Episode 35 – Chuck Gutierrez and Baby Ruth Villarama

Behind the Screen Series: The Pacemaker and the Witness In this special sub-series of Third World Cinema Club, we take a look at the people involved in film production, whose work audiences see and feel on screen, but might not know about. For this episode, we talk to a filmmaking duo whose work speaks for itself. Editors are perhaps one of the most overlooked jobs in filmmaking, even though the fruits of their labor exist in plain sight. Editors and directors give movies their flow and rhythm, supplying the work with its beating heart. Chuck Gutierrez is a multi-award winning film editor, director and producer. His works have garnered recognition locally and in major film festivals around the world. On the other hand, documentary filmmakers are part of a critically important subset of filmmakers. They are witnesses in both senses of the word – as observers and as storytellers. Baby Ruth Villarama is a producer and director, best known for directing documentary films. Her 2016 film Sunday Beauty Queen won best picture in that year’s edition of the MMFF – the first such documentary to win the award. Other films include Little Azkals (2014) and Jazz in Love (2013). In this special episode of Third World Cinema Club’s Behind the Screen Series, Princess talk to two of the industry’s best about their filmmaking and creative process and how they shape lives and worlds through stories. Notes: We recorded this episode over at Coffee Project in Mandaluyong. We pre-recorded this episode on April 19,  2019 (Good Friday) hence the reference. No major spoilers in this episode.