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Mangyan Ambahan: Wisdom for Our Filipino Soul

Mangyan Ambahan: Wisdom for Our Filipino Soul is a powerful documentary by Chiara Cox, created in collaboration with the Mangyan Heritage Center. The film explores one of the few surviving ancient Filipino writing systems—the Hanunuo Mangyan script—an Indic-based script that remains a vital expression of Mangyan identity.

At the heart of this culture is the ambahan, or “sung poetry,” a literary form that passes wisdom from generation to generation. Each seven-syllable verse, inscribed on bamboo and chanted in community gatherings, offers a poetic glimpse into the pre-colonial Filipino soul—its values, beliefs, and philosophies.

Over 20,000 ambahan have been preserved thanks to Antoon Postma, the Dutch missionary and anthropologist who both deciphered the Laguna Copperplate Inscription and safeguarded the Hanunuo script. Through interviews, personal stories, and rare archival materials from the Mangyan Heritage Center, Chiara’s film brings this oral and written tradition vividly to life.

Mangyan Ambahan is not only a celebration of cultural resilience but also a reflection on modernity’s impact on an indigenous community that has long valued peace, harmony, and continuity. Through her personal lens, Chiara reveals how the Mangyan people’s wisdom continues to inspire Filipinos—and the global diaspora—to reconnect with their ancestral roots.

Tim Brookes, a global leader in script endangerment and revitalization, described it as fascinating and outstanding. The Endangered Alphabets Project recognised Chiara Cox with the Documentary of a Minority Script Award on World Endagered Scripts Day in 2025. The National Audio-Visual Conservation Center at the Library of Congress acquired a copy on 18th November 2025. Screened worldwide, the documentary finally premiered on the island where the Mangyan have lived for centuries in the Mina ng Hinas event at the Oriental Mindoro Heritage Museum in February 2026.

  • Chiara Cox
    Director
    Evelyn Mandac: The Filipina Soprano Who Broke Opera Glass Ceilings
  • Chiara Cox
    Producer
    Evelyn Mandac: The Filipina Soprano Who Broke Opera Glass Ceilings
  • Chiara Cox
    Editor
    Evelyn Mandac: The Filipina Soprano Who Broke Opera Glass Ceilings
  • Chiara Cox
    Writer
    Evelyn Mandac: The Filipina Soprano Who Broke Opera Glass Ceilings
  • Chiara Cox
    Key Cast
    "Narrator, Interviewer"
    Evelyn Mandac: The Filipina Soprano Who Broke Opera Glass Ceilings
  • Quint Delgado Fansler
    Key Cast
    "Founder of Mangyan Heritage Center"
  • Emily Lorenzo Catapang
    Key Cast
    "Executive Director of Mangyan Heritage Center"
  • Lolita Delgado Fansler
    Key Cast
    "Former President of Mangyan Heritage Center"
  • Resti Pitogo
    Key Cast
    "Ambahan Researcher and Mangyan Heritage Center Trustee"
  • Uyan Daay
    Key Cast
    "Mangyan Culture Bearer"
  • Anya Postma
    Key Cast
    "Ambahan Chanter and Bamboo Whispers Mangyan Script Writer"
  • Romy Daay
    Key Cast
    "Ambahan Chanter"
  • Bangay Bugnot
    Key Cast
    "Ambahan Chanter"
  • Rita Luna
    Key Cast
    "Ambahan Chanter"
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    56 minutes 2 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 5, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    Philippines
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, Tagalog
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, Zoom Recording
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Filipino American History Month Celebration (Opening Event in SC)
    Columbia, SC
    United States
    October 5, 2024
    US Premiere
  • Arthaland Mangyan Event I
    BGC, Taguig
    Philippines
    November 9, 2024
    Private Screening
  • Arthaland Mangyan Event II
    BGC
    Philippines
    November 29, 2024
    Private Screening
  • Mangyan Ambahan event with SOAS, National Language Museum, and Endangered Alphabets Project
    London
    United Kingdom
    January 23, 2025
    Virtual World Premiere
    World Endangered Scripts Day 2025 Documentary of Minority Script Award by Endangered Alphabets Project
  • Tigertail Asian Film Fesitval
    Tampa, Florida
    United States
    May 24, 2025
    Honorable Mention
  • 6th Literature in Cinema
    Buenos Aires
    Argentina
    July 3, 2025
    South American Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Depth of Field International Film Festival
    Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
    United States
    August 17, 2025
    Exceptional Merit Award
  • National Museum of the Philippines Mangyan Ambahan Philippines Premiere and Pop-Up Exhibition
    Metro Manila
    Philippines
    September 12, 2025
    Philippine Premiere
    By Invitation from the National Museum of the Philippines
  • Documentaries Without Borders International Film Festival
    Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
    United States
    September 14, 2025
    Exceptional Merit Award
  • Global NonViolent Film Festival
    Online
    September 25, 2025
  • Mina ng Hinas Art Exhibit 2026 at the Oriental Mindoro Heritage Museum
    Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro
    Philippines
    February 25, 2026
    Mindoro Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Mangyan Ambahan Screening
    Alamadea
    United States
    March 20, 2026
    Bay Area Premiere
Distribution Information
  • YouTube
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: Video on Demand
  • Global Cinema Online
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: Video on Demand
Director Biography - Chiara Cox

Chiara is a multidisciplinary communications creative with projects focusing on diasporic themes that aim to spread positivity, inspire pride, and spark curiosity. You can find her on www.chiaracox.com.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

In my search for wisdom, I have found it in many different spiritual and secular texts but I was never introduced to ancient and, what I would consider, sacred Filipino written words until I discovered the Mangyan Ambahan (sung poetry). Written in Mangyan script that can be dated back to before the 10th century AD, their age old beautiful words, full of simplicity, sincerity, and sagacity, move me to tears. It is their poems that inspired this documentary. I believe the Filipino diaspora who watch this video will find the ancient indigenous Mangyan Script and Ambahan to be a source of pride. For others, they will discover a Filipino tribe that encourages strength through peace and non-violence.

Originally meant to be an audio podcast, I could not help but use the 720p Zoom video recordings for this documentary so the audience could see the faces and the words that moved me.