Recently, a filmmaker has been making a name in Philippine cinema after winning the Grand Prize in Nespresso Talents 2020, Philippine Competition—and being the first Filipino to be included in the International Competition of the same festival. This year, another film of his titled An Sadit na Planeta was selected in the Cinemalaya Independent Film… Continue reading Cinemalaya 2021: Filmmaker Arjanmar Rebeta on regional cinema, dreams, and ‘An Sadit na Planeta’
Since the lockdown was mandated, it has been difficult for filmmakers to come up with new films. Producing full-length films became more expensive due to COVID-19 safety protocols. This has allowed us to reimagine the landscape of Philippine cinema; with short films previously seen as inferior to full-lengths, the short form has taken over. QCinema,… Continue reading Rise of the Short Films: Cinemalaya 2021 Main Competition Set A
It is the personal that tells the specific moments lived through by an individual. It is the individual that comprises the society. It is the society that dictates one’s history. It is the history that births an individual. It is the individual that tells the personal. It is the personal that is political. It was… Continue reading IFFR 2021: ‘The Witches of the Orients’—Champions Defined by Their History
We had rules in school. Rules that don’t make sense. I had to follow them. Having a grade below 85 would remove you from the honors list. I didn’t graduate with honors even after reaching the required grade. It made me sad, I lost my self-esteem; everything went downhill. The worse thing: I’m not the… Continue reading IFFR 2021—The Reimagined Academy We Dream: Reflections on ‘Manifesto’
They never happened in the avenues; they always happen in the alleys. My childhood friend lost her father because of Rodrigo Duterte’s Oplan Tokhang. I was 15 when the killings started. I saw the picture on the Facebook page of The Philippine Star. It feels different when the victim is very close to you; I… Continue reading Emerging Aswangs in the Urban Landscape: Intentional Horror in Realism and the Conscious Visual Language of ‘Aswang’ (2019)
Our church is on the top floor of a mall in Ortigas. The pastor would often joke about churchgoers who head to the ground floor to where the DVDs were located after the service. I didn’t understand what was wrong about it, but my mom stopped buying DVDs after that. The DVD vendors seemed to… Continue reading Collective Memories of Film Piracy: The Disregarded Movement Against Cinema Elitism
Baby Ruth Villarama’s Sunday Beauty Queen is set in the urban landscape of Hong Kong, with its high-rise buildings, four-lane roads, and modern walkways. We witness Filipino domestic helpers gather on a Sunday—their usual day-off—for a beauty pageant they organized. With glittery make-up, expensive-looking costumes, and a noisy audience, they seem to be having the… Continue reading ‘Sunday Beauty Queen’ and Their One Day of Freedom
Four men went crazy over her. You do not know her name. She is someone who just passes you by in the streets of Avenida. She can be anyone you want. She is Aileen. She can give you anything–love, lust, obsession, and companionship. But she will leave you. You will long for her. Forever. Aileen… Continue reading ‘Gusto Kita with All My Hypothalamus’: Aileen, a shapeshifter
The story of war film 1917 isn't that new. It premises on Blake and Will, two soldiers who are tasked to deliver a message to stop the attack that might lead to the soldiers' death; the catch being they have to go through the enemy's territory first. Though it tried to add a flavor of… Continue reading ‘1917’: Rage Between Technicalities and Feelings
Sine Liwanag 