In commemoration of International Human Rights Day, Cinemata proudly presents Rising Waters, Raising Rights: Human Rights Through the Lens of Water, a thematic film program that explores human rights through the multifaceted role of water as survival, environment, memory, livelihood, and resistance. The program will run as online screenings from December 10 to 20, 2025, and will be accompanied by a Philippine kickoff event on December 10 at 2:00 PM at the UPFI Videotheque. The launch is co-organized with Film Workers Against Corruption and Elevated Frames PH, in partnership with Kinoise PH and Laya Coffee Diliman, with UPFI Film Center as the official venue partner.
The Philippine edition is curated by Eunice Helera and brings together short films and documentaries that examine water not only as a natural resource but also as a political, cultural, and emotional force that shapes everyday struggles. The program highlights stories of coastal labor, climate vulnerability, displacement, queer becoming, cultural memory, and community resistance. In addition to the online screenings, the Philippine edition will feature physical and community-based screenings across partner venues and organizations throughout the December 10–20 screening window, with specific details to be announced.
The Philippine edition flows through three interconnected thematic currents. Sinking Grounds: Climate, Flood, and Survival presents films addressing environmental destruction, flooding, displacement, and everyday adaptation. Tides of Silence: Queer Currents and Mermaid Longings features stories of queer identity, psychological violence, longing, myth, and becoming. Fisherfolk & Frontlines: Labor and Livelihood at Risk portrays coastal communities, maritime labor, ancestral waters, and survival under economic and ecological pressures. Together, these thematic currents create a national portrait of how water binds personal, environmental, political, and cultural realities.
Beyond the online screenings, the program adopts a decentralized hosting structure, enabling partner film collectives, community organizations, academic institutions, and grassroots groups across the country to hold on-site or online watch parties. These screenings will include talkbacks, Q&A sessions, and facilitated discussions, allowing communities to interpret the films through their own local contexts while remaining part of a unified national and regional conversation on human rights. Organizations, institutions, and DIY film clubs interested in hosting free community watch parties are encouraged to coordinate directly with the organizing team via email.
The Philippine kickoff at UPFI Videotheque on December 10, 2025 at 2:00 PM will feature selected films from the program, followed by an opening conversation on cinema, water, and human rights in the Philippine context. The event is co-organized with Film Workers Against Corruption, with Kinoise PH and Laya Coffee Diliman as partners, and UPFI Film Center serving as the venue partner.
Following the Philippine launch, Rising Waters, Raising Rights will extend to Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia. The regional edition, curated by Malaysian programmer Nadira Ilana, will launch on December 13, 2025. The Malaysian program includes thematic sections on statelessness and migration, environmental crises and resilience, psychological violence and discrimination, and coastal labor, women, and survival at sea. Audiences in the Philippines will also be able to watch selected Malaysian films on the same online platform during the December 10–20 screening window, fostering regional dialogue across shared waters and interconnected struggles.
Cinemata is a video platform dedicated to showcasing independent films from the Asia-Pacific region, with a strong focus on social issues, community storytelling, and human rights advocacy. Through curated programs, digital exhibitions, and collaborations with grassroots partners, Cinemata expands access to critical films and the conversations they inspire.
