Generation Y female filmmaker Martika Ramirez Escobar became the first Filipino feature film director to win an award at the prestigious Sundance Film festival for her movie ‘Leonor Will Never Die’. Her debut genre-bending film won ‘Special Jury Prize for Innovative Spirit’ after premiering in the festival’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition in January 2022.

The Sundance recognition was a surreal win for the 29-year-old, being a woman filmmaker and first-time awardee.

The scriptwriter and director took eight years to complete it from script-to-screen. Even after filming ended Martika relentlessly worked in the cutting room – tweaking, changing scenes (especially the ending) – until the submission deadline set by Sundance. She laughs as she remembers her team urging her, “You can’t change it anymore!”

After nine days of jury deliberation, ‘Leonor’ emerged as one of the top winners among 143 entries (84 feature and 59 short films) from all over the world, where female filmmakers directed a majority of the films, a first in Sundance’s history.

The historic win stunned her so much that she was still gushing, “It’s surreal...” when Weekly Sparks spoke to her in early March.

In scripting ‘Leonor’ Martika lifted a hefty sprinkling of scenes from her own household and people she knows (like that of the dead son and mounting unpaid bills were based on her family’s experiences), capturing real-life conflicts that added grit to the critically acclaimed 1.5 hours film. She also took inspiration from classic macho Filipino action films (circa 1970s – 80s) that she’s been drawn to since childhood.

Martika has her mother to thank for nurturing her cinema passion. At age 7, she was already shooting family gatherings and her dolls with a Sony video 8 camera from her mom. We had a good laugh when she recalled using the VHS format (blast from the past!). With her mother as a constant source of inspiration, Martika was able to pursue her dream, which is rare for a woman in a career filled with challenges, risks and uncertainties.

“My mom allowed, trusted and encouraged me to use the camera. It was accessible at such a young age and so my filmmaking journey was a natural thing,” says the only child. “I am lucky to make the films I want because we all have our own way of doing things,” reflects Martika, who values her creative freedom.

Her cinematic approach is diverse and always evolving. Indie may be how outsiders describe her unconventional films. But it’s more than that. They’re progressive, very instinctive and spontaneous that she ends up bending and blending genres, a reflection of her innate creative spirit and distinctive talent that caught the eyes of global viewers at Sundance.

The first-time Sundance awardee takes no offense when her family describes her films unconventional, absurd, surreal and weird. She sees them as a compliment. Having an action star grandma (somewhat inspired by her real-life grandmother) as the central character in ‘Leonor’ demonstrates she’s not averse to breaking conventions.

The New York Times film critic A.O. Scott calls the film “wonderfully unclassifiable"” and says “the combination of family melodrama, pulpy violence and surreal comedy add up to the disarmingly tender portrait of an artist on the edge of the afterlife.”

Marya Gates of RogerEbert.com says the film “establishes writer/director Martika Ramirez Escobar as an artist with a singular voice and bright future in halls of weird cinema.”

Even before Sundance, Martika has already been promoting film and audience literacy through her talks and workshops. Films can change the way people feel, think and act. Enjoying films, though unconventional, with a powerful narrative the viewers can cling on to is what she aspires to achieve in all her films.

“I want people to reflect on anything about life, both the little things and big things. My dream is for ‘Leonor’ to find its people… even if it’s one person… it matters if my film has reached only that person,” says Martika, who previously made 10-20 short films.

“Getting into Sundance is good and rewarding. But being the director also gave me this responsibility to make use of the award by encouraging other female filmmakers so the recognition doesn’t end there,” she says, feeling that she’s being tested as an artist and as a person after the Sundance win.

Martika would love to see more women on board cinematic projects. “We need to support each other,” she says. She’s inspired by the iconic Agnes Varga (1928-2019), an avant-garde director known for her widely influential French New Wave film movement (1950s - 1960s) whose instinctive and feminine works focused on achieving documentary realism, addressing women’s issues, and other social commentary.

In a male-dominated industry, Martika has consistently encouraged her fellow female filmmakers: “Follow your heart. Check that your intentions are coming from a good place. Things fall into place when you have that mindset. It is important to find your source of support, your allies, because they will help you make the films you want to make. Filmmaking is all about building relationships with everyone and everything, not just with the people you work with on set but also with the audience.”

“Trust is a big factor. We were all aligned and I was trusted,” she describes her small knit cast and crew production team. “What we really need are allies. It is important to find the right people whom you will be sharing energy with. I see them as co-parents of this baby [‘Leonor’] and that’s really important because without the right parents you can’t achieve anything,” she says.

Martika further says that Filipinos are talented. They can easily compete and have a global following. The country is rich in talent and stories. There are many initiatives to hone their skills. But film is a technical art form, and the reality is you need money and manpower. The budget affects resources, time and quality. Unlike South Korea and Japan where the art of moving pictures get more financial and moral support from both the government and private sectors, the Philippines is lagging behind. Supporting the arts and artists are not a top priority.

“Since ‘Leonor’ was made outside a studio setting, the approach we took was to gather private investors, artists grants and personal funds to complete the financing of the film. The unconventional nature of our film makes it risky for investors, and so it took us years to find the right partners who believed in the artistic merits of the project more than its commercial success,” she sighs. “It was a great help, but it fell short during the course of making the film… we had to dip into our pockets to finish production. Hopefully, the Sundance trophy would open doors to fund Filipino cinema ventures. It’s not easy to pitch films, but we’ll keep trying.”

Born in Manila, Martika is a director, scriptwriter, cinematographer and editor rolled into one. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in film from the University of the Philippines in 2014, she competed and won a cash prize at the Mowelfund Film Institute. She launched her film career with her university film thesis ‘Stone Heart’ which competed at the Busan International Film Festival (South Korea, 2014) as well as won the best short film prize in the 2015 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. She further developed her craft in workshops such as Talents Tokyo, the Asian Film Academy and the Mowelfund Film Institute.

Nowadays, Martika is back making short films with friends, embracing the spontaneity of the moment. It won’t be a surprise if another genre-bending film idea would be hatched from one of these.

So… what’s the genre of ‘Leonor Will Never Die’*? We’ll let you be the judge. The film has only been screened at Sundance. We hope it’s coming soon to a theatre near you.

Karmela | Debbie | ws

(Images courtesy of Martika Ramirez Escobar)

*The Plot: Leonor Reyes was once a major player in the Filipino film industry after creating a string of successful action films, but now her household struggles to pay the bills. When she reads an advertisement looking for screenplays, Leonor begins tinkering with an unfinished script about the quest of young, noble Ronwaldo forced to avenge his brother’s murder at the hand of thugs. While her imagination provides some escape from reality, she goes all-in after an accident involving a television knocks her out, sends her into a coma, and transports her inside the incomplete movie. Now, Leonor can play out her wildest dreams firsthand and discover the perfect ending to her story.