Cinemalaya 14: Wings of Vision

 

August 3-12, 2018
Cultural Center of the Philippines  •  Ayala Cinemas

 

NOW AVAILABLE FOR SALE in CCP! >> Cinemalaya All-Access Pass (P3,500) and FIC (Films In Competition) Pass (P2,000) – both cards — are NOW available for purchase in CCP Box Office, Roxas Blvd, Pasay City (Tuesday to Friday). Individual tickets to follow.

#Cinemalaya2018

 

Films In Competition (Full Length Category)

KUNG PAANO HINIHINTAY ANG DAPITHAPON
(WAITING FOR SUNSET)

Directed by Carlo Enciso Catu

Teresa and Celso are unmarried couple trying to survive their mundane elderly life. On the night of their anniversary, they received an unexpected phone call: Teresa’s estranged husband Benedicto is ill and is asking for care. This film is about love, companionship, and forgiveness. On the twilight of our days, how do we really wait for the sun to set?

 

LIWAY
Directed by Kip Oebanda

Dakip lives with his parents Day and Ric inside Camp Delgado, a makeshift prison inside a military camp for both rebels and criminals. Given their circumstances, Day does her best to shelter the child from the harsh realities of their life. She uses storytelling about an enchantress named Liway, as well as songs and imagination, to help ensure that her boy is free from trauma. At the tail end of the Martial Law, Day’s own dark past catches up on her and the lives of the detainees become increasingly difficult. She is confronted with the cruel possibility that the best interest of her child means never seeing her again. This is based on a true story.

 

ML
Directed by Benedict Mique, Jr.

Confronted by a frustrated History professor, Carlo sets out to prove that Martial Law wasn’t all that bad and looks for someone who lived through that period to tell the tale. He meets Colonel, an old recluse living alone in a ramshackle house in Carlo’s neighborhood. With his best friend Jaze and girlfriend Pats, Carlo visits the old man to interview him about what truly happened during the Marcos regime – a visit that may put the lives of the three teenagers in danger. To truly learn about the horrors of Martial Law, do teenagers today have to pay the ultimate price?

 

MAMANG
Directed by Denise O’Hara

Already in the twilight of her life, Mamang struggles to fight senility and dementia so she can live with her only living son Ferdie. But the more she struggles, the more her condition worsens until she is literally haunted by the ghosts of her past. She battles to drive them away from her house, and in her mind, and starts re-living her past – her marriage, her childhood, and everything else in between. In the end, she is forced to make a decision between staying sane or letting her mind go.

 

DISTANCE
Directed by Perci Intalan

Liza is still drowning in grief from losing the love of her life when she receives a visit from the most unlikely person — her husband who she left five years ago. With no questions asked and no conditions, Anton invites her back to his and their two children’s lives.

 

SCHOOL SERVICE
Directed by Louie Ignacio

Maya, an eight-year old student from a remote province, is walking home from school when the school service stops to her to ask for directions. In return for Maya’s help, the woman in the school service offers to take her home, and Maya agrees. To Maya’s horror, the service doesn’t stop at her place. Maya finds herself hours and hours away from home. She becomes the latest victim of the “school service.”

 

KUYA WES

Directed by James Mayo

Kuya Wes, a timid remittance clerk, feels like he does not exist, except when he is working at the remittance center. He is mostly ignored by his younger brother Raf and his family. His days are only brightened when his customer Erika comes in every month. One day, his life changes as Erika’s overseas husband leaves her. Wes decides to help her from his own pocket. His “relationship” with Erika and his friction with Raf starts to change him.

 

PAN DE SALAWAL
(THE SWEET TASTE OF SALTED BREAD AND UNDIES)
Directed by Che Espiritu

Aguy, a 10-year old palaboy, arrives in an ill-stricken neighborhood beside the Manila Railroad, where she meets a lonely panadero suffering from chronic kidney stones and wants nothing but to die, a barber with severe pasma, a Carinosa folk-dancer paralyzed by stroke, and a macho meat vendor with tumor in his breast. With her gift of healing, the the whole neighborhood begins to experience life again. While Aguy is able to heal the sick neighbors, for some reason, she cannot heal Sal. To heal him, she must inflict the most agoizing pain.

 

MUSMOS NA SUMIBOL SA GUBAT NG DIGMA
(UNLESS THE WATER IS SAFER THAN THE LAND)
Directed by Iar Lionel Arondaing

Amid the conflict between their families and the chaos in Mindanao, two young Muslims cross paths and find love, happiness and friendship when they spend seven days in the middle of the forest.

