While the world of film often tells stories of fantasy, romance, and adventure, there exists a different and equally powerful side of cinema. Documentaries, a genre that delves into life's raw and unfiltered realities, are often overshadowed by more glamorous fictional counterparts. However, they serve a crucial purpose: to tell meaningful stories that might otherwise go unheard — stories of real people, real struggles, and real triumphs. The power of documentary filmmaking to inspire and motivate is undeniable. Behind the scenes of ‘Maria,” which is She Andes’ first full-length documentary and also the first documentary to compete in Cinemalaya history. It follows three women as they travel to discover the truth behind the death of their loved ones during the infamous drug war and fight for justice within a dwindling civic and democratic space in the Philippines.

One filmmaker who has made it her mission to bring these stories to the forefront, despite the challenges of documentaries, is Sheryl Rose "She" Andes. Her journey is a testament to the resilience and determination required in this field, making her story one that resonates with all who have faced obstacles in their pursuit of a dream.

Where She started

Andes' passion for filmmaking developed later in life.

"I was a late bloomer when I realized I wanted to become a visual artist. As a child, I started with photography. My father had an old Kodak camera, and I was already tinkering with it by the time I was around eight years old. That's where it all began," she detailed for The Sunday Times Magazine.

Consequently, Andes was confronted with a practical dilemma when it came time to choose a college path. Behind the scenes of ‘Maria,” which is She Andes’ first full-length documentary and also the first documentary to compete in Cinemalaya history. It follows three women as they travel to discover the truth behind the death of their loved ones during the infamous drug war and fight for justice within a dwindling civic and democratic space in the Philippines.

"In college, I really wanted to choose something arts-related. Back then, I even dreamed of becoming a broadcast journalist. I even wanted to be a reporter, and I was very conscious of the fact that film was expensive," she recalled.

Encouraged by an uncle who was a professor of anthropology, Andes decided to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Community Development at the University of the Philippines despite her initial hesitations.

"I thought I wouldn't enjoy it. I told myself I'd just stay for one year and then shift courses. But I actually ended up enjoying [my major]," Andes continued.

"The great thing about Community Development was that we had a lot of free electives. I took as many film courses as possible so by then, I started considering to shift."

However, as her interest in film began to grow, financial constraints prevented her from switching courses.

"We weren't a wealthy family. My mom was already complaining about expenses back then. She asked why I was taking a photography class, for example, since it was expensive. Besides my daily allowance, I had to ask for money to buy film and photo paper. It was as if I was testing the waters if I could shift to film."

Determined to follow her passion, Andes promised herself, "Since my parents could not afford to support my film studies, that became my motivation. I told myself, "After college, I'll pay for my own film education.'"

True to her word, after graduating from her original course, Andes found a way to fund her Master in Media Studies in Film program at UP, juggling her studies while working in the development sector. Ultimately, it took her six years to complete her MA, but the sacrifice and wait were all worth it.

She finds a connection

For a decade, Andes worked in non-governmental organizations (NGOs), plunging into grassroots programs, organizing urban poor sectors, and engaging in community-driven projects. Her role involved extensive travel across the Philippines, from the urban streets of Tondo to the remote regions of Cagayan, Aurora and Bukidnon, among many other places.

"My first documentary was about gangsters who were rapping in Tondo. My framework of analysis is very much rooted in community development. Now that I've fully embraced filmmaking, I've just converted that framework into a visual form. Because, at the end of the day, I'm still a development worker. That's why topics like human rights and the environment are natural for me, as I've long believed in and fought for these issues. So now that I'm making documentaries, these are really the themes of my films," Andes explained.

"Other documentary filmmakers might still need immersion for their subjects to live the experience, but I've already been through that. I've been doing it since I was a student," she added.

Andes' practical experience in the field, particularly with the Integrated Pastoral Development Initiative (IPDI), where she worked as an Evaluation Consultant for 10 years, gave her invaluable training. As such, her earliest projects were short films and advocacy materials created for the NGO.

