ARDEN ROD CONDEZ’ John Denver Trending was named the Best Film at the 15th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival Awards held August 11, 2019 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo. Advertisements
THE 15th edition of the Cinemalaya Film Festival presents a kaleidoscope of cinema from the Asian region through Visions of Asia, a major component of the country’s largest independent film festival. Four award-winning NETPAC films and three Asian indie films will convey Asian sensibilities to film enthusiasts, which will be screened on August 3 to 10, at various CCP venues.
FOR its 15th year, Cinemalaya makes a striking move when it decides to open the film festival with Lav Diaz’s “Ang Hupa (The Halt)” on August 2, 6pm at CCP Main Theater lobby. For the first time in the film festival’s history, Cinemalaya will screen a four-hour-and-thirty-minute film to kickstart the most anticipated cinematic event in the country. Known for defying filmmaking traditions, Filipino director Diaz has been a hardcore believer of slow cinema movement, having written and produced numerous films with longest narratives. Also, Diaz films have been known for being politically charged, with themes depicting the harsh social and political realities happening in the country. He is the creative brain behind some of the best independent films in recent years, including “Batang West Side,” “Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis,” “Ang Babaeng Humayo,” “Norte, the End of History,” among others. This screening is a homecoming of sort for Diaz’s “Ang Hupa” after making its world premiere at the prestigious Directors’ Fortnight, the non-competition section of Cannes Film Festival, in France early this year. The film …
Eddie Garcia and Ai Ai Delas Alas win Best Actor and Actress CARLO ENCISO CATU’s Kung Paano Hinihintay ang Dapithapon (Waiting for Sunset) was named Best Film at the 14th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival Awards night held on August 12, 2018 at the CCP Main Theater. Catu’s film about love, companionship and forgiveness in the twilight years of an unlikely trio — an unmarried couple and the woman’s estranged husband — also won the prizes for Best Production Design (Marielle Hizon), Best Cinematography (Neil Daza), and Best Screenplay (John Carlo Pacala). Featuring veteran actors Dante Rivero, Menggie Cobarrubias, Perla Bautista in the lead roles, the film was cited “for its general technical excellence, for its powerful ensemble acting by some of the most august names in Philippine cinema, and for its sensitive depiction of decline and decrepitude.” As Best Film winner, Kung Paano Hinihintay ang Dapithapon garnered Php350,000, a Balanghai trophy, a post production package worth Php600,000, a Canon camera, and a distribution grant worth Php200,000.The Special Jury Prize went to Pan de …
THE Cinemalaya’s special section Indie Nation will let film enthusiasts cross out the indie films which they may have missed on their regular screening at the cinema from their must-watch checklist. This component of the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival features seven indie films that made buzz and gained international recognition. The featured indie films include: “Citizen Jake” by Mike de Leon; “Chedeng & Apple” by Rae Red and Fatrick Tabada; “Delia And Sammy” by Therese Cayaba; “Gusto Kita With All My Hypothalamus” by Dwein Baltazar; “Mga Mister Ni Rosario” by Alpha Habon; “Smaller And Smaller Circles” by Raya Martin; “Nervous Translation” by Shireen Seno; “Manggagarab (Man With Sickle)” by Kyle Fermindoza; and, “Bomba (The Bomb)” by Ralston Gonzales Jover. Directed by Mike De Leon, “Citizen Jake” is a personal saga of a Filipino and his struggles with the contradictions within his own social class and the demands of a dysfunctional political family in a Third World nation. The film features actors Cherie Gil, Dina Bonnevie, Luis Alandy, Gabby Eigenmann, Max Collins, Teroy Guzman, and …
ON its 14th edition, the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival brings together a myriad of films in various genres, catering to different cinematic preferences and experiences. In Dokyu, its special documentary segment, the film festival curates six documentary films such as “Call Her Ganda,” “50 Years Of Fabulous,” “Life Is What You Make It,” “A Piece Of Paradise,” “Yield,” and “Honor, The Legacy Of Jose Abad Santos.” In “Call Her Ganda,” director PJ Raval documents the case of Jennifer Laude, the Filipino transwoman who was brutally murdered by a US Marine. Three women intimately invested in the case – Virgie Suarez who is an activist attorney, Meredith Talusan who is a transgender journalist, Julita Laude, the mother of the slain, galvanize a political uprising, pursuing justice and taking on hardened histories of U.S. imperialism. The documentary won the Grand Jury Award Outstanding Documentary at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, and the Best Documentary Audience Award at the Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival. Directed by Jethro Cuenca Patalinghug, “50 Years of Fabulous” recounts …
THE Visions of Asia, one of the main components of Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, presents seven award-winning Asian indie films from India, Japan, Russia, China, Thailand, and the Philippines, to be screened on August 3 to 12, 2018, at various CCP theaters. The featured films include: “Beti” by P. Sheshadri, “Goodbye, Grandpa!” by Yukihiro Morogaki, “Nearest & Dearest” by Kseniya Zueva, “The Taste Of Rice Flower” by Pengfei, “Of Love & Law” by Hikaru Toda, “Bad Genius” by Nattawut Poonpiriya, and “The Chanters” by James Robin Mayo. Directed and written by P. Sheshadri, “Beti” follows the story of Suleiman and his wife Juleka. While Suleiman had gone off to work overseas immediately after marriage, his wife Juleka gave birth to their daughter, Salma. But for fear of disappointment, Suleiman was made to believe that they had a son named Salman. For years, Suleiman was unable to visit Juleka and the child, so when the news came of Suleiman’s impending return, the whole household is thrown into panic. The 101-minute long film won the NETPAC …
ACTION Thriller “BuyBust” will open the 14th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival on August 3, at the CCP Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (Main Theater). The opening film will be screened at 7 p.m., following the opening program at 6 p.m. Directed by Erik Matti, the film follows rookie police officer Nina Manigan who joins the anti-narcotic elite squad. Soon, two teams are deployed to conduct a buy-bust operation in the slums of Manila. Realizing that the mission is poorly executed, the anti-narcotic squad finds themselves trapped by a gang of slum settlers and needs to fight their way out to escape. Co-produced by Reality Entertainment and Viva Films, “BuyBust” is deemed as one of the most ambitious first full-on action films in recent local cinema history. With a budget of over ₱80 million, the film employed more than 300 stuntmen and utilized over 250,000 grams of gunpowder. Production began in 2016, with the filming lasting 56 days starting in March 2017. The film premiered on June 29, 2018 at the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) …
THE Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Cinemalaya Foundation are set to roll out the red carpet for the 14th edition of the country’s biggest independent film festival, the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, on August 3 to 12, 2018, at various venues of the CCP and selected Ayala Cinemas. The 2018 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival promises to deliver the best visual storytelling to every film enthusiast. Judging by this year’s line-up of full-length films and short features, there is something that will surely capture the audience’s imagination. Following the theme “Wings of Vision,” this year’s Cinemalaya will screen 10 full-length films, all competing for the grand awards. The competing full-length entries are: “Distance” by Percival Intalan; “Kung Paano Hinihintay ang Dapithapon (Waiting for Sunset)” by Carlo Enciso Catu; “Kuya Wes” by James Robin Mayo; “Liway” by Kip Oebanda; “Mamang” by Denise O’Hara; “ML” by Benedicto Mique Jr.; “Musmos na Sumibol sa Gubat ng Digma (Unless the Water is Safer than the Land)” by Iar Lionel Arondaing; “Pan De Salawal (The Sweet taste …
