Mendoza indie films via Internet

Recent guests at Bulong Pulungan sa Sofitel were world renowned Filipino film director Brilliante Ma. Mendoza and Jerry Lozano, global director for Mavshack Philippines.

Mendoza  holds the distinction of being the one and only Filipino filmmaker to win the Palme d’Or award for best director at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in 2000 for his film “Kinatay.” He bested internationally acclaimed directors Ang Lee, Pedro Almodovar, Jane Campion and Quentin Tarantino.

He is also the first and only Filipino to have been in competition with official selections in two major film festivals — the Venice and Berlin film festivals. He has also been honored with the grand prize, the Golden Leopard, for best film at the 58th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland.

Mendoza won as best director for the movie â€œThy Womb,” in the 2012 6th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (Australia),  the 2012  55th Asia Pacific Film Festival in Macao, and best director for the same film in the 2012  38th Metro Manila Film Festival. The same film won for Nora Aunor best actress awards in the three festivals.     

Mendoza is well recognized in Europe and the Middle East as an outstanding  director.  Sad to say, only a few know this. In fact, “Thy Womb,” which won awards for Mendoza and Aunor in the Metro Manila Film Festival Award, ran for only two days in Manila.  Is this what is meant by prophets not being recognized in their own country?

Here comes Mavshack, to help propel the brilliant (though unassuming and soft-spoken in person) Mendoza’s name to millions of moviegoers in the Philippines, and worldwide.

At Bulong Pulungan, Lozano announced “a strategic alliance” withMendoza and Centerstage Productions based in Metro Manila.

“Mavshack is a global leader in streaming local content to global populations and Mavshack Philippines is the first of several content channels being delivered worldwide,” said Lozano, an American  born in Mexico and once married to a Filipina.

Lozano said, “We are honored to partner with world class film Director Mendoza on  many levels.” Mavshack and Director Mendoza are committed to seek out and make available for showing Filipino independent films. These films may have been archived a long time ago, kept in collections of film aficionados, produced by students as part of their theses.                 

Mendoza, said Lozano,  will be “an integral part of the Mavshack team helping us with the selection and delivery of uniquely Filipino content to all Filipinos spanning the globe.”

 Lozano said that Filipinos will enjoy Pinoy films domestically and abroad through www.mavshack.com, which will open worldwide including on the Filipino  domestic market about mid July. Right now Mavshack.com is open in the US, Canada and European Union.

Mavshack.com’s alliance with Mendoza and Centerstage will serve, Lozano said, “as a catalyst in the Indie film category of content.”

Mavshack.com will offer some of the best Filipino variety content ever from talents all over the world. Such content will come from Filipinos, Americans, Canadians and Europeans in alternative genres such as DJ contests, hip-hop, car shows, and  beauty pageants.

In the alliance with Mendoza, the best  Filipino Indie  films will be made available to Mavshack subscribers — wherever they are around the globe. “The future of entertainment content is digital, as more and more viewers use their gadgets instead of the television,” said Lozano. “Mavshack takes pride in bringing hard to find, but great to discover, content to the global  Filipino diaspora around the world.”

Furthermore, Mashack.com will be available online through desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones on www.mavshack.com, Facebook.com/mavshack and soon to launch Global Pinoy Network GPN.ph).

The catch is one who subscribes to mavshack.com will have to pay P50 a week. But, considering the endless indie Filipino and other films one can watch 7/24, P50 is chicken feed.

Wait for announcements on when mavshack.com will open.

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Liongoren Gallery is currently holding its  Walong Filipina 2013 exhibit  titled “Over Seas,” and the book “Kasaysayan ng Ating Bayan” by Fe B. Mangahas.

“Over Seas” features works by eight outstanding expatriate Filipinas on the theme of water. The celebrated late Nena Saguil (1914-1994), who lived and worked in Paris most of her life, is represented with two untitled watercolors which interpret waters of the infinite universe. Renowned ceramic artist Nelfa Querubin exhibits her images of rural waters in Iloilo and Colorado River in glazed clay slabs.

Boston-based Genara Banzon’s “Dagundong” shows a moving body of water where tikbalang, duwende, kapre, aswang, manananggal, and tiyanak play to warn of the dangers humanity has unleashed in our waters.  Valeria Cavestany of Barcelona and Palawan exhibits  â€œNo Water No Life,” a sculptural lamp set commenting on how the lack of potable water disrupts the lives of millions of women who have to fetch water.

Pep Manalang’s abstract acrylic work zoom in on the textures and tones of water flowing over rocks and sand. New York-based Lenore RS Lim uses photography and computer-generated images to capture the beauty and refreshing energy of water. Lewanda Lim, poet and visual artist from Ohio paints the disturbed lives of fishes and a swan to wryly comment on human misuse of water resources.  Isabel Roxas, a graphic artist from Brooklyn, New York exhibits minimalist linear works about earthquake debris from Japan rising out of the blue into Pacific waters of the USA.

“Kasaysayan ng Ating Bayan” by Fe B. Mangahas is a four-volume history textbook narrated from the perspective of indigenous and working class Filipinos.  Professor Mangahas is well known for her pioneering research and teachings on Bathalismo and Babaylanismo. She has authored textbooks notably with the late Teodoro Agoncillo, and is currently Commissioner at the National Historical Commission.

The book includes a primer on art and culture contributed by Imelda Cajipe Endaya. It is published by the Center for Community Transformation (CCT) Group of Ministries. The book launch features an exhibit of art works used as book covers by Alfredo Liongoren, Arlene Villaver, Raphael Patnubay Pagarigan, and other related pieces.  The twin exhibits are at Liongoren Gallery, 111 New York Street, Cubao Quezon City. For inquiries, call  (02)9124319 or email [email protected]

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Email:[email protected]