“The media has a profound impact on the way we see the world, how we interpret news events and the way we respond to these events. This is especially true in the wake of natural disasters, shootings, bombings, and other tragedies.
The media tells us what happened, how many homes were destroyed, who was killed or injured — all the facts that keep us informed. These stories are important, but they’re often confined to tragedy, despair, and loss.”
–Mallary Tenore, Defining the Restorative Narrative
Stories Beyond believes that we need restorative narratives to mobilize people and communities in ways that traditional “IF IT BLEEDS, IT LEADS” news stories can’t. There must be better ways to move people rather than incite anger, hate, frustration, and most of all, fear.
Meet the storytellers who are working to make that happen.
JEAN CLAIRE DY
Founder of Stories Beyond, Jean Claire Dy is a third-generation Filipino-Chinese filmmaker, writer, media artist, and educator. She is currently taking a PhD in Fine Arts and Music with a focus on filmmaking at the Victorian College of Arts of the University of Melbourne.
Claire holds a Master of Arts in Media Studies and Film degree from the New School University in New York City, which she completed under a fellowship from the International Ford Foundation Fellowships Program and a Department Merit Scholarship from the New School Media Studies Program. She
Claire is currently an Assistant Professor of the Communication and Media Studies program of the University of the Philippines Visayas. In the past, she headed MindaNews TV, the now-defunct convergence media component of MindaNews where she also worked as a correspondent and travel editor. She also taught in the Creative Writing and Media Arts programs of the University of the Philippines Mindanao and recently was a Visiting Lecturer at the Convergent Media Lab of the Cheung Kong School of Journalism and Communications in the People’s Republic of China.
Her short narrative film Paglubad was screened at the Sharjah Film Platform in 2019. Pagrara Sang Patipuron, a short documentary she directed with co-director Manuel Domes, was nominated in the 2017 Sinag Maynila Film Festival for Best Documentary. Her latest documentary film co-directed with Manuel Domes titled A House in Pieces won the Golden Hercules Award at the Kasseler Dokfest. It was recently nominated for the Gawad Urian Best Documentary Film in 2021.
Personal Website: www.jeanclairedy.weebly.com
MANUEL DOMES
Manuel Domes is a filmmaker from Germany, standing on a second leg in the Philippines. Before embarking fully on his second career as a documentary filmmaker in 2017, Manuel has worked on conflict transformation projects in Mindanao, Philippines for different international organizations. With German NGO forumZFD, he produced a collective film platform that supported dialogue between Mindanao and the National Capital Region through films.
As a filmmaker, Manuel is interested in the intersections of conflict, identity, and migration. As a consultant, he helps NGOs to use film in their advocacies and monitoring. Manuel received a MA in International Relations from Free University Berlin and a BA in Political Science from the University of Bremen. Manuel also completed a professional certification as a peace and conflict consultant, a diploma in Photojournalism from Ateneo de Manila University, and was enrolled in the MA in Media Studies (Film) at the University of the Philippines.
Cinematography reel: www.vimeo.com/manueldomes
Personal website: www.manueldomes.com
ANGELY PAMILA CHI
LENDZ BARINQUE
Lendz Barinque is a filmmaker and producer who has helped produce several feature films and documentaries distributed nationwide and screened in international film festivals. He received a Diploma in Digital Filmmaking at the International Academy for Film and Television. He holds a Bachelors degree in Creative Writing at Silliman University and is currently finishing a collection of stories for an upcoming publication.
MARIUS ANGELO MONSANTO
Marius Angelo Monsanto is a graphics designer and animator based in Brisbane, Australia. Born and raised in Davao City, Philippines, Marius holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Writing from the University of the Philippines Mindanao. He is also a published writer of poetry and creative nonfiction. Currently, he is pursuing an Associate Degree in Design (Graphic Design) at the SAE Creative Media Institute in Brisbane.
RHOAN NG
Roan Ng is a professional actress, a storyteller, and an advocate for veganism and compassionate choices. She has acted in several short films, and feature-length films screened in the Philippines and in international film festivals. She currently also hosts events organized in the country. In her free time, she writes poetry and prose.