Carl Joseph Papa

Carl Joseph Papa
Born	Metro Manila, Philippines
Alma mater	University of the Philippines
Occupations	Film director screenwriter animator
Years active	2012–present

Carl Joseph Echague Papa is a Filipino filmmaker and animator. His films employed animation, mostly rotoscoping, that established mature subject matters in the daily life of the Philippines, particularly with the themes of family struggles.

His films have been screened at film festivals worldwide and received multiple accolades during his lifetime including black tragicomedy Manang Biring (2015) and musical comedy-drama Paglisan (2018), both of them which won him Best Film twice at Cinema One Originals Film Festival,[1][2] and psychological drama science-fiction Iti Mapukpukaw (2023), won the Best Film at the 19th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.[3]

Career

Papa was originally chosen as a software engineer when he was an alumnus of University of the Philippines and pursue his career as a Java consultant at Orange and Bronze Software Labs,[4] he took filmmaking instead to develop cutout animated short films Ang Prinsesa, ang Prinsipe at si Marlborita (2012) and iNay (2013).[5]

He made his directorial debut live action film, a semi-autobiographical experimental drama The Unforgetting (2014) about a young woman struggle to preserve happy memories and forgetting painful ones when her mother left. The film was screened at QCinema International Film Festival.[6][7]

He gained local recognition for his adult animated films: Manang Biring, which won him the Best Film at the 2015 Cinema One Originals, the first animated film to do so,[1] and Paglisan, which won him another Best Film at the 2018 Cinema One Originals.[2] Iti Mapukpukaw garnered several awards, including Best Film at the 19th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and 47th Gawad Urian Awards, the first animated film to do so, and immense media attention for his submission as the Philippine entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 96th Academy Awards, the first animated film to be submitted by the Philippines.[3]

In addition of directorial films, he is writing several live-action comedy films including Asuang (2018), Mang Jose (2021), and Boys at the Back (2024).[8][9][10]

Upcoming projects

He is currently working on his animated films, Sentinel and 58th, the former set in a high school consumed by dark secrets, while the latter describes as a documentary about the Maguindanao massacre that took place in 2009.[11] The film portrays Glaiza de Castro as Ma. Reynafe Momay-Castillo, a daughter of the disappeared photojournalist Reynaldo "Bebot" Momay, alongside Ricky Davao, Mikoy Morales, Biboy Ramirez, Marco Masa, and Zyren Dela Cruz are announced to be part of the cast line-up.[11]

Style and themes

With the exception of The Unforgetting and Homecoming, Papa's directorial films are entirely animated with different types of animation: cutout, child art, and rotoscoping. Each films have recorded in live-action or voice recording with storyboard process during pre-production before the animation process in post-production.[12] Additionally, most directorial films have notable, well-known cast members including Cherry Pie Picache, Ian Veneracion, Eula Valdez, Khalil Ramos, Carlo Aquino, and Dolly de Leon.

Papa's films have mature subject matters, often focus on the Philippines' daily lives and family issues such as abandonment (The Unforgetting), cancer and death (Manang Biring), dementia and depression (Paglisan), incest and sexual abuse (Iti Mapukpukaw), and teenage pregnancy (iNay).[13]

Filmography

Feature films

Year	English Title	Original Title	Director	Writer	Editor	Notes	Ref.
2014	The Unforgetting	Ang ‘Di Paglimot Ng Mga Ala-Ala	Yes	Yes	No	Directorial debut; also producer	[7][6]
2015	Old Woman Biring	Manang Biring	Yes	Yes	Yes	Also animator Actor: Dream Nurse	[1]
2018	The Leaving	Paglisan	Yes	Yes	Yes	Also animation compositor and lyricist ("Hari ng kwento", "Buhay teatro", "Pagod na", "Ten Past Eleven") Actor: Doctor	[2]
	Asuang		No	Yes	No		[8]
2021	Mang Jose		No	Yes	No		[9]
2023	The Missing	Iti Mapukpukaw	Yes	Yes	No	Also animation director, compositor, and flashback storyboard artist Submitted for the Best International Feature Film category at the 96th Academy Awards	[3]
2024	Boys at the Back		No	Yes	No	Also story by	[10]
TBA	58th		Yes	Yes	No		[11]
	Sentinel		Yes	Yes	No		[14]

Short films

Year	English Title	Original Title	Director	Writer	Editor	Notes	Ref.
2012	The Princess, the Prince and Marlborita	Ang Prinsesa, ang Prinsipe at si Marlborita	Yes	Yes	Yes	Also producer, animator, cinematographer, and production designer	[15]
2013	Homecoming	Ti Panagawid	Yes	No	Yes	Also producer and cinematographer
	Mother	iNay[16]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Also producer, animator, cinematographer, and production designer
2017	Love Bites		Yes	Yes	Yes	Also production designer

Television series

Year	English Title	Original Title	Director	Writer	Editor	Notes	Ref.
2021	Puto		No	Yes	No	2 episodes

Awards

Asia Pacific Screen Awards

Main article: Asia Pacific Screen Awards

1 win out of 2 nominations

Year	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
2016	Best Animated Film	Manang Biring	Nominated
2024		Iti Mapukpukaw	Won	[17]

FAMAS Awards

Main article: FAMAS Award

1 win out of 5 nominations

Year	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
2019	Best Original Screenplay	Asuang	Nominated	[18]
	Best Original Song	Paglisan	Won	[19]
2024	Best Director	Iti Mapukpukaw	Nominated	[20]
	Best Screenplay		Nominated
	Best Visual Effects		Nominated

