What happens when you cross medicine and movies? You get something like Mga Kwentong Tsubibo, a student-made film about the unraveling lives of eight strangers: Nadine, a frustrated medical student on the verge of quitting med school; Jose, a young boy from a poor family who can no longer afford the medicines for his sick grandmother; Gino Galvez, a compassionate doctor who is asked to perform an illicit procedure for the sake of Mayor Alfonso, a principled leader driven to extreme measures to save the life of his son; Marie and JR, a young couple whose relationship is shaken when JR finds out Marie’s dark secret; and Carlito and Caridad, a married couple from the barrios scrambling to pay for the hospitalization of their critically wounded child. Mga Kwentong Tsubibo (“Roundabout” in English) is the story of struggles and triumphs, against the backdrop of health, in the span of a single day.
Produced by Batch 2019 of the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, Tsubibo was written from the collective reflections of over 160 future doctors after completing their first year of medical school. Their goal is to shine a spotlight on the many unseen, interrelated social factors in which a person’s health is deeply rooted – factors like geography, poverty, and family relationships. In line with the emphasis on the social determinants of health, proceeds of the screening go to capacitating the Adolescent Center of District 2 in Quezon City, with the goal of having zero teenage pregnancies.
Catch the one-time screening of “Mga Kwentong Tsubibo” this November 28 at the Henry Lee Irwin Theater, Ateneo de Manila University. You can show your support to the cause by liking their Facebook page or purchasing tickets.
By Aimee Capinpuyan
