About Me

i am an independent filmmaker whose current interest is to make films for and about special children and persons with disabilities…wishing that my films reach the nooks and corners of the Philippines to erase myths and change society’s false attitudes towards my subjects: Persons with Autism, Deaf, next would be the Cerebral Palsied…and possibly if there would be enough time and resources: films on Dyslexia, those with Mental Retardation, ADHD, Down Syndrome…hopefully they won’t just be like bubble dreams that would fizzle out, a challenge indeed… outside my own advocacy film projects, i was asked to make a short film about a blind architect with emphasis on Non-Handicapping Environment (NHE) because of the non-implementation or partial implementation of the Philippine Accessibility Law (BP 344).

i have just finished [March 2012] the translation / interpretation into Filipino Sign Language of five of the enduring poems of Dr. Jose Rizal, our National Hero in celebration of his sesquicentennial birth anniversary. The project is the first-ever translation into sign language of his poems specifically meant for Deaf Filipinos, and the Blind as well, since it has options in spoken languages: Filipino, English, and Spanish. The principles of “inclusion” and “education for all” were my guiding thoughts when I developed the idea.

Working with Dennis Balan, Deaf videographer

editing mainstream films [largely all the major films of Tikoy Aguiluz, and just recently, the Director's Cut of Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story] before producing my own documentaries…IPR victim of an Australian opportunist who is selling online and thereby profiting from the sale of my first historical documentary film on the socio-cultural life of Filipinos in Corregidor Island before the war, entitled TIGA-ISLA / The ISLANDERS…original staff and scholar of the University of the Philippines Film Center to study filmmaking at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII-the school where Dir. Ishmael Bernal studied Film Direction) where I obtained a Post-Graduate Diploma in Cinema major in Film Editing…a graFTII member…publishing the writings of my historian-brother in between filmmaking activities…dreaming of a high-end camera that i can use for better resolution and imagery (i use ordinary handycams* while awaiting for film research grants, or when there’s none at all to wait for) and always very happy and ready to help new filmmakers to take off… (*As per experience, ordinary handycams that produced works with good and valuable content weighed more than those produced by high-end cameras that created glossy images with trashy contents. The impact worthwhile films produce, and the value the audience give on the output actually become the leverage on what is really important — the means, or the final output? Good, high resolution cameras plus good content is ideal though…so, for now, renting an expensive camera becomes a solution, which to an indie like me is possible only when budget is available, or when a producer is there.)

i am currently a member of the Autism Society Philippines (ASP), Filipino Deaf Women’s Health and Crisis Center (FDWHCC), Support and Empower Abused Deaf Chidren (SEADC), and one of the four hearing advisers of Deaf Pinoy Kaleidoscpe (DPK), a fellowship association of seven Deaf organizations.

i have joined SOFIA (Society of Filipino Archivists for Film) in August 2009, Keep Them Safe movement (November 2009), and the Philippine National Association of Sign Language Interpreters /PINASLI (July 2011).

they call me mirana!

…and this blogsite is my journal.

the article below summarizes why i do what i do. It was taken from “Angels Talk” column with the article entitled “ALYANA: Film educated people about autism.”*

Filipino filmmaker discusses why she tackles disability topics

*Click below if you want to read the full article from “Angels Talk” published by Manila Bulletin:

http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:JMfzLIudnRkJ:www.mb.com.ph/issues/2008/08/11/YTCP20080811132176.html+angels+talk+alyana&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=ph&client=firefox-a

on june 27, 2011, vim nadera of manila bulletin came up with an article about my work on the interpretation of rizal’s poems in sign language – a project meant for the deaf sector. click below to read -

Mirana Medina: Independent Advocacy Filmmaker (First of five parts)

but online news reporter kc santos actually came up with an earlier news on the launching of project rizal featuring the first of five poems that we produced–mi ultimo adios—which was launched on june 21, 2011. click below to read -

Filmmaker interprets Rizal’s \’Mi Ultimo Adios\’ for the Deaf