Cinemalaya: Getting better every year

MANILA, Philippines - Unstoppable.

This pretty sums up this year’s Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, now on its eighth edition, which promises to showcase the very best in current Filipino independent cinema.

Buoyed by last year’s success in the international and local film circuits, the organizers of this year’s Cinemalaya filmfest have prepared a bigger and bountiful line-up.

Festival director Chris Millado said 25 new digital films will be shown from July 20 to 29 in three venues — the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Greenbelt and Trinoma Mall — in a bid to reach a wider audience.

 Ten films will compete in the New Breed full-length feature category while five films will vie in the Director’s Showcase. Ten films will also compete in the short film category.

“After eight years of producing excellent and engaging films, the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival has become the leader among independent film festivals,” Millado said.

“Without a doubt, Cinemalaya has left an indelible landscape in the Philippine cinema. It is unstoppable, Cinemalaya has taken wings and it moves into full force into future,” he added.

Last year, Cinemalaya filmmakers and actors bagged awards in both local and international filmfests led by Loy Arcenas who directed Niño, and won the Best Film Award in the New Currents Section of the Busan International Film Festival.

Niño’s main actress Shamaine Buencamino won Best Actress at the Hong Kong International Film Festival.

Another Cinemalaya entry Ang Babae sa Septic Tank was chosen the official Philippine entry to the Academy Awards. Its lead actress Eugene Domingo won a special award at the Hong Kong International Film Festival.

Ang Babae sa Septic Tank was also officially selected in the prestigious Karlovy Vary film festival in Czechoslovakia.

Other Cinemalaya entries were also screened in major international filmfests abroad.

In the local film scene, Babae sa Septic Tank won an acting award for Domingo while Sayaw ng Dalawang Paa won an Urian Best Actor for Paulo Avelino.

That’s why this year, organizers felt the need to up the ante in showing the valuable works of Filipino filmmakers here and abroad.

This year’s staging saw a deluge of bankable and mainstream stars in the films.

Judy Ann Santos, Iza Calzado, Agot Isidro and Janice de Belen lead the pack in Jose Javier Reyes’ obra Mumunting Lihim, a story that revolves around the friendship of four people. The story unfolds when the character of Judy Ann dies and three friends discover her diary and find all the little secrets that these women have kept from one another.

Dawn Zulueta stars in Ang Nawawala, Coco Martin and Assunta de Rossi in Santa Niña, Dennis Trillo in Ang Katiwala, Jodi Sta. Maria and Mylene Dizon in Aparisyon, JM de Guzman and LJ Reyes in Intoy Syokoy, Eddie Garcia in Bwakaw, Zanjoe Marudo and famous Thai actor Ananda Everingham star in Kalayaan.

Still, the most important part of the Cinemalaya 2012 is the new breed of Filipino filmmakers.

For the past eight years, Cinemalaya has been the launching pad of the careers of many filmmakers in the Philippines and the world. A lot of budding filmmakers received their big breaks at Cinemalaya.

Now, many of these filmmakers are again showing their masterpieces to the Filipino moviegoers and to the world.

There’s an entry by Sheron Dayoc who received a NETPAC Special mention award at the Berlin Film Festival for his movie Halaw.

There’s also an entry by Mes de Guzman who won the grand prize for his short film Batang Trapo at the Festival International Du Film Marrakech in Morocco. His feature film The Road to Kalimugtong won Best Picture in film festivals in Europe, Venezuela and South America.

Let’s not forget Raymond Red, one of the pioneering figures of modern Filipino alternative cinema. He is the first and so far the only Filipino filmmaker to have won the prestigious Palme D’ Or award at the Cannes Film Festival for his short film Anino.

Dayoc, De Guzman and Red have entries in this year’s Cinemalaya filmfest.

The other films that will compete in the New Breed full-length feature category are Aparisyon by Vincent Sandoval, Ang Katiwala by Aloy Adlawan, Ang Nawawala by Marietta Jamora, Mga Dayo by Julius Sotomayor Cena, Diablo by Mes de Guzman, Intoy Syokoy ng Kalye Marino by Lemuel Lorca, Oros by Paul Sta. Ana, Requieme by Loy Arcenas, Santa Nina by Emmanuel Quindo Palo and The Animals by Gino Santos.

At a recent presscon, Sandoval said his movie Aparisyon, which tells about the cloistered life of nuns, is not a horror film but a thriller that gives an honest depiction of the lives of nuns in the abbey.

De Guzman said his obra is about a mother who raised five grown-up sons whom she barely sees anymore. The story unravels when one son gets killed and all of them have to gather during the funeral.

“It’s about a mother’s strength, and love, a simple story of a mother who is always there to comfort them in every crisis,” said De Guzman.

Meanwhile, the five films that will vie in the Director’s Showcase are Bwakaw by Jun Robles Lana, Kalayaan (Wildlife) by Adolfo Alix Jr., Mumunting Lihim (Those Little Secrets) by Reyes, Posas (Shackled) by Lawrence Fajardo and Kamera Obskura by Red.

Kalayaan by Alix, tells the story of Julian, a Pinoy soldier stationed in Kota Island who is ready to leave Kalayaan. It recounts the soldier’s experience in the island with but a few people.

Alix’s films have been screened in various international film festivals like Toronto, Rotterdam, Busan, Mar del Plata, among others. His film Donsol became the country’s official entry to the Academy Awards.

Lana’s Bwakaw is a coming-of-age story of a closeted 70-year-old gay. The story unravels after his beloved dog dies and decides to live his life without any shame.

Meanwhile, the other films that will compete in the short film category include Ang Paghihintay sa Bulong by Sigrid Andrea Bernado, As He Sleeps by Dayoc, Balintuna by Emmanuel Escalona Jr., Boha Sons of the Waves by Nadjoua Bansil, Manenaya by Richard Legaspi, Pasahero by Mario Celada, Ruwed by Hannah Espia, Sarong Adlaw by Marianito Dio Jr., Ulian (Senility) by Chuck Gutierrez and Victor by Jarell Serencio.

“It’s truly an exciting time for Filipino independent filmmakers. We would like to invite the public to watch the movies of Cinemalaya,” Millado said.