Cinemalaya 2008 UP Film Institute Screening Schedule

The UP Film Institute holds move-over screenings for this year’s Cinemalaya. All the competing entries both for full-length and short film categories are in hallmark.

This year’s edition of “Cinemalaya Goes UP” organized by the Cineastes Studio also includes prime showcase of Cinemalaya’s past winners of Best Picture and choice titles for respective tributes to icons of Philippine independent cinema of yesteryears, namely, master director Manuel Conde and veteran actress Anita Linda. For providing this year’s Cinemalaya opening film at the CCP, Adolf Alix is honored with the exhibition of his two previous films made for Cinemalaya.

Further UP Film Institute screenings complement Cinemalaya principal selection.

A rundown of UP Film Institute screenings is as follows:

For main cinema engagement

July 28 Mon

Manuel Conde Retro: Genghis Khan 2:30 p.m.

Baby Angelo 5 p.m.

Concerto 7:30 p.m.

July 29 Tue

Cinemalaya’s Past Best Pictures Showcase: Pepot Artista 2:30 p.m.

Jay 5 p.m.

Huling Pasada 7:30 p.m.

July 30 Wed

Cinemalaya’s Past Best Pictures Showcase: Tulad ng Dati 2:30 p.m.

Brutus 5 p.m.

Namets 7:30 p.m.

July 31 Thu

Cinemalaya’s Past Best Pictures Showcase: Tribu 2:30 p.m.

100 5 p.m.

My Fake American Accent 7:30 p.m.

Aug 1 Fri

Ishmael Bernal Gallery Night with Film Premiere of Adolf Alix’s Imoral 7:30 p.m.

Aug 2 Sat

Endo 2/5/7 p.m.

Aug 4 Mon

Anita Linda Tribute: Tambolista 2:30 p.m.

Boses 5 p.m.

Ranchero 7:30 p.m.

Aug 5 Tue

Manuel Conde Retro: Krus na Kawayan 2:30 p.m.

Cinemalaya 2008 Competing Shorts A 5 p.m.

Cinemalaya 2008 Competing Shorts B 7:30 p.m.

Aug 6 Wed

Anita Linda Tribute: Sisa 2:30 p.m.

Cinemalaya 2008 Special Jury Prize Winner 5 p.m.

Cinemalaya 2008 Best Picture 7:30 p.m.

Aug 7 Thu

Donsol 2:30 p.m.

Kadin 5 p.m.

Anita Linda Tribute: Sisa 7:30 p.m.

I’m watching the Watchmen (Official teaser trailer)

Summary:

A complex, multi-layered mystery adventure, the film is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the “Doomsday Clock” — which charts the USA’s tension with the Soviet Union — is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed-up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion — a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers — Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity… but who is watching the Watchmen?

Cinemalaya 2008 winners announced

This just in, taken from the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Now if only the UP Film Institute can fix the schedule already, I’ll have a grand time watching every film. Hmmm, ok, so most films. At least more than last year when I was only able to catch “Pisay”. Pupunta ba kayo? Tara.

I hope “100″ and others cross over to mainstream and make tons of money. Go indie!

MANILA, Philippines — An evening of pleasant surprises was how Tess Rances, Cinemalaya coordinator, described the awards show of the 4th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Sunday.

Rances said the board of jurors had a difficult time picking this year’s winners.

“The five-man jury took almost five hours to deliberate,” she told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The jury, headed by French critic Max Tessier, included foreign film fest programmers Kim Ji-Seok of Pusan and Ansgar Vogt of Berlin. There were two Filipinos on the panel: Inquirer arts editor, Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino and University of Santo Tomas (UST) professor Lito Zulueta and actor Cesar Montano.

The panel judged both the Full-Length Feature and Short Film categories.

Francis Xavier Pasion’s “Jay” won Best Full-Length Feature Film; Milo Tolentino’s “Andong” won Best Short.

“Jay” was cited for its “sheer originality and energetic storytelling;” and “Andong” for its “devoted and humorous look at a boy’s obsessions.”

Chris Martinez won Best Director (Full-Length) for “100.”

Tara Illenberger’s “Brutus” won Jury Prize for Full-Length; Anna G. Bigornia’s “My Pet” Special Jury Prize for Short and Sheron R. Dayoc’s “Angan-Angan” won Special Jury Citation.

Mark V. Reyes won Best Director (Short) for “God Only Knows.”

