MANILA, Philippines - Music festivals have lately become de rigueur here in the Philippines, but a lot of us still stick to watching films in the dark comfort of movie houses. In true innovative fashion, Crizal Transitions held Cinemajam, the first-ever outdoor music and movie festival in the country.
The event was set at the Circuit Event Grounds in Makati City, right in the heart of the capital but still wonderfully isolated from the city noise.
Aside from showing some Bradley Cooper realness with the fantastic thriller Limitless, it was the perfect venue for everyone to cozy up and dream of white Christmases with the British film Love Actually. Please note that there is nothing quite like hearing a collective aww in an outdoor theater as Andrew Lincoln confesses his undying love to Keira Knightley.
Guests were, of course, treated to rousing performances from local favorites such as GraceNote, Itchyworms, Moonstar 88 and Callalily. The fantastic array of musical guests ensured that all tastes were satiated.
If only to prove that further, even adults stood up from their lofty beanbags and rocked out to headliner Bamboo; clearly, their musical prowess is way beyond teenage folly. (I mean, screaming adults? Only Bamboo, folks.)
Even kids had a bit of fun out of it—throughout the day, the festival offered skateboarding, soccer, wall climbing, and bungee jumping. Gourmands also had their fill with the lovely selection of food stalls and trucks.
One can only hope that while Cinemajam is the first of its kind, it definitely won’t be the last. Just spending a few minutes in this music/movie festival hybrid lets one see more clearly that more great things like these ought to come our way.