The New Faces of Dreams and Mysteries

A metaphorical exploration of life in the 'quarantined world', where we begin to don masks in the hopes to fight an unseen enemy that camouflages in human and non-human forms.

  • Mark L. Garcia
    Director
  • Mark L. Garcia
    Writer
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Mga Bag-ong Nawong sang Damgo kag Katingalahan
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Genres:
    Mystical Drama, Horror
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 41 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 1, 2020
  • Country of Origin:
    Philippines
  • Country of Filming:
    Philippines
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    21:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Mark L. Garcia

Mark L. Garcia is a writer, actor and director for theater and film based in Sagay City, Negros Occidental. He earned his AB Communications degree at the University of Saint La Salle-Bacolod and have worked as a reporter in a local and national newspaper.

His background in journalism helped Mark in creating stories inspired by the realities of his home province. He went to exploring local heritage and its relevance to the current social issues faced by Negrenses.
Mark is also one of the founding directors of the Margaha Film Festival, the only city-wide film festival in Negros Occidental in 2020, were the films produced and screened in its first year have already given national and international recognitions.
He currently works as a Media & Communications Consultant in Sagay City. He is also a lecturer in the program, Journey PH, which has been touring around the province teaching journalism and publication management since 2015.

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Director Statement

When the pandemic came, we were forced to wear masks and cover our bodies to be protected against the virus. We stayed at home, and our window to the outside world is the internet and other media devices that kept us informed on what should we do.

Everyone has worn their “new faces”. We begin to mask or cover our faces, hands, and eventually our whole body to protect (or conceal) ourselves from the unseen enemy. We followed everything being told to us. But it seems nothing has progressed.

People in power enjoys their privileges, while those who do not have continues to live in isolation—like life was put inside a box and all you have to do is live within their boundaries and wait for them to act and get you out of it.

When there were so many solutions around, the people in power seems to grasp it with a blind eye. As we continue to count the days of lockdown, we also continue to raise our heads up in the sky, looking for warmth and light or maybe calling for the god who can save us from all of these.

Life was restrained, monotonous, and black and white. But we never lose hope in finding the light at the end of the tunnel. Because as we wear our new faces, we still carry our dreams, hoping to achieve it when all of these will be over.

The film used masks designed by master painter Nunelucio Alvarado’s “Nawong” series, which features different paintings of abstract faces. It represents the new “faces” of the current situation: how do we use them, how do we adapt while wearing it, how do we breathe, and how did it become a part of our lives.

It’s been almost a year since the lockdown started in the Philippines. Yet, we still continue on counting if when will we reveal our true faces and continue the dream that we have inside. Until then, we continue to breathe behind these new faces.*