No surprise that “Ligiron: King of the Downhill Cart” won this year’s FilMiC Pro’s Best Documentary award. Director Paul Benzi Florendo’s  five-minute video contains all the classic documentary elements: an original story, interesting characters, an exotic location, powerful close-ups, and enchanting music. But perhaps Florendo’s most powerful artistic decision was to open the documentary with a one-minute wordless sequence.

In the first 20 shots of “Ligiron,” pictures alone introduce us to Roni Dagoy, a craftsman who has spent most of his life building home-made carts used for fun and work. The opening wordless sequence also introduces a number of supporting “characters”  plus the film’s location in the Philippines. By the time the documentary’s subjects start talking about the facts, we are already deep in a world that will be new to most viewers.

The wordless sequence is a simple technique, one that can be used in all genres. All it requires is a good eye for detail and the trust that audiences (from a root wording meaning “sound”) will use their eyes.

“Ligiron,” shot using an iPhone 5s, was filmed in the Philippines.

You can see all the other winners in the FilMiC Pro competition here.