 

THE LOOKOOUT
Directed by Afi Africa

Lester Quiambao is a gay hired killer, whose abusive relationships in childhood propels him into a life of crime and depravity, and compels him to betray Travis Concepcion, the man he loves, in order to exact his revenge.

 

SHORTS “A”

 

“JODILERKS DELA CRUZ, EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH”
Directed by Carlo Francisco Manatad

LOGLINE — A gas station attendant is on her last day of duty.

SYNOPSIS — Jodilerks has been quietly and diligently working as a gas station attendant for a very long time. Tonight is her final shift, and she has decided to sign off in, quite frankly, outrageous fashion.

“NANGUNGUPAHAN”
(WHO RENTS THERE NOW?)
Directed by Glenn Barit

LOGLINE — The interwoven lives of people meet when they occupy a single room of an apartment through different points in time.

SYNOPSIS – “Nangungupahan” follows the different lives of people who occupy a room of an apartment through different points in time. The room may mean differently to each occupant; and by overlapping these timelines, we gain insight about our shared space and history, as well as the bigger structures outside that affect us.

“SA SAIYANG ISLA”
(IN HIS ISLAND)
Directed by Christian Candelaria

LOGLINE — A young boy struggling with his identity finds solace in his dream of becoming a mermaid.

SYNOPSIS — Set in a small fishing community that struggles amidst an oil spill, a pre-pubescent and cheerful young boy named Dinggoy struggles with his identity and finds comfort in his dreams of becoming a mermaid. The film tackles childhood identity struggles and parental challenges that come with caring for a gender non-conforming child.

“SI ASTRI MAKA SI TAMBULAH”
(ASTRI AND TAMBULAH)
Directed by Xeph Suarez

LOGLINE — A Badjao transwoman is forced to abandon her lover to marry a woman betrothed to her from birth.

SYNOPSIS — Astri is a 16-year-old transwoman who is in a relationship with 17-year-old Tambulah. Although it is an unusual sight in the community where they live, nobody bothers them. Subsisting on the coins people throw at them when they perform their traditional dance at the sea, everything seems perfect except that Astri has to marry a woman she hardly known as part of the Badjao traditions and a pach made long ago.

“LOGRO”
Directed by Kani Villaflor

LOGLINE — Living in a society where people limit his world, Bruno decides to take the risk and go for what he wants instead of settling for what people allow him to be.

SYNOPSIS — Bruno, a little person, earns a living by working in a dingy restaurant. Dissatisfied with his work, salary and work treatment, he joins an underground fight club to earn his way to the prize money, in the hopes of reaching his aspirations.

 

SHORTS “B”

 

“SIYUDAD SA BULAWAN”
(CITY OF GOLD)
Directed by Jarell Serencio

LOGLINE — Three young brothers needing cash take a job in the gold mines of Mt. Diwalwal amidst a life-threatening reality.

SYNOPSIS — Brothers Yoyong, Darwin and Abet work as child gold miners in Mt. Diwalwal, Compostela Valley, Philippines. Amidst the threat of a riot between opposing group of miners, the three brothers bravely decide to continue working in the mines for them to go to school and save enough money for the government housing project. Will they be able to leave Diwalwal or will their dreams crumble down like the giant boulders their small hands chip every day?

“BABYLON”
Directed by Keith Deligero

LOGLINE — Two young girls travel through time to assassinate a barangay dictator to revise history.

SYNOPSIS — In a time before mobile phones, postmodern Erinyes come to Barangay Babylonia to kill a local dictator, a tricky job that causes several fatalities in the process. Strange things occur in this far-off land where roosters and bags of crisps can talk. Good always has lightning bolts on hand, and Evil only needs to intone a couple words to lull anyone within earshot. In order to find the dictator and complete their mission, two women ally themselves with the members of the local opposition.

“YOU, ME, AND MR. WIGGLES”
Directed by Jav Velasco

LOGLINE — An ordinary night becomes filled with emotional landmines as erectile dysfunction challenges a man and his girlfriend on their views on love and relationships.

SYNOPSIS — Couple Carlo and Anj seem to have it all, except for one thing – Carlo’s erection. Apparently, it is no small thing as it turns one ordinary night into a night filled with emotional landmines that challenge their relationship and force themselves to ask the question — can love really conquer erectile dysfunction?

“KIKO”
Directed by Jojo Driz