In Lithuania, many associate the Philippines with vacations and exoticism, but certainly not with adult animated films. However, Filipino director Carl Joseph Papa is making his country known precisely by creating films in this genre. His full-length animated film “Missing” is the first animated and LGBTQ+ themed film submitted by the Philippines for the Oscar in the Best International Feature Film category.

At the BLON festival, taking place this weekend in Klaipėda, the film “Missing” will be shown to Lithuanian audiences for the first time. In C. J. Papa’s third animated film, forgotten yet deeply rooted traumas and the protagonist’s psychological journey to resolve them are explored.

“The main goal in making this film was to create a sincere, hopeful story about reclaiming one’s voice and speaking one’s truth. Our team aimed for the film to be like a hug for everyone who has experienced any form of abuse, and an encouragement to speak out about what is happening in their lives, at their own pace and time,” says the filmmaker.

An engineer by education, but who turned to cinema, C. J. Papa admitted in an interview that he himself experienced sexual exploitation at the age of 9–10. Therefore, the idea for this animated film was driven by anger and is based on a personal story.

“It is very personal, but I felt that it was time to talk about it. In the Philippines, it is common for people to hide their problems, not talk about them publicly, simply leaving those issues unresolved. This way, they have to relive those problems repeatedly. It is necessary to speak openly about violence and trauma, and the perpetrators should be held accountable for what they did,” says the director.

The main character of C. J. Papa’s film, Erik, is unique – he has no mouth. When asked why he decided to portray the film’s hero in this way, the director reveals his reasons.

“When he was young, Erik was silenced by his abuser. He was told that he couldn’t tell others what happened to him. Thus, it remained only between Erik and his abuser. To visually convey this idea, I decided to portray the main character without a mouth. It represents not only the lost ability to speak but also the inability to be intimate with others or even work normally,” he says.

The director is pleased that the film, which tells about difficult topics in a light way, has received positive reviews in the Philippines and other countries where it was presented at various film festivals. C. J. Papa believes that this animated and LGBTQ+ themed work has encouraged people to open up and tell their own stories.

Having hidden his homosexuality from his family for a long time, C. J. Papa says that the success of this film brings him a bittersweet feeling.

“In a perfect and just world, we wouldn’t be telling such stories,” he believes.

The adult animation creator admits that he is saddened not only in the Philippines but also worldwide by the prevailing notion that animation is only for children. C. J. Papa is convinced that any story can be told using this genre.

“I am glad that more and more filmmakers are exploring the possibilities of animation and proving that it can be used to tell any story, even the most serious one. Looking at the works of other filmmakers, it is exciting to see various stories being revealed using animation, aimed at both adults and youth,” says the filmmaker.

The BLON festival organizers are confident that the film’s premiere will become the festival’s main attraction for the audience.

“The animated film ‘Missing’ is an incredibly strong work, both in terms of visual expression, storytelling, and theme. It reveals the sensitive story of a young person’s life in a very subtle way. It is also a rare opportunity to enjoy an animation work from the Philippines,” says BLON festival director Laura Almantaitė.

The tenth BLON Animation and Video Game Festival is being held in Klaipėda this year until September 15. During the festival, there will be a rich program of animated films, an impressive virtual reality exhibition, and the video game competition program “Aware Game Awards.” The organizers also invite attendees to discover the characters from Igno Meilūno’s animated film “Hooves and Skates” at the Klaipėda Puppet Theater, gain experience and inspiration from the industry’s best, and meet for a cup of coffee with animation and video game creators.

Festival events will take place at various locations in Klaipėda: Cultural Factory, HOFAS, KCCC Exhibition Hall, Herkus Kantas, Arlequin, and Klaipėda Puppet Theater.

The festival is funded by the Lithuanian Film Center and the Lithuanian Council for Culture.