Youth activist turns privatization into body horror in ‘Kanibal’

Michael Baylon makes his directorial debut with the Puregold CinePanalo entry.

This is not your usual CinePanalo short film.

Youth activist Michael Baylon turns the privatization of public services into body horror in “Kanibal,” a Hiligaynon short film that follows a market vendor and her daughter as a proposed development project threatens the public market at the heart of their community.

The film was written and directed by Baylon as a way to amplify the people’s campaign against the privatization of public services in Iloilo. At its center is a question: Who is this “development” really for?

“Kanibal” follows Lea, a market vendor raising her daughter, Anne, in a public market that serves as the heart of their community. When Mayor Lin announces a major development project, the vendors’ longtime home begins to change.

By blending body horror with social commentary, the film explores what happens when public spaces such as markets are treated as businesses rather than services for the communities that depend on them.

“Public services that are meant to serve the people are being turned into businesses. At a time when government anomalies, corruption, and injustice are becoming increasingly exposed, we need films like this—films that reveal the people’s real conditions and strengthen the calls of the oppressed masses,” Baylon said.

For Baylon, making the film was itself a collective effort. He likened the production to preparing a feast, where countless dishes have to come together and each one depends on the people behind it.

The film was also made by students who worked within the same kind of marketplace they sought to portray. Surrounded by the smell of fresh seafood, the clatter of market tools, vendors calling out to customers, and the daily bustle of commerce, they turned the market into both their set and their classroom.

Producer Krizelle Kate Blanza likewise stressed the importance of socially conscious filmmaking.

“I believe it’s important to support films courageous enough to tell stories that reflect the real conditions of the oppressed masses. This film is the result not only of our work as a production team, but also of the community and the vendors who opened their spaces and their hearts, trusting us to tell their reality,” she said.

“I hope “Kanibal” will help more people recognize the struggles faced by workers and small-scale vendors,” Blanza added.

Rather than simply asking whether development is necessary, “Kanibal” asks who gets to benefit from it—and what happens to the people who have long sustained the communities being redeveloped.

“Kanibal” will premiere at the Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival 2026 alongside 19 other short film finalists from Sept. 23 to Oct. 4.

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