With ‘The Next 24 Hours,’ Carl Papa animates the pain we don’t talk about

By: Marinel Cruz

“I want to be the voice to those who can’t speak,” is how filmmaker Carl Joseph Papa sums up his mission with “The Next 24 Hours,” his latest short film competing at Cinemalaya.

Known for pushing the boundaries of Philippine animation (“Iti Mapukpukaw,” “Paglisan”), Papa this time tackles the harrowing reality of sexual assault and the silence that often follows.

The film follows Sheila, a 29-year-old woman trying to navigate the aftermath of an assault. Across just one day, she wrestles with confusion, fear, and the weight of deciding whether or not to speak up.

“It’s about Sheila and basically what happened to her in the last 24 hours. Everything that a sexual assault victim goes through — the confusion, the fear,” Papa explained.

The story isn’t fiction alone. “Part of what happened to Sheila also happened in real life, to someone really close to me,” he admitted. “She knows I was inspired by her story, and she consented. She can’t speak on her own right now, so we’re using our voice for her.”

Papa sees “The Next 24 Hours” as a continuation of the advocacy he began with “Iti Mapukpukaw,” which also dealt with trauma and silence. “This is my advocacy right now,” he said. “I feel like there are films talking about it, I even added to that list with “Iti Mapukpukaw,” but the sad thing about it is that it’s still happening. It happens everywhere in different countries. I want to use my voice to give a voice to those who can’t speak.”

Animation — specifically rotoscope — remains his chosen medium, allowing him to approach the subject with sensitivity. “You need to show it in a way that wouldn’t hurt the victim,” Papa said. “If you make a movie that ends up hurting the very people you’re encouraging to speak up, then what’s the point? There has to be a level of responsibility.”