Sendusout

Himig is a Tagalog term which means harmony, agreement, and melody. It is a Deep Tagalog term, meaning it is not used much in everyday speech so when it is used it’s message is significant. I signifies that all parts of something come together to make a powerful whole. It is used in songs about Christmas to imply all of the elements of the season make it special. It is used to describe the unity in a successful team. It is used to identify a piece of music that is exceptional.

This year, we at WMC, produced a short film entitled Himig as an entry into an international film festival called the 168 Hour Project. Our goal as a team was to produce a uniquely Filipino film that would not only be successful in the film festival but would become a ministry tool for us here in the Philippines.

Each team is assigned a scripture verse based on a topic and is then given 168 hours to produce a 10 minute film on that assignment. The topic for 2009 is Family Business and the scriptural assignment for WMC was Matthew 12:46-49.

WHILE He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Then one said to Him, “LOOK, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!

In the verse we see conflict between Jesus and his biological family. They are concerned for Jesus due to the negative speculation being created by his public ministry. They desire to save him from making matters worse for himself. We see the tendency for familiarity to produce contempt or doubt. Of all people, Mary should appreciate Jesus’ divinity, however she still deals with the motherly desire to protect her son by encouraging him to make ‘safe’ decisions. We see Jesus exemplifying the truth that our Spiritual calling should take precedence over all else in our lives. We see Him acknowledge those who have made this sacrifice and reward them by accepting them into His ‘family’. At times obedience to this calling requires sacrifices in other areas, however the eternal benefits are obvious (Matthew 6:33). We see how Jesus deals with conflict with those that he loves the most. He encourages them to see the truth that obedience to God’s calling is paramount and grafts us all into God’s family.

Integrating the theme and message of our scripture assignment into a Filipino context was easy. The prioritized importance of family relationships and obedience to one’s family is a major cultural value among Filipinos. There is also a common concept of the ‘second family’ in the Philippines. Those who are struggling, unloved, or impoverished will often times seek out relationships outside their immediate family in which to find support and acceptance. We also see the pressure placed on the eldest son in a family to be successful in their education in order to find a well paying career so that they might help financially support the family. Many families have at least one parent working abroad in order to pay for this education and there is the expectation that the children should focus entirely on the provision of the family over outside pursuits or concerns. Finally, we see the core value of all Filipinos to be extremely loving and giving to others.

Overall, we are really proud of how the film turned out…and so are the festival judges. We were nominated for awards in 6 categories.

1. Best International Film
2. Best Scriptural Integration
3. Best Screenplay [drama]
4. Best Original Score
5. Best Support Actress
6. Best Production Design

We will find out in a few days the results of the judging, but whatever they are, we are blessed as God truly helped us create something special. Pray for Himig as it helps to impact the lives of Filipinos. We hope you enjoy the film.