DLSU Senior High School Research Congress Conference Proceedings
Document Type
Paper Presentation
Research Advisor (Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial)
Peñaranda, Paolo P.
Abstract/Executive Summary
In the face of injustice and oppression, history remembers those who dared to resist. GomBurZa (2023), directed by Pepe Diokno, follows the story of the three martyred priests—Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora—whose execution in 1872 ignited a national awakening during the Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines. This qualitative study explored how the Baby Boomer Generation and Generation Z in Metro Manila received and interpreted the film. It reflected whether their views about Gomburza evolved and revealed converging and diverging opinions within and between the two generations. It also investigated the broader implications of their responses for understanding Philippine history today. To conduct the study, open-ended surveys were employed and completed by ten purposively selected participants, with five from each generation, after viewing the film. Responses were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis interpreted through Stuart Hall’s Encoding/Decoding Theory. Results revealed that while both generations generally accepted the film’s dominant messages on injustice, nationalism, and resistance, Baby Boomers emphasized martyrdom and drew parallels to Martial Law and the EDSA Revolution. Generation Z, however, highlighted intellectual resistance and linked the film to modern-day issues like red-tagging and the War on Drugs. Overall, the study underscored the value of Philippine cinema in bridging generational gaps, enhancing historical awareness, and empowering viewers to critically engage with the past as a lens for understanding the present.
Keywords
audience reception; GomBurZa; historical film; intergenerational interpretation; Philippine cinema