"I think it was great training for me. I actually loved the job, but when my boss started grooming me to become the executive director of IPDI, I began to question if it was really what I wanted. At that time, I was still pursuing my master's degree, which took longer to complete because I was deeply engaged in my work," she continued.

"But it was during my time as a student that I realized how powerful documentary filmmaking could be. My background in community development gave me a unique perspective, and I wanted to use that to tell stories that mattered."

She's early works

As soon as she secured her master's, Andes took a sabbatical from NGO work and fully immersed herself in filmmaking. Happily, opportunities to serve as assistant director on various Cinemalaya films and documentaries for GMA Network's "I-Witness" came her way. These projects allowed her to finally use her skills in the real world and build a network within the industry.

"I felt like I was just an intern because I lacked experience, so I needed to gain production experience. But it was a real job. I studied and learned as much as possible as an assistant director. That's why if you check my IMDb, you'll see a lot of credits for assistant director roles. These projects were directed by my friends," she shared.

After a year, her boss in the community development sector asked her to return to the field, but Andres decided to pursue filmmaking.

"What I did was I resigned. I didn't go back there; I went straight ahead to filmmaking. A week later, I received an acceptance letter from Cinemalaya that I was a finalist for 'Pandanggo sa Hukay.' So it was like everything was aligning," she recalled.

"Pandanggo sa Hukay" (2019) is Andes' critically acclaimed directorial debut. The feature film is based on a Carlos Palanca-winning script by Andrian Legaspi.

"When Andrian gave me the script and told me to submit it to Cinemalaya, I took it as a challenge. I wanted to see if I could direct fiction as well as I could create documentaries," Andes recalled.

Starring Iza Calzado and Charlie Dizon, "Pandanggo sa Hukay" tells the story of a small-town midwife getting ready for a job interview, only to be disrupted by an unfortunate turn of events.

While the film proved a significant achievement for the first-time festival finalist, it also served as a reminder of where Andes' true passion lay.

"After doing 'Pandanggo sa Hukay,' I felt a deep thirst to return to documentary filmmaking. In fiction, you can sometimes feel depleted. Documentaries are where my heart truly lies," she conveyed.

She unveils 'Maria'

Grateful for the success of "Pandanggo sa Hukay," Andes was nonetheless eager to return to her first love. For her, the documentary format was the more fitting medium for the stories she wanted to tell.

Her return to the genre gave birth to "Maria," Andes' first full-length documentary. Truly her forte, the title made history as the first documentary to compete in Cinemalaya and was nominated for Best Film like "Pandanggo sa Hukay."

The documentary follows three women named Maria after the bloodbath of Duterte's drug war. A staunch supporter turned victim, a wife and mother fighting for their rights, and a woman who became a beacon of hope. It further gained widespread acclaim with the 2024 FAMAS Best Documentary Film award as its latest recognition.

Andes shared that the idea for "Maria" emerged from meeting producer Bryan Brazil, who previously worked as executive producer for "I-Witness."

Just before the lockdown, Brazil approached her with the story idea.

At ‘Maria’s’ gala night on August 5, 2023 at the Philippine International Convention Center’s Cinema Rizal.

"He said, 'I have a story I haven't revisited. I think it would be better for a female filmmaker to tell it.'"

As restrictions eased, the team set out to bring the story of "Maria" to life. Their goal was to showcase the documentary abroad. However, when Cinemalaya announced its call for entries, the two decided to take a chance and submit their work.

"We were the first documentary to get in. Out of 200 hopefuls, we were shortlisted to 40, and then we pitched again, and they selected 20. Then it came down to being included in the Top 10 finalists," she recounted.

When prodded to reflect on the success of "Maria," particularly its entry into Cinemalaya, the filmmaker confessed to having mixed emotions.

"Everybody was rooting for me because it was the first documentary [to be nominated for Best Film], but we didn't win anything," Andes said.

"The difference with fiction films is you shoot, edit and then attend the awards night or gala where your actors are present. But with a documentary, it's about real people. Until now, I have maintained my relationships with them. That connection doesn't end."

Andes’ work in community development involves extensive travel across the Philippines including Casiguran, Aurora

Andes admitted that attending the awards night with some of the mothers she featured in "Maria" proved challenging by the end of the evening.

"I think they were kind of expecting to win, but we didn't. One of the mothers, Mary Ann, asked, 'We didn't win, ma'am? Why? Does that mean they didn't believe in our story?' For me, it's okay not to win. But I had to explain it to them, 'Nanay, no. It's just that documentaries are different from fiction.'

"I told them we were already winners because we were the first documentary to make it into the competition."

Andes also made them understand that awards are never the primary goal of the genre.

"In general, we don't make films just to win awards. Winning is just a bonus. After all, this is a documentary," she explained.

She has hope

On a more optimistic note, Andes cited a growing interest in documentaries gaining ground in the Philippines.

"I received so many invitations [from festivals] after [doing] Cinemalaya. There used to be a small audience for documentaries here, but it turns out that many people are interested now," she enthused.

Whenever she gives a talk on the making of "Maria," Andes — who was also among the lecturers of The Manila Times' School of Journalism highly successful Masterclass for Visual Storytelling of True Tales — always underlines the importance of truth-telling, especially in this present age of AI, fake news, and misinformation. At the gala screening of ‘Pandanggo sa Hukay’ with main star Iza Calzado (center). From a Carlos Palanca-winning script, it is Andes’ first feature film which became a finalist at the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival in August 2019.

"These past few years, many narratives have changed, and many people have been led to believe false truths. That's why we need truth-telling more than ever, and I hope documentary filmmaking continues to flourish in the Philippines," she declared.

Encouraged by the growing interest in documentaries, Andes revealed that one of her fervent goals is to nurture aspiring filmmakers in the genre, much like her counterparts do in India.

Despite ‘Pangdanggo’s’ huge success at Cinemalaya, documentaries beckoned to the determined storyteller of realities.

"We have so many stories, and they're not just about poverty. Whenever I lecture on making documentaries, I point out that not all topics have to be like 'Maria' — serious. I tell students especially that they shouldn't be limited to those issues.

"Documentaries can be about anything — mundane aspects of life, your relationship with your mother, or simply your perspective. Just because I made a film about the drug war doesn't mean all documentaries should be about that."

She encourages documentarists to look into titles from other countries where they will see immensely varied themes.

"They tell stories about trees, dying traditions, and much more. I think our documentaries here have been typecast into needing to address hardcore issues, but it doesn't have to be that way. They can also be about finding love, exploring culture, or even capturing the beauty of nature.

"Documentary filmmaking is an incredibly versatile medium, and I hope more filmmakers explore its full potential," Andes expressed.

Besides opening up to everything around them, Andes also advises students to prepare for many challenges along the way and stay strong.

"It's still tough to get funding for documentaries in our country, but it's getting better. There are more platforms and festivals now, and the audience is growing, so don't be quick to give up," Andes encouraged.

"After all, we know and believe documentaries have the power to drive change. They can bring to light issues that are often ignored and give a voice to those who are marginalized. That's why we have to stay the course."

What's next for She

Andes' next project is a documentary about the impact of climate change on fisherfolk in General Santos.

"I'm currently working on my second documentary, which is about climate change. This one is more challenging because it involves the sea. I'll be joining the fisherfolk in General Santos. That's what I'm working on right now. Of course, I need more funding — so I can execute the vision I have in mind," shared Andes. (Above and below) Filming the ‘Stop Kaliwa Dam’ documentary.

Andes also plans to devote more time to the academe and teach documentary filmmaking to the next generation of storytellers. Since 2013, she has been teaching film at Mapua University, initially as a part-time instructor. Her deepening involvement in the university eventually led to her appointment as the newest department chair of Mapua's BA Digital Film program this August.

"I want to give back by sharing what I've learned. I'm passionate about teaching, and I'm looking forward to helping others find their voice through film," she ended.