05/09/2025
WHANG-OD DOCU TO MAKE WORLD PREMIERE AT VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
A new feature documentary, Treasure of the Rice Terraces, is set to have its world premiere at the 2025 Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) on October 5 and 6, highlighting the life and legacy of legendary indigenous tattoo artist Whang-Od.
Directed by Filipino-Canadian filmmaker Kent Donguines, the film takes viewers to Buscalan, Kalinga, to explore the centuries-old tradition of indigenous tattooing with 107-year-old Whang-Od at its heart.
According to VIFF, “Treasure of the Rice Terraces shows how traditions can survive, evolve, and inspire both local communities and cultural identity worldwide.”
The documentary will also feature Michelle Dee, whose Miss Universe 2023 evening gown paid tribute to Whang-Od, and fashion designer Mark Bumgarner, who created the gown. Whang-Od’s protégés Grace Palicas and Elyang Wigan, along with TV host Kim Atienza, will also appear.
The premiere comes a year after Whang-Od received the Presidential Medal of Merit for preserving the art of mambabatok (traditional tattooing) and breaking gender barriers in a once male-dominated tradition.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had praised her influence, saying:
“As Apo Whang-Od’s works appeal to diverse cultures and across political divides, she becomes an enabler for unity and an example of an idea that binds us all. She is truly a national treasure.”
The film joins several other documentary premieres at VIFF 2025, including Mayumi Yoshida’s Akashi, Jennifer Chiu’s Clan of the Painted Lady, Jenn Strom’s The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes, and Bryce Hodgson’s Thanks to the Hard Work of the Elephants.
Donguines’ past works include Paco, Brown Enough, and Kalinga.
This story originally appeared on Rappler. Graphics and edits by Destination PH.
