Tibaldo: Let’s be Cinemate!1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteBEN Pinga, the acclaimed Father of Filipino Independent Filmmakers passed away several years ago silently fading like an old black and white film in a world dominated by digital media. The late Ben is probably collaborating with the great Director in the high heavens for some worldly indie film projects.
It is my distinct honor and privilege to have collaborated a worthy project with him for three consecutive times in the late nineties when we conducted a series of Screen Education Seminars for high school teachers that was held in Baguio City.
A decorated war veteran who witnessed the fall of the Philippines during World War II and saw the historic death march, Pinga’s legacy includes among others a deep sense of dedication to documentary filmmaking as immortalized by his work “Soul of a Fortress” about the horrors of war particularly in Bataan.
To the hearts and minds of the dozens of teachers who attended that rare screen education, Ben Pinga will be remembered as an innovative educator who used movie technology coupled with person-to-person interaction with people in the industry as a potent mix to impart how movies should be appreciated. Mang Ben’s memory will forever be enshrined in the deepest chambers of my heart.
