A documentary-fiction film on the Ati people who are indigenous to Panay Island won Best Full-Length Film in the Cinemalaya 2024.

The full-length film entitled “Tumandok" (to mean native to a certain place) showed the way of living of the Ati community, the struggles they face daily to protect their ancestral land, and their plight against the wealthy and the powerful. 

The film was shot in Sitio Kabarangkalan, Barangay Santo Tomas, in the town of Barotac Viejo, Iloilo Province.

The movie is directed by Ilonggo filmmakers Arlie Sweet Sumagaysay and Richard Salvadico who spent two years on visits and long stays in the community to interview and immerse.

They said that the objective is to tell the story of the Ati people truthfully.

The docufiction was chosen as a big winner because of "its focus on a marginalized sector of Philippine society, its nearly epic sweep of the life and landscape of a people disempowered by the wealthy and the powerful and victimized by government neglect and corruption, its highly convincing characters and effective ensemble acting by a cast of non-professional actors, and for its highly effective filmmaking in defense of the rights of indigenous people to their ancestral domain," according to a review shared by the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Aside from the “Best Full-Length Film” plum, the movie also garnered the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) Award, Best Original Score, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Felipe Ganancial who stands as elder of the Ati community.

Salvadico hopes for a screening of "Tumandok" in Iloilo and its entry to various international film festivals.

The two filmmakers are also coordinating with groups that can help fast-track the release of land titles for the indigenous people (IP) of Sitio Kabarangkalan.