Gawad Urian Awards

Main article: Gawad Urian Award

1 win out of 4 nominations

Year	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
2019	Pinakamahusay na Direksyon (Best Director)	Paglisan	Nominated	[21]
2024		Iti Mapukpukaw	Nominated	[22]
	Pinakamahusay na Dulang Pampelikula (Best Screenplay)		Nominated
	Pinakamahusay na Animasyon (Best Animation)		Won

Film festivals awards

13 (including runner-up) wins out of 23 nominations

Film festival	Year	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
Animahenasyon: The Philippine Animation Festival	2018	Grand Winner	Love Bites	Won	[23]
		Best Storytelling		Won
		Best in Technical		Won
		Best Production Design		Won
Annecy International Animation Film Festival	2024	Contrechamp Grand Prix	Iti Mapukpukaw	Nominated	[24]
Cinema One Originals Film Festival	2015	Best Film	Manang Biring	Won	[25]
		Best Director		Nominated
		Best Screenplay		Nominated
		Best Editing		Nominated
		Audience Award		Nominated
		Champion Bughaw Award		Won
	2019	Best Film	Paglisan	Won	[26]
		Best Director		Nominated
		Best Screenplay		Won
		Best Editing		Nominated
Cinemanila International Film Festival	2012	Young Cinema Competition – Best Short Film)	Ang Prinsesa, ang Prinsipe at si Marlborita	Won
	2013		Ti Panagawid	Nominated
Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival	2023	Best Film	Iti Mapukpukaw	Won	[27]
		NETPAC Full-length Feature Award		Won
Fantasia International Film Festival	2024	Satoshi Kon Award for Achievement in Animation – Special Jury Mention (Best Animated Feature)	Iti Mapukpukaw	Won	[28]
		Audience Awards – Best Animated Feature		Silver	[29]
Osaka Asian Film Festival	2024	Grand Prix	Iti Mapukpukaw	Nominated	[30]
Palm Springs International Film Festival	2024	FIPRESCI Prize for Best Foreign Language Film	Iti Mapukpukaw	Nominated

See also

• Cinema of the Philippines
• Filipino cartoon and animation
• Independent animation
• Nonoy Marcelo - a Filipino pioneering animation filmmaker.
• Richard Linklater - an American filmmaker linked to his rotoscoping animated films.

References

1. "Lone animated entry "Manang Biring" wins Best Film at Cinema One Originals". adobo Magazine. November 19, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
2. Aguilar, Krissy (October 21, 2018). "'Paglisan,' 'Never Tear Us Apart' win big at Cinema One Originals 2018". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
3. "International Oscar Race: The Philippines Selects Gay Animation Film 'The Missing'". Variety. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
4. "Carl Joseph Papa on Linkedin".
5. "Carl Joseph E. Papa". iffr.com. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
6. "Ang Di Paglimot ng mga Alaala". QCinema International Film Festival. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
7. Turner, Alix (January 8, 2024). "An Interview With Carl Joseph Papa: The Missing". 25YL. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
8. Hawson, Fred (October 19, 2018). "C1 Originals review: Mock mythology of 'Asuang'".
9. "Mang Jose (2021)". ClickTheCity. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
10. "Carl Joseph E. Papa". MONOMAX. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
11. Evangelista, Jessica Ann (November 24, 2024). "Glaiza de Castro leads '58th,' film on Maguindanao massacre". inquirer.net. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
12. "Visayan film nabs awards at Cinema One Originals". The Freeman. The Philippine Star. November 16, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
13. "LIST: 5 Pinoy films and series that prove animation is not just for children". Philstar Life. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
14. "Carl Joseph Papa". Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
15. "Carl Joseph E. Papa". iffr.com. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
16. Carl Joseph E. Papa - iNay (Mother). Retrieved November 29, 2024 – via vimeo.com.
17. Frater, Patrick (November 30, 2024). "'April' Takes Double Win at Asia Pacific Screen Awards". Variety. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
18. Villano, Alexa (March 18, 2019). "Full List: Nominees, 2019 FAMAS Awards". Rappler. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
19. Villano, Alexa (April 29, 2019). "Full List: Winners of the 2019 FAMAS Awards". Rappler. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
20. Abad, Ysa (May 7, 2024). "Full List: Nominees, 2024 FAMAS Awards". Rappler. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
21. "Full List: Winners, Gawad Urian 2019". Rappler. June 18, 2019.
22. Cerezo, Anna (June 9, 2024). "Full List of Winners of 47th Gawad Awards".
23. "Animahenasyon 2018 Winners - Facebook". Facebook. November 14, 2018.
24. Lang, Jamie. "Annecy Unveils Anime-Heavy Competition Lineup and Special Presentations for 'Inside Out,' 'Moana,' 'Despicable Me' Sequels". Variety. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
25. Santiago, Ervin (November 19, 2015). "'Manang Biring' wins best film sa 2015 Cinema One Film festival" [‘Manang Biring’ waging best film sa 2015 Cinema One Film festival]. Bandera (in Filipino). Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
26. Aguilar, Krissy (October 21, 2018). "'Paglisan,' 'Never Tear Us Apart' win big at Cinema One Originals 2018". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
27. "'Iti Mapukpukaw' tops Cinemalaya 2023 with 3 wins including Best Film". ABS-CBN News. August 13, 2023.
28. Hazelton, John (July 28, 2024). "French epic 'The Count Of Monte-Cristo' named best film at Fantasia". Screen Daily. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
29. Jeremy Kay, "‘Bookworm’ wins 2024 Fantasia audience award for best international film". Screen Daily, August 6, 2024.
30. "Osaka Asian Film Festival 2024". March 10, 2024.

External links

• Carl Joseph Papa at IMDb
• Carl Joseph Papa on Vimeo