Rosa von Manila: The Films and Writings of Nick Deocampo

Isaak
Nick Deocampo, Philippines, 1993, 10 min. Tagalog with English subtitles

Oliver 
Nick Deocampo, Philippines, 1983, 38 min. Tagalog with English subtitles

The Sex Warriors and The Samurai 
Nick Deocampo, Philippines, 1995, 26 min. Tagalog with English subtitles

Book launch of Das philippinische Kino - Essays und Betrachtungen (Schüren Verlag)

Preceded by reading from Sarnt Utamachote, followed by a talk with Nick Deocampo moderated by Lisabona Rahman.

When Nick Deocampo arrived in West Berlin in 1985 to show his film Oliver (1983), one of the earliest documentaries that depict gay sexwork in Manila, he named himself "Rosa ng Maynila" (Rosa von Manila), referring to the famous German filmmaker Rosa von Praunheim, who attended his screening. It was the first time the two filmmakers ever met. He later developed a friendship and professional collaboration with Werner Schröter. Nick was later the director of Mowelfund Film Institute and invited German filmmakers Ingo Petzke and Christoph Janetzko to teach workshops there in the 1980s. Petzke, a German experimental filmmaker and film professor, translated Deocampo's book into German. Deocampo later became a curator of the Philippine Film Museum (now closed). His writings and life are undeniably intertwined with the history of cinema in the Philippines. This book, published in German, is the Philippine's first film book ever to be translated to another foreign language, and perhaps first German book on such a topic. (SU)

This book launch will be augmented by a screening of three works – Oliver, The Sex Warriors and The Samurai and Isaak – which reflect on the roles of gay/queer desire, migration, and sexwork as undeniable parts of Filipino cinema and archives.

Sarnt Utamachote is a Southeast Asian nonbinary filmmaker and curator in Berlin. They work as programmers for XPOSED Queer Film Festival Berlin, Short Film Festival Hamburg and Sinema Transtopia. They work at the intersection of activism, community, and artistic research, being co-founders of the collective un.thai.tled and Cruising Curator. 

Nick Deocampo is a filmmaker, historian, and educator. In the 1980s, he broached the taboo topic of homosexuality and thus became a pioneer of Philippine queer cinema. For over 30 years, he has made documentaries not only about sexual minorities, but also about military dictatorships, history, and the environment.

Lisabona Rahman is a film archivist and programmer based in Berlin.