Baron Geisler, who portrayed a gay TV producer in “Jay,” won Best Actor; while Mylene Dizon, who played a cancer patient in “100,” won Best Actress.

This year, organizers added two more performance awards: Best Supporting Actor and Actress.

Yul Servo of “Brutus” won Best Supporting Actor, while Eugene Domingo of “100″ won Best Supporting Actress.

The audience Choice award was won by Chris Martinez for “100″ (Full-Length) and by Mark V. Reyes for “God Only Knows” (Short).

Rome and Juliet

I’ve been looking for this movie for a looong time. Glad to say I wasn’t disappointed (the faults are easy to overlook). If you like it, I encourage you to buy the original copy on DVD, which is available at Odyssey and other video shops. We need to show support so that, hopefully, they’ll keep making more lesbian films in the future. Kudos to Mylene Dizon, Andrea Del Rosario, and the whole staff of Rome and Juliet.

This is part 1 of 14. Thanks to honeybojoandmylene for the upload.

Nora and Vilma fans’ heads explode!

Care for a vintage film?

“Ang T-Bird at Ako” is among my most loved Filipino films (fine, nevermind the title). In my book, it’s up there with all the greats by Ishmael Bernal, Lino Brocka, and Mike De Leon. Whoever penned the script is a genius, and as for the acting, you can hype it all you want with the Nora Aunor-Vilma Santos combo and never be disappointed. They’re just amazing actresses, both. If anybody knows where to get the full copy of this film, I beg you, please, please tell me.

Free Jonas Burgos Campaign Videos

The following 11 videos were taken from the compilation “RIGHTS”, which was supposed to be shown last Sept. 21 at Robinsons Galleria’s Indie Cine, as part of the commemoration of Martial Law. The day before the screening, MTRCB gave it an X-rating, making it unfit for public screening.

“Scenes in this film are presented unfairly, one-sided and
undermines the faith and confidence of the government and duly
constituted authorities for public exhibition.” -MTRCB

You decide.

Ignorante by Jon Red

Adeliza by Kiri Dalena

the bitter life of sugar cane farmers

Last night, I went to Robinson’s Cinema 3 to catch the screening of Behn Cervantes’ “SAKADA”. This film was first launched in 1976, during the Martial Law era. It ran for a few days in the cinemas, but Marcos banned the film and suddenly government troops were all over confiscating copies.

SAKADA is about the life of a family in Bacolod, Negros Occidental, whose primary means of living is harvesting sugar cane for a wealthy landowner. Given the conditions during those days, that the film ever got made is already an accomplishment. The ensemble cast gave a strong performance, composed of Rosa Rosal, Robert Arevalo, Hilda Coronel, Bembol Roco, Alicia Alonso, Gloria Romero, and Pancho Magalona. There were bits and pieces of the editing that seemed a bit out of place, but other than that is was a good film to watch.

Living in the metropolis, you’d think that that kind of oppression has ceased to exist, but no. The first thing I saw on TV right after I got back home was a story on “Maalaala Mo Kaya”, showing almost exactly the same scenes. The dead being carried on peasants’ shoulders, marching through cane fields, extreme poverty, and slave labor. Recall the shooting incident in Hacienda Luisita a few years ago where 7 workers were shot while staging a protest. And can you blame them, getting a measly P9.50 per week? 30 years since SAKADA and it’s as if nothing has changed.

No wonder, really. The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program was a big failure. But it can’t stop there. We can’t just feel bad. Something must be done about it.

gray matters quote

my favorite part of the movie. because it’s true.

Sam: What are you doing?
Gray: I want to die right now. I never want to see another human being as long as I live.
Sam: You’re just coming out.
Gray: I am never coming out of this elevator.
Sam: This is probably the biggest revelation of your entire life. It’s normal to be going nuts. It’s normal.
Gray: I don’t feel normal. I’m sick and tired of everyone saying it’s normal, it’s typical, it’s ordinary. I don’t feel any of those things.
Sam: Well, how do you feel?
Gray: Lonely.
Sam: Why?
Gray: Because I’m never going to be able to walk down the street, holding hands with my partner without the rest of the world giving us a look. And me never have the wedding that I once dreamed of and I may never have children. And one day when I die people will never give as much respect to my grieving lover as if she were my husband.
Sam: Gray, it’s not as if you made a choice.
Gray: That’s what terrifies me. It’s so much easier to be someone else.

cinemalaya goes to UP