ANIMATED FEED: LAKAS NG LAHI

Lakas ng Lahi ("Blood Compact") - Filipino Animated Short Film from Arnold Arre on Vimeo.

It has been said that a fighter fights for himself but a warrior fights for his people. Three Filipino warriors fought against the oppression of the Spanish regime in the late 19th century. They come from different backgrounds- a man from a line of chieftains conquered centuries ago; a woman with the conqueror's blood in her veins rejected by her family of privilege; and a young man from a land across the sea fighting for his new home. Now the three find themselves in a new time. A time where the Philippines is a free nation. A time when the Philippines is as enslaved as ever. Their eyes have seen oppression. They still see it and they act in the only way they can. They fight.

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Background notes: Very rarely do action films in the Philippines feature traditional Filipino martial arts like 'arnis' and 'eskrima' and this is why we made our own. The 19th century fighters represent three types of Filipino martial arts: pre-Hispanic, Hispanic influenced and Chinese influenced. These styles are represented by the characters’ weapons - a Kampilan sword, Spanish daggers, and a rope dart, respectively. All three now find themselves fighting a different war, a more ambiguous war, perhaps, in present day Manila. (Read more:http://arnold-arre.com/2014/06/09/lakas-ng-lahi-animation/)

Lakas ng Lahi (English title: "Blood Compact)"
Directed & Animated by Arnold Arre / Written by Emil Flores
Story by Arnold Arre & Emil Flores
Music composed by Cynthia Arre / arranged by Arnold Arre
Opening text Filipino translation by Neva Kares Talladen
Running time: 9 mins 40 seconds