Love in the Time of the Bakunawa

Love in the Time of the Bakunawa (Hiligaynon: Gugma sa Panahon sang Bakunawa) is a 2012 Ilonggo film in the Hiligaynon language written, produced, and directed by Filipino filmmaker and writer Peter Solis Nery based on his short story “Ang Bakunawa”. It stars Eman Abatayo, Priscilla Fontana, and Jet Alcantara, and was filmed on location in Dumangas, Iloilo, and Buenavista, Guimaras. It was a finalist at the 1st Sineng Pambansa National Film Competition of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) held in Davao City from June 29 to July 3, 2012.
Plot
Love in the Time of the Bakunawa is a classic love story set against the backdrop of a local tourism festival surrounding the legend of the bakunawa (the moon-eating sea-monster of the Hiligaynon literature).
It follows Matt, a traveling musician, who, after so many years, comes home to the island celebrating the Bakunawa Festival, which his grandmother Mercedes originated. Mercedes became the island’s literary celebrity after she won some national honor for her story of the sea-monster who transforms into a seductive man once a year to get the women of the island pregnant.
During the festivities, Matt meets and falls in love with Dulce, a single mother from the neighboring island who goes to the festival in the hope of finding Emilio, the father of her child who she believes is the bakunawa in human form.
However, just when Dulce begins to entertain her feelings for Matt, Emilio reappears, and Matt could only knowingly and sadly smile in the end.
Cast
*Eman Abatayo as Mateo “Matt” Luces Feliciano, the musician who has returned to the island
* Priscilla Fontana as Dulce Amor, the woman who got pregnant by a mysterious man in white she calls “Emilio”
*Jet Alcantara as Emilio, the man in white who is thought to be the human incarnate of the local legend’s sea-monster
*Peter Solis Nery as Geisha, one of the colorful characters in the Bakunawa Festival
* Madeline Dorego as Mercedes, Matt's writer grandmother
Book tie-up
Following the 2012 release of the Hiligaynon movie, Nery also released the English-language novella Love in the Time of the Bakunawa (CreateSpace: 2012).
Legacy
Gugma sa Panahon sang Bakunawa is among the first five full-length Ilonggo feature films in the growing West Visayan cinema. Since its production in 2012, the movie has been screened in many cities worldwide, in festivals (including the 5th Cinema Rehiyon, the Bacollywood Film Festival, the Karay-a Arts Festival, among others), and in various venues like the UP Film Center, the SM City Cinemas, and the FDCP Cinematheques all over the Philippines.

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