“If you’re different, you could get pegged as a drug dealer or a criminal. Automatically, you deserve to die.”
This is BP Valenzuela’s statement when talking about what it’s like being a creative in Manila. BP and fellow underground musicians RH Xanders, Den Sy Ty, OWFUCK, Teenage Granny, and Jeona Zoleta share their thoughts on the place of art and creatives in the political climate of a Duterte-governed Manila in the 16-minute documentary titled “To Live & Die in Manila.”
The film is produced by Boiler Room under the direction of Angela Stephenson. In the director’s Instagram post, she shares how originally the film was meant to showcase local artists, but given the palpable tension due to Duterte’s War on Drugs, the documentary took a steep political turn.
It touches on dark stuff from the artists’ personal lives, like suicide and loss of loved ones through extrajudicial killings. OWFUCK rapper Lexus Santino shares that 2 of his friends were taken down in the crossfire. “Hindi masakit mamatay. Masakit mamatayan,” he says.
It’s apparent how the current regime has seeped into the collective consciousness of the local music scene, where artists have turned to music to cry foul. In spite of the bloodshed, it’s encouraging to see how these artists are here to resist.
Watch the documentary below.
Still from “To Live & Die in Manila”