Filipino short animated film ‘Ang Lihim ni Lea’ bags international awards
Child abuse takes different forms. Awareness remains key in preventing it from happening in our communities. Being open to the topic would be one way to raise awareness. Filipino author Augie Rivera often helps spread the message about child abuse through his short stories. He also included a children’s guide in the book called Three Touching Rules.
Published in 2007, Ang Lihim ni Lea remains one of this most notable creations. Under Rico Gutierrez‘s direction, the story has become a short animated film that received multiple international awards. Aimed to raise awareness on child sexual abuse, the tale hopes to empower victimized children to seek help and tell their own stories.
Ang Lihim ni Lea wins nine international awards
Ang Lihim ni Lea bags the most prestigious awards such as Best Original Story and Grand Jury Award for Animation at the New York International Film Awards 2020. It also won Best Original Story and Best Main Theme at the Oniros Film Festivals New York 2020 among the many.
All in all, the film won nine international awards. Aside from that, the movie also gets to represent the country at the Cannes International Film Festival, Madrid Indie Film Festival, Rome Independent Prisma Awards, Paris Lift-Off Festival, and the ARFF Barcelona International Awards.
The short animated film revolves around Lea, the main titular protagonist. She moves into a new condominium unit with her father. Suddenly, she believed that she acquired the power to go through walls and closed doors. However, she doesn’t tell anyone about it – especially not her mother who works as a nurse in London.
At school, Lea finds out that her newfound power doesn’t work. One of her teachers, Cynthia, takes note of her strange behavior. Reaching out, she finds out that Lea’s power became her coping mechanism to survive the trauma of sexual molestation that she receives from her own father.
Eugene Domingo lent her voice as the narrator of the short animated film. Aside from her, the film also features Alessandra de Rossi, Candy Pangilinan, Stella Cañete Mendoza, and Princess Culvinar. Domingo revealed her involvement in an Instagram post on September 29, alongside its poster.
“This is a short animation film by my good friend, award-winning director, @ricogutierrez who had this dream project along with another good friend, award-winning writer, @augierivera. I did the narration here and I have seen the final outcome and I can only say BRAVO. Thank you for making me a part of this dream. Soon, more secrets about “lea” will be out.”
