Hugô: A Hidden Past Revealed

This documentary is about the bul-ul, a traditional and iconic Ifugao human-like wood carving from the northern mountains of the Philippines, and the various claims about its origin, use, and function. Most Filipinos and foreign enthusiasts have been taught that the figurine was a rice god and have seen it on display mostly as an antique and/or art object. An informal chat with a young mombaki (an Ifugao spiritual leader) however questions this interpretation and led the filmmakers to go on a quest to learn more about the cultural artifact. The film thereby not only reveals the many faces of the bul-ul, but inadvertently also unmasks, among others, issues about the commodification of culture, as well as the tension between the need for heritage preservation and the inherently evolving nature of cultural transmission.