First Int'l Documentary FilmFest opens today

CEBU, Philippines - The first Cebu International Documentary Film Festival (CIDFF) will open today, 5 p.m., at the Onstage Theater of Ayala Center Cebu.

Organizers said the CIDFF is the first documentary film festival of its kind in the Philippines and one of the first in Asia because it will bring together documentary films from around the world. The competition will run from August 15 to 18.

The festival will open with a feature film, PUREZA: THE STORY OF NEGROS SUGAR by Jay Abello, which will be shown at 7:30 pm at the Onstage Theater.

Tomorrow, the participating films will be screened in two venues – the University of San Carlos (USC) CAFA building in its Talamban Campus and at the International Academy of Film and Television (IAFT) in Mactan.

A total of 13 entries are joining the festival, seven of which come from other countries.

The nine entries from the Philippines include “Dumaguete: Artist’s Haven” by Cramen del Prado,” Art for Service and Blessedness” by William T. Jones, “Sista” by Evan Trout, “Piyon” by Kathy Molina and Jun Resurreccion, “Ella” by Cristano Fuego and “Pas De Deux” by John Croft.

The foreign films include “Sunday in Brazzaville” by Enrich Bach and Adria Mones from Congo, “The Shaman’s Dream” by Inmaculada de la Calle Mejias from Spain, “The First Station” by Victor Sagrista from Bulgaria, “Madres 0, 15 El Mundo” by Marina Seresky from Spain, “Machine Man” by Alfonso Moral and Roser Corella from Bangladesh, “Far From Saint Nazaire” by Liuc Guell Fleck from France and “HAITI: Land of Hope” by Asier Reino from Haiti/Spain.

There are also four entries for the non-competitive section, including “A Broken Tomorrow” by Katia Gonzales Estevez, “18 Days” by Ray Macru Datu and “Jeepney” by Alan Lyddiard from the Philippines and “Let’s Fall in Love” by Wuna Wu from Taiwan.

During the closing program and awarding ceremonies on August 18 at the J Centre Mall in Mandaue City, the festival will honor the late Gloria Sevilla, dubbed as the Queen of Visayan Movies.

According to Totally Cebu, Sevilla was a daughter of a Cebuano merchant and hailed from Bantayan island. She starred in movies like “Ang Mga Anak Intawn” (Pity the Children), “Rosas Pandan”, and “Mapait ang Balaod” (Law is Harsh), to name a few.

She was often paired with Mat Ranillo, Jr. who was recognized as the “King of Visayan Movies.” They were a very popular and sought after tandem at the height of their careers. They became a “love team” on and off cam.

Eventually, the couple went mainstream and continued their legacy of being outstanding actors. Gloria starred in many Tagalog pictures. In 1969, she was awarded Best Actress in the FAMAS and in the 16th Asian Film Festival. She was also part of the acclaimed “Minsa’y Isang Gamu-gamu” (Once a Moth) wherein Philippine Superstar Nora Aunor was the lead actor.

Sevilla remains an icon not only in the Visayan and Cebuano film industry, but also in the national movie scene.