K'na the Dreamweaver

A visual knockout, "K'na, the Dreamweaver" is a 2014 Filipino film with dialog in the T'boli language of South Cotabato. The gentle bittersweet story, based on a local legend, relates episodes in the maturation of a T'boli princess, K'na, played by lovely Mara Lopez. Lopez, like the other actors in the film, are so natural that the film plays out like a anthropology documentary.

A young girl learns the art of weaving intricate designs from her grandmother. She experiences young love with the handsome youth, played by R. K. Bagatsing, who supplies the weaving yarn. She undergoes the pain of loss when death strikes. She grows to understand the meaning of duty and placing family and the welfare of her people above personal desire. She reaches maturity, motherhood, peace, and acceptance.

Gloriously filmed around scenic Lake Sebu on the island of Mindinao, the cinematography by Lee Meily captures the vivid colors of the landscapes and brilliant hues and patterns of the region's textiles. The stunning costumes, if they had been specifically designed for the film, would have easily captured an Oscar for costume design. The haunting score by Diwa de Leon enhances the visuals without distracting. In her first film, writer-director Ida Anita del Mundo has created a lyrical film of great beauty that captures and preserves a way of life fast disappearing from the planet. If del Mundo can create a film of such quality on her first try, imagine the heights her career will reach.