Private Project

Litany of the Land Forsaken

Shackled by different forms of oppression, a woman explores where litanies begin and where human faith ends.

  • Ana Mai dela Rosa
    Key Cast
  • Richard Olano
    Director
  • Richard Olano
    Writer
  • Richard Olano
    Producer
  • Richelian Olano-Lant
    Producer
  • Richard Olano
    Cinematography
  • Richard Olano
    Editing
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Litaniya Sang Dutang Ginpatumbayaan
  • Project Type:
    Experimental
  • Runtime:
    4 minutes 10 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 28, 2019
  • Country of Origin:
    Philippines
  • Country of Filming:
    Philippines
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • The Peter Solis Nery Foundation International Film Festival

    Grand Prize Winner (Peter's Prize for Excellence in Film)
  • 7th Nabunturan Independent Film Exhibition (NABIFILMEX 7)

    Official Selection
  • 7th Nabunturan Independent Film Exhibition (NABIFILMEX 7)

    Nominee, Best Music
  • 7th Nabunturan Independent Film Exhibition (NABIFILMEX 7)

    Nominee, Best Cinematography
  • Sinelamdag Film Festival 2019

    Best Experimental Film
  • SineDisipulo VIII

    Official Selection
  • Quarantimes: Short Films from the Regions

    Featured Film
  • 10th Pelikultura: The CALABARZON Film Festival

    Official Selection
  • BAMASA Film Festival 2020: Stories from the Islands

    Official Selection
  • Zamboanga Film Festival 2021

    Best Film
  • Zamboanga Film Festival 2021

    Best Director
  • Zamboanga Film Festival 2021

    Best Editing
  • Zamboanga Film Festival 2021

    Nominee, Best Screenplay
  • Zamboanga Film Festival 2021

    Nominee, Best Cinematography
  • Zamboanga Film Festival 2021

    Nominee, Best Production Design
  • Zamboanga Film Festival 2021

    Best Culture-Sensitive Film
  • Zamboanga Film Festival 2021

    Nominee, Best Actress (Ana Mai dela Rosa)
  • Oroquieta Film Festival 2021

    Official Selection
  • Bakunawa Cinema of the Young 8

    Official Selection
  • Cinemugat: The 1st Tagum City Short Film Festival

    Exhibition Film
Director Biography - Richard Olano

Richard Olano is a 20-year-old writer and filmmaker from Sapian, Capiz. He is currently taking up a bachelor's degree in nursing at West Visayas State University, where he serves as the News and Special Reports Editor for the official university publication, Forum-Dimensions. He has independently produced, written, and directed six short films programmed in various film festivals across the country, including Cinema Rehiyon — a flagship project of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts - National Committee on Cinema, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Gawad Alternatibo twice in a row (in 2020 and 2021). At 18, he was awarded the first-ever Peter's Prize for Excellence in Film by The Peter Solis Nery Foundation for Hiligaynon Literature and the Arts. In June 2021, he became one of the ten global journalists invited to Udine, Italy's 23rd Far East Film Festival Campus, a program for young film writers and critics from Asia and Europe.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Time and again, our socio-political landscape reminds us that a vicious system of oppression and injustice exists. There is a pervasive divide — not even litanies can extinguish — that enables the perpetuation of the struggles of the marginalized.

As a filmmaker, I strongly believe in the power of storytelling and its capability to reshape oppressive systems. Litaniya Sang Dutang Ginpatumbayaan (Litany of the Land Forsaken) is my revolution, my activism in its abstract form. It is my interpretation of the Filipino people's attempt to break free from the grimness of the status quo. It challenges notions of faith, salvation (both physical and spiritual), and the very idea of a nation that claims to protect its people when it does otherwise.

Crafted in experimental form and shot on a mobile phone in its entirety, the film encourages a reexamination of one's political and spiritual beliefs to bring one closer to their truth.