Mirasol Films premieres ‘Kikay,’ honoring slain UP student Alyssa Alano, Negros 19

Emerging film collective Mirasol Films is preparing for the exclusive premiere of its short documentary “Kikay,” which pays tribute to the life and fighting spirit of Alyssa Alano, a 22-year-old University of the Philippines Diliman political science student who was among the 19 people killed during a military operation by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Toboso, Negros Occidental.

The screening is scheduled for November 6 at 6 PM at the NCAS Auditorium in UP Los Baños, as part of “Pamana: The Isko’t Iska 50 Film Festival.” It is being held in commemoration of Alano’s birthday on November 3.

Honoring Alyssa’s legacy

According to descriptions published online, the film revisits Alano’s death on April 19, 2026, during an operation involving the 79th Infantry Battalion that left 19 people dead, collectively referred to as the “Negros 19.” Progressive groups condemned the operation as a massacre, saying its victims included young people, a journalist, a community researcher, peasant organizers, and other civilians.

These groups maintain that Alano was an unarmed civilian conducting field research on rural poverty and the conditions of local sugarcane farmers. She previously served as education and research councilor of the UPD University Student Council and chaired the campus chapter of the League of Filipino Students.

Bringing this difficult reality to a young audience presented a major creative challenge for the filmmakers.

Screening to demand justice

One of the creatives behind Mirasol Films, James Gabriel Regondola, acknowledged in an online post that adapting the circumstances of Alano’s death into a child-friendly narrative was difficult. However, he said telling the story of her life and activism came naturally.

“Hindi naman naging mahirap sa amin paano ikwento ang kanyang naging makulay na buhay at pakikibaka dahil sa pag-ibig niya para sa ating bayan,” he said.

Regondola said the project is anchored on a clear message: “Walang bata ang dapat na makaranas ng karahasan!”

The UPLB screening will be followed by an interactive talkback session with the Mirasol Films team and Alano’s mother, Sheila Alano.

The event will conclude with a candle-lighting rally at CAS A1, where participants will condemn state militarization and call for justice for the Negros 19.

“Kikay” was among the 16 films shortlisted for the 2026 National Council for Children’s Television’s DokyuBata Festival under the Young Adult division.