showcasing stories about labor and livelihood at risk is “Fisherfolk & Frontlines.” In it are depictions of the realities of maritime labor, ancestral waters, and survival under economic and ecolog-ical pressure. The films here are: Salog Ning Diklom (2021) by Siege Ledesma; Lusong (2023) by Nolz Dela Cruz; Dambuhalang Panganib sa Pakil (2025) by Joanna Robles; Yaman ng Dagat: Batanes (2012) by Nick Deocampo; and Objects Do Not Randomly Fall From the Sky (2024) by Maria Estela Paiso.

Ms. Helera said that she and the programmer for the Malaysian edition of the festival curated the films based on advocacies close to them. “For me, it was the current strong wave of the times back in September, about the flood control projects, and the release of [the documentary] Food Delivery which talked about territory disputes,” she said.

The program on fisherfolk takes viewers from Batanes and Zambales to Laguna and Bicol. The documentary Lusong, set in Bulacan, highlights the reality of those without access to jobs or food security and how they turn to dan-gerous electric fishing to provide for their families.

To conclude, Ms. Helera expressed her hope that films that speak to Filipino realities will continue to be supported.

“We hope that viewers will appreciate seeing how water has been a lens for human rights over time,” she said. “This is an ongoing conversation, and we want to keep that door open for more perspectives.” Organizations, institutions, and film clubs that wish to mount a free community watch party may coordinate directly with the organizing team via e-mail: contact@cinemata.org. For more information on the screenings, follow Cinemata’s official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/cinematavideo. — Brontë H. Lacsamana