Pattah Ko: Q & A with Kikko Kalabud

Photo by Kikko Kalabud

An enigmatic kid - that’s what I describe Khurshid “Kikko” Kalabud Jr. He is promising and has so much to offer in terms of film. I became an instant fan of his film reviews posted in his blog and in newsdesk.asia. Kikko is currently studying at the University of the Philippines-Mindanao. He is a 3rd year BA Communications Arts. At the very young age (he’s only 18), he established a film organization called UP Salida in which he is the founder and president of it. His film influences includes Asghar Fahardi, Hong Sang-soo, Lino Brocka, Teng Mangansakan, Francois Truffaut and Luis Bunuel. 

A bright boy, a fellow SOCCSKSARGEN Bloggers and Batch mate in GenSan Summer Film Camp 2013, he is truly amazing in his own right.

In an interview via Facebook, Kikko shares his experience in filming his first film entitled PATTAH KO (MY PICTURES) and how he copes up the challenges of making it.

Yadu Karu: Kikko, can you please share a bit about yourself? 

Kikko: I love movies. And my real name isn't Kikko. 

Yadu Karu: Was there a particular event or time that you recognized that filmmaking was not just a hobby, but that it would be your life? 

Kikko: Filmmaking is not my life. It's part of it but I don't necessarily think that it IS my life. 

Yadu Karu: When did you start making films? 

Kikko: Last year after the film camp. 

Yadu Karu: Is it harder to get started or to keep going? What was the particular thing that you had to conquer to do either? 

Kikko: Both, I guess. I just have to fight inner demons and insecurities to keep me going. And I have to realize why I'm doing all these. 

Yadu Karu: What is the name of your film, what's your role and what is it about? 

Kikko: Pattah Ko is my first short. I wrote and directed it. I also spent my own money to make it all happen. I think the film is about our middle class attitude, especially the younger generations who go to these communities and do charity work just to lessen the guilt of other people's sufferings in their impoverished lives. Why not join the struggle to totally eradicate this flawed system?

Yadu Karu: What’s the inspiration behind the film PATTAH KO? 

Kikko: Ewan ko lang ha. I remembered this time last Summer 2013 when a fellow delegate in an event took pictures of the kids that lived there. We were having a BMI (Basic Masses Integration) in this community. Naisip ko lang kasi kung paano kaya kung hihingi ng kopya ang mga bata pagkatapos.

Yadu Karu: What’s your feeling after making your short film PATTAH KO? 

Kikko: Syempre, I was very happy and fulfilled. I've always wanted to make films and I finally had the chance to do it. 

Yadu Karu: Describe your state of mind when you saw your film in the cinema. 

Kikko: I was so nervous. I got to see its second run at the Salamindanaw Int'l Film Festival and there weren't a lot of people. I'm very proud of the film but I would probably cringe next time. It's all new to me. 

Yadu Karu: Can you tell me the challenges that you and your crew encountered during the shooting of the film. 

Kikko: Most of my crew, including myself, was still students. It was hard to schedule. Logistically, the set was so far from the city proper. And then there's the money problem. 

Yadu Karu: I am aware that you shot PATTAH KO in a very challenging environment. What have you learned in filming in that kind of scenario? 

Kikko: There were lots of exterior shots so it was very challenging. The weather can be so unpredictable. That’s why it was important to think really fast when shit happens. 

Yadu Karu: Describe PATTAH KO in one word. 

Kikko: Why? 

Yadu Karu: Any interesting comments from the audience members during the film screening? 

Kikko: I didn't get to ask. 

Yadu Karu: What was the most important lesson you had to learn that has had a positive effect on your film? How did that lesson happen? 

Kikko: Importante talaga na mabilis kang mag-isip. But not to the point na mako-compromise ang film. The weather can be so unpredictable. 

Yadu Karu: To be honest I am really amazed of you being the founder and president of the UP Salida. What inspired you to establish the UP Salida in UP Mindanao? 

Kikko: Film appreciation is honestly not that popular in UP Mindanao. I want people to love cinema. 

Yadu Karu: This is a bit out of topic, but I’m just curious. When did you start blogging? What motivates you to blog and how did it start? 

Kikko: I was motivated by Ma'am Joana Lapore to blog last 2010. But then I got busy and I lost interest in it. 

Yadu Karu: What’s your dream film project? 

Kikko: I want to make a full-length Tausug film. 

Yadu Karu: What advice would you give to someone who wanted to have a life creating film? 

Kikko: I guess these are things that I would like to tell myself though, first and foremost. I'm still new to this so I don't really know if I'm giving good advice haha. 

My advice would be: always ask yourself WHY. The dream to become a filmmaker should not just surround an individualistic, careerist thinking. Films have become part of greater movements to advance struggles and ideas. Not just some hobby. That's why to become a filmmaker it's not enough to just have that interest in filmmaking. One should be able to experience life, to realize the struggles of society, to get in touch with people and their stories, especially if you're from Mindanao where the sociopolitical atmosphere is very strong. And also have a heart. It's very important. 

Yadu Karu: After PATTAH KO, what’s next? 

Kikko: I'm not yet sure. But I'm working on something.

a scene from the film Pattah Ko

PATTAH KO (MY PICTURES) 

Director – Kikko Kalabud 

Writer – Kikko Kalabud 

Producer – Kikko Kalabud 

Cinematographer – Sharla Raye Billena 

Editor – Sharla Raye Billena 

Production Manager – Charles Andrew Flamiano, Moises Charles Hollite 

Production Designer – Therese Calvo 

Music – Enrico Sebastine Agana 

Assistant Director – Abegail Espiritu 

Cast – Leonard Alexander Cristobal, Jenny Pearl Bringas, Maria Teresita Garcia 

Production Company – Greenvan Films 

Duration – 12 minutes

Synopsis 

A little Tausug girl from a fisher folk’s village is determined to get copies of her picture from the visiting young photographer from the city.

Originally posted in Yadu Karu's Blog