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’
I remember reading once this quote about cinema: “The cinema is truth 24 frames per second.” It felt, to me, like it came from the early Soviet filmmakers, perhaps the person who did Berlin: Symphony of a Metropolis. (The quote comes from Godard, which makes more sense than my first assumption.) Even in a world… Continue reading A Festival in Review: Cinemalaya 2021’s Dokyu Program A
Editor's note: Spoilers for Ang Pagdadalaga ni Lola Mayumi ahead. A personal standout in this year’s Cinemalaya Main Competition is Ang Pagdadalaga ni Lola Mayumi, where an old woman recognized as the “Town Virgin” (played brilliantly by Ruby Ruiz) books a motel room and hires a callboy (Julian Roxas). Women-directed films about sex and sexual… Continue reading Cinemalaya 2021: Filmmaker Shiri de Leon on trauma, autonomy, and ‘Ang Pagdadalaga ni Lola Mayumi’
With the ongoing pandemic still restricting the film industry, there is a stronger need to give an accessible platform for filmmakers to showcase not only their work but also realities that most people may not easily witness today. Films play a much more vital role during these times; as many of us are still confined… Continue reading Cinemalaya 2021: Main Competition Shorts B — Extending the Short Form to Wider Lengths
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
I have never been to a Cinemalaya screening. Pampanga is a relatively urban province located near Metro Manila, but even there, Cinemalaya—one of the most celebrated Filipino film festivals— has never been given the promotion that it so rightly deserves. Often overshadowed by western pictures, big budget movies, and given short-lived slots in cinemas, the… Continue reading Vision Unbarred: Cinemalaya 2020 Short Films A&B in Review
A lineup of more than twenty films is guaranteed to be a mixed bag. What stood out from the pack were the personal, the somber, and the sentimental. These shorts are, more than anything, love letters, to the people in them and to the medium itself. Below are the best of Cinemalaya 16’s Indie Nation… Continue reading Cinemalaya 2020 — 5 Best Indie Nation Shorts
After 2013’s Quick Change and 2016’s Pamilya Ordinaryo, Eduardo Roy, Jr. returns to Cinemalaya with F#*@BOIS, a provocative crime thriller about bikini pageant contestants Ace (Royce Cabrera) and Miko (Kokoy De Santos) who also sideline as male escorts to their rich, closeted gay patron Mayor Fernan (Ricky Davao). The film, for which Roy won as… Continue reading Cinemalaya 2019: ‘F#*@BOIS’ – The Politics of Appearances
Women are often defined by the people that surround them. They are their parents’ daughters, their husbands’ wives, and their children’s mothers. A woman defining her own person outside of these labels undergoes a long and laborious process that’s never easy. In Belle Douleur, we are taken into a journey of self-actualization and are returned… Continue reading Cinemalaya 2019: ‘Belle Douleur’ – An Imperfect Yet Refreshing Take on an Emerging Trend
TW: Mentions of sexual abuse and rape. What’s the point? I spent almost two hours asking myself this as I watched this film unfold before my very eyes. Even after the audience clapped and the credits rolled, I was asking myself what the point of the whole film was. Pandaggo Sa Hukay is a story… Continue reading Cinemalaya 2019: ‘Pandanggo Sa Hukay’ – A Tired Tale of Pseudo Feminism
Sine Liwanag 