Benguet Kankanaey self-representations in local films in Benguet, Philippines

This paper studies the self-representation of the Benguet Kankanaey, an Igorot subgroup that occupies the northern part of the province of Benguet, in local films. Guided by the post-colonial theory as the framework and textual analysis as a tool, this study underscores that local films serve as space for the Kankanaey to counter the alternate realities about them being reinforced in Philippine mainstream media. In particular, local films counter the misrepresentations by emphasizing agency. This paper further proposes that local films serve as a tool for resistance against misrepresentation in mainstream cinema. Containing constructive representations of their complex lives, the production of local films should be sustained.