Anything but silent

MANILA, Philippines - Organizers of the 7th Manila International Silent Film Festival are in agreement that it probably is a misnomer for the featured genre to be named as such.

Past editions of Asia’s only international silent film festival have been known to bring out memorable live performances from local bands with foreign musicians coming in every once in a while. And sometimes, when the audience is really into it, the silence turns into nothing short of experiential.

Lovers of black and white films will have another weekend to experience this when the 7th Manila International Silent Film Festival reels off on August 23 at the Shang Cineplex in Shangri-La Plaza, Ortigas.

This year features a total of six films—one each from the Japan Foundation, the Embassy of Italy, the Goethe-Institut, the Embassy of the United States, Instituto Cervantes, and the Film Development Council of the Philippines.

Opening the festival on August 23, Friday, 7:30pm is the by invitation screening of Japan’s Keisatsukan (A Police Officer), which follows a series of events that test the friendship between high school buddies Itami—a police officer—and Tetsuo. Investigating a bank heist that left his mentor, Sergeant Miyabe, seriously wounded, Itami slowly discovers that his friend Tetsuo might be the culprit. The film will be scored by Pulso, a three-piece instrumental band whose sound is a unique infusion of rock and blues with a tinge of ambient and electronic music.

Screening on August 24, Saturday, 5pm is La Grazia, one of the best films produced in Italy during the late ‘20s. The movie is based on the short story, Di Notte (At Night), written by 1894 Nobel Prize for Literature Grazia Deledda, and is an adaptation from the opera written by Deledda with Claudio Guastalla and Vicenzo Michetti. Set in the small village of Sardinia, a beautiful shepherdess finds herself carrying the child of her lover, a handsome stranger. Conflict arises as the couple’s passion and love clash with the strict honor code of the shepherds. The unique beats of Sino Sikat accompany the romantic and suspenseful plot of this film.

Following shortly at 8pm is Ich möchte kein Mann sein (I don’t want to be a man) from Germany. Ossi, a spoiled teenager who likes playing poker, smoking, and flirting with young men, finds herself trapped when her uncle hires a tutor to supervise her. She tries to escape by dressing up as a man and plunges into the nightlife, but unexpectedly finds herself drinking man-to-man with her supervisor. The Manila Composer’s Lab provides musical background to Ossi’s colorful story.

The popular Phantom of the Opera from USA premieres on August 25, Sunday, at 2pm. Mysterious things happen at the Paris Opera House as the alleged Opera Ghost falls in love with opera singer Christine. Soon, Christine is kidnapped and her fiancé Raoul is set to rescue her within the undergrounds of the haunted opera house. One of the Philippines’ legendary rock-and-roll bands Razorback adds to the suspense of the show with its strong and powerful music. The band’s Kevin Roy says that they are not rehashing old music for the film and that they are actually scoring based on what they see on the screen.

“Every reaction, every expression, gesture could be a hit on the guitar, a chord on the keyboard, or a scream on the vocals,” Roy says. “The band decided to write new music for this and these bits are actually going to be a preview of what will be in our future album.”

Showing at 5pm is Spain’s El Abuelo (The Grandfather), an adaptation of the novel by the reputed Benito Pérez Galdós. When his son dies, the Count of Abrit finds out that one of his beloved granddaughters is illegitimate—a result of the dissolute life of his daughter-in-law. He begins a mission to find out who the real and rightful descendent of Abrit is. Quezon City-based band Earthmover cleverly incorporates its dramatic music to the story.

Finally, closing the festival at 8pm is the Philippines’ own Kamera Obskura, a meta-film from Raymond Red that challenges Filipino viewers to travel back in time and relive the lost silent cinema heritage of its country. Film historians discover a rare Filipino silent film of unknown origins, and are fascinated as it turns out to be influenced by the expressionist cinema of the era—an element unfamiliar and rarely explored in Filipino cinema history.  Local blues super group Spy brings its distinct blend of rock, jazz, reggae, and afro-beat to the scene.

“This film is only beginning to travel through festivals this year and I’m very proud that it has been selected for this year’s International Silent Film Festival,” says Red who also joked about having the distinction of being the only living director in the festival. 

The Silent Film Festival will run from August 23-25 and is free-of-charge, in partnership with the Embassy of Spain, Philippine-Italian Association, EUNIC Cluster Philippines, The National Film Center—the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Pelikulared, and the FDCP’s Film Cultural Exchange Program (FCEP).

For more info, check out Facebook/shangrilaplazaofficialfanpage and the festival’s official page Facebook.com/InternationalSilentFilmFestivalManila 

Check out the schedule below: