Banwa Private Island : A Journey of Discovery and Adventure

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – 05th February 2024 - This week, over 200 guests from the Philippines, Hong Kong and beyond were treated to a preview of a movie documentary, “Banwa Private Island – A Two Part Adventure,” filmed on location and produced by Asian Air Safari.

Banwa Private Island is the gateway to the incredibly rich and diverse marine and land ecology in Palawan. ‘Banwa' actually means ‘community' in the local Palawano language and the Tagbanwa people are considered guardians of the region's indigenous nature. Proceeds from the island directly contribute to educational and infrastructure projects in the area through its Aquos Foundation whose ethos is to support, nurture and protect the island’s unique biodiversity.

The documentary highlights how guests are coming from around the world to explore the culture, history and ecology of this unique region. A truly private island with just 6 beautiful villas, guests enjoy un-paralleled hospitality from the Banwa Private Island team whilst being entranced by the nature, wildlife, beaches and stunning turquoise water in this mosquito free environment. Within just a 20-minute radius, there are an array of activities including snorkeling, diving, hiking, an underground river, waterfalls and unique wildlife indigenous to the area.

The documentary was produced by the enigmatic and humbling Captain Joy Roa, CEO of Asian Air Safari, who commented: “I was given a beautiful opportunity to visit this incredible island with its rich bio-diversity, right in our own backyard in the Philippines. Flying with the helicopter for only two hours from Manila allowed me to see this private world – a distinctive combination of luxurious pampering and hospitality, wildlife encounters, and authentic, meaningful interactions with the local community. Experiencing it all first-hand makes me proud that an award-winning, world-class property like Banwa Private Island can be found in the Philippines, because it defines what positive, impactful travel should be.”

Banwa Private Island is the vision of Richard Beattie who has been exploring the region for over 20 years and cannot escape the charm and lure of these islands. Richard commented, “We are so grateful to Captain Joy and his brilliant team for this incredible documentary. It enables people to have an insight into the sounds, smells, culture and scenery of this almost unknown region and Captain Joy immersed himself into every aspect of what the region offers. His generosity is unbounded, and he appears to have found quite a few future pilots for his team from the eager local school children!”

The screening was attended by an international audience made up of past island guests, those planning to visit in the future and the best of the luxury travel trade who have already booked guest visits to the island from far-away places such as Brazil, China and Europe – and perhaps surprisingly many from Manila who were previously unaware of the adventure that awaits them in Palawan.

The two-part documentary will be available for public viewing in March and a wonderful preview is available via this link.

“The Flood: Brad Bestelink On His Epic Documentary”

In Botswana’s renowned Okavango Delta, the wildlife depends on the existence of water. National Geographic’s The Flood gives viewers a riveting and never before seen look into the experience of this kingdom against its capricious and dramatic environment and producer Brad Bestelink talks about what went into making it.

From award-winning Botswanian filmmaker Brad Bestelink and National Geographic’s Wild Kingdom team, The Flood is a natural history television event that lets audiences in on the lives of the wildlife trying to survive nature’s unpredictability during the phenomenon of a flood. To this lush kingdom, such an event is a both blessing and a curse as the environment is simultaneously a haven as well as a dangerous, life-threatening trap. In the wake of the flood, the lives of thousands and thousands of animals hang in the balance and The Flood perfectly captures the natural drama of this marvel.  

It’s not surprising that filming something of this scale and nature is no small feat. “The main challenge was predicting the timing of many of the great events, as the flood differs from year to year,” producer and creator Brad Bestelink shares. “To overcome that we had to have crews in the field for long periods of time for single sequences, waiting for these events to happen. We wanted to capture some unusual behaviour, specifically hippos underwater, and that is always challenging.”

Bestelink, who is the co-founder and a cinematographer for Natural History Film Unit Botswana, grew up in the African bush. Considered as a “real-life Mowgli”, he aims to expose audiences to the wonder of Botswana and in the process, hopes to make viewers more aware and consciousness of the fragility of our world.

“We try and reach as many people as possible to share the beauty and the value of these wild places,” Bestlink explains. “We hope that people get emotionally invested in the animals and would therefore consider the environment more than they otherwise would have, and that this awareness would encourage them to do their bit to protect this environment. We also hope that it might inspire people to travel to Botswana which is ultimately the most effective way to keep these wild places alive.”

It was only natural for Bestelink to make Botswana his muse and film his art — growing up, his grandfather ran a crocodile hunting camp, which his parents eventually turned into the country’s first photography camp.  This sparked Bestelink’s love for not only film and his country, but for bringing film into his country as well. “The film scene in Botswana is thriving,” the cinematographer and producer shares.  “Due to the diversity of the habitats that Botswana offers, there is always a lot going on. We hope that there can ultimately be more citizen engagement in the local film industry.”

It’s becoming clear that if there were anyone to tell the story of Botswana and it’s beauty to the world, it would be Brad Bestelink. His passion for his craft and his country is giving viewers the true and authentic stories they need to bear witness to.  And so far, works like The Flood have succeeded telling a very real and incredibly enthralling story of our planet. 

“It is always good for people to broaden their minds and their experiences,” Bestelink says. “And watching wildlife documentaries can be educational as well as entertainment. Many people aren’t able to actually travel across continents, so these sorts of documentaries can bring these wild places to them in their homes. We hope the viewers need to understand that these wild places exist.”

Stream The Flood and other National Geographic documentaries on FOX+!

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About FOX Networks Group Asia

FOX Networks Group Asia (FNG Asia) is 21st Century Fox’s multi-media business in Asia Pacific and the Middle East. FNG Asia develops, produces and distributes entertainment, sports, factual and movie channels in 14 languages. The FNG Asia portfolio includes over 30 channel brands, on both linear and non-linear platforms, including FOX Sports, FOX Life, FOX Movies, National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo People, SCM (formerly STAR Chinese Movies) and SCC (formerly STAR Chinese Channel) and its on-demand video-streaming service FOX+. As the region’s leading broadcaster, FNG Asia reaches more than 580 million cumulative homes with offices in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Australia and the UAE. FNG Asia is a fully owned subsidiary of 21st Century Fox.

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Oro - Blood is the Luster of Gold

A community of miners will be infiltrated by an armed group masquerading as environmentalists. The story will center on the efforts of their barangay captain (Irma Adlawan) to secure a permit allowing them to keep their livelihood in mining. In the meantime, the lives of Elmer and Linda who are planning to get married (Joem Bascon and Mercedes Cabral) and their fellow miners (Sandino Martin, Sue Prado, Biboy Ramirez) will be put in danger as the armed group (Arrian Labios, Cedrick Juan) takes over the mining operations and establishes a reign of terror in this remote island that the miners have long considered their home. Which has more weight: human rights or environmental rights? The film tries to capture a topsy-turvy reality much more complex than stereotypes characterizing mining as evil and advocacies for environmental protectionism as the font of goodness.

It has been one of the quality films that were selected to be part of the 8 best entries of this years controversial Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF 2016). This film is political in nature which made Director Alvin Yapan hesitant at first but since he was given the full rights of creativity for the film then eventually he agreed. Based from what I've watch, I can say that this movie should be part of your list to watch.

'Sunday Beauty Queen' a Reality Film for the Whole Family

BabyruthVillarama’s “Sunday Beauty Queen” is one of the biggest surprises in this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival. The film is the first ever documentary to make it in the festival’s history. For Villarama, the inclusion of this heartwarming reality film in MMFF could never be more perfect.

“Christmas is for the family and we feel that this is the kind of movie that everyone in the family would truly appreciate. Mulakaylolahanggangkaybunso, patisiyaya, there is something in ‘Sunday Beauty Queen’ that would touch the lives of every Filipino,” she happily shares.

The film is Rated-G by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), deeming it suitable for audience of all ages. It was also Graded-A by the Cinema Evaluation Board (CEB). All ten CEB reviewers bestowed a rare unanimous vote for “Sunday Beauty Queen”.

Shot over the period of four years, “Sunday Beauty Queen” follows the real life stories of Hazel Perdido, MylynJacobo, Cherry Bretania, Leo Selomenio, and Rudelie Acosta, five women among the thousands of OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) in Hong Kong working as domestic helpers. Every Sunday, these Filipino maids transform themselves into dazzling beauty queens, entertaining their fellow Filipinos and raising funds for distressed OFWs in need of help.

The MMFF Selection Committee cites the film as a “precious [documentary], well-researched, well-crafted, insightful and engaging” and possesses “as much power as a feature film to move audiences”.

“Sunday Beauty Queen” is produced by Voyage Studios and TBA (Tuko Film Productions, Buchi Boy Entertainment, Artikulo Uno Productions), the same team behind last year’s box-office and critical hit “Heneral Luna”.

“Sunday Beauty Queen” opens on December 25 in cinemas nationwide.