ILOILO CITY – “Katagman,’’ a short film showcasing the history and culture of Oton, Iloilo that became the first Spanish settlement on Panay Island, has won awards in three international film festivals.

“Katagman” co-directors Ramon Teñoso and Peter Deocos won for best directing in the short documentary category in the 2022 World Cannes Film Festival in France.
Katagman also bagged best director and best soundtrack at the 2022 GAW & DP Film Festival in Scotland.
The film was awarded in the documentary category of the 2022 Best Shorts Competition in the United States last week.
Katagman was a community-driven production for Oton’s 450th founding anniversary last May.
The annual Katagman Festival was reimagined as a film production due to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.
Teñoso, a playwright who lives in England, was vacationing in Iloilo earlier this year when musician and artist Steve Magbanua convinced him to help the Ogtonganon Artists Guild in adapting the festival performance into a film production.
The film’s storyline dates back to pre-colonial Spanish period with the folkloric Barter of Panay, the golden death mask, and the pagan rituals and also touches on the advent of Christianity, the resistance of the “babaylans” (shamans), and contemporary times.
“This is a film written, directed, performed, and filmed in Oton by (mostly) Ogtonganons,” Teñoso said.
Katagman’s production crew include production manager Cheche Demo-os; cinematographer and editor Dyl Tolentino; choreographers Ramil Fernandez, Jhole Mark Silla, and Ivan Pailagutan; musical directors Romeo Tomulto, Sidney Cordova, Michael Gumban, Dave Seguriga, and Magbanua; costume designers Norman Palaño and Jiev Fuentispina; floor director Joem Junsan, assistant floor director Christian Caniban, Babak Niaraki for sound; and the Ogtonganon Visual Artist League (OVAL) for production design.
Magbanua said that the film was screened in various barangays in Oton.
The film was partially funded by the local government of Oton during the term of Mayor Carina Flores and Vice Mayor Vicente Flores Jr.