FILMED POOR(TRAYALS): A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF POVERTY PORTRAYALS IN SELECTED PHILIPPINE MAINSTREAM AND NON-MAINSTREAM FILMS PRODUCED FROM 2000 TO 2016

ABSTRACT

Rodriguez, J.D. & Solomon, J.R. (2017). Filmed poor(trayals): A critical discourse analysis of poverty portrayals in selected Philippine mainstream and non-mainstream films produced from 2000 to 2016. Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis, University of the Philippines Diliman College of Mass Communication.

This study examines how mainstream and non-mainstream Philippine films compare when it comes to their portrayals of poverty. A sample of 30 mainstream and non-mainstream poverty films was analyzed using Critical Discourse Analysis. The manifest content was analyzed by looking at the films’ character, setting, and plot. Findings show that in most films, characters are portrayed to be vulnerable but at the same time resourceful and selfless providers. The family is an important aspect of the narrative. Films relying on romance and comedy sidestep poverty while films that take viewers on a ‘tour ‘of poverty-stricken communities portray poverty at its most graphic state. Although there is a difference in the modes of production between mainstream and non-mainstream films, both are influenced by the institutions that regulate filmmaking. The discourse of poverty found in the films is found to approximate nonfictional discourses on the roots of poverty. However, discourses on poverty alleviation need to balance the roles of the individual and the larger system.

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