Four reasons why ‘58th’ should be shown to a wider audience

Seventeen years after the Maguindanao massacre, the animated documentary film 58th asks Filipinos to look beyond a number that has come to define one of the darkest episodes in Philippine history.

Directed by Carl Joseph Papa, 58th follows Ma. Reynafe Momay-Castillo and her fight for justice for her father, photojournalist Reynaldo “Bebot” Momay, whose remains were never recovered. The film premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in January before making its Philippine premiere at the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival on Aug. 13.

Its arrival in the Philippines gives the film a different weight. Beyond documenting what happened, 58th brings the story back to the country where the massacre took place and to a generation that may know the case only through headlines, textbooks, or passing references.

Here are four reasons the film deserves to reach more viewers.

It puts a family behind the history 

For younger Filipinos who were children or were not yet born in 2009, the massacre can easily become another event reduced to dates and casualty figures.

“Most young people today were still very young then. Some don’t know what happened,” Reynafe said.

“It would be better if more people could see it, become aware of the past and make sure it does not happen again,” she added.

The film makes that history personal through a daughter who waited for a father who never came home.

The 58th victim is still part of an unfinished fight 

Momay was recognized by the Department of Justice (DOJ) as the massacre’s 58th victim, but the 2019 trial court ruling covered 57 counts of murder because his death was not established in court. His family and other victims’ relatives later asked the Court of Appeals to formally recognize him in the case.

“When I hear 57, I really can’t accept it. I always tell people, 58, 58, 58,” Reynafe said in the film, whose role is played by actress Glaiza de Castro.

It shows what journalism can cost

Thirty-two journalists were among those killed on Nov. 23, 2009, making the massacre the deadliest single attack on journalists on record.

Glaiza said in an interview that working on the film gave her a deeper appreciation for journalists and the risks involved in telling true stories. 

Filipinos should have more chances to see it

58th has screened abroad, including Rotterdam and Annecy, but producer Nessa Valdellon said the team received its Philippine exhibition permit only a day before its Cinemalaya premiere. Its Aug. 13 screening marked the film’s Philippine debut after its international festival run.

“We really made this for our local audience,” Valdellon said.

For Reynafe, wider access is also part of remembrance.

“Justice is also remembering. It is about refusing to let history fade into silence,” she stated. — Angelica Villanueva