Avant Labs x Global Shapers Bangkok Sustainable Screens: The Bantay Bukid Experience

​Bantay Bukid (Forest Guards) is a poignant, cinéma vérité–style documentary that follows the Bagobo Tagabawa and Bagobo-Klata indigenous forest guardians of Mt. Apo in Mindanao, Philippines, as they strive to protect the critically endangered Philippine Eagle and their ancestral lands. Against the backdrop of lush montane forests, the film chronicles daily patrols, sacred rituals, and community-led conservation efforts—revealing both the majesty of the ecosystem and the relentless pressures of illegal logging, mining, and wildlife poaching that threaten to destroy the land, its people, and its wildlife.

Directed by Pia Duran and produced by Gladys Llanes, Bantay Bukid brings together intimate interviews and stunning cinematography by Nana Buxani, Princess Taroza, and TJ Biasong to immerse viewers in the guardians’ unwavering commitment. With executive production support from Forest Foundation Philippines and partnerships with Docs by The Sea and Beech to Beach, the film spotlights how grassroots stewardship can serve as the last line of defense for both biodiversity and indigenous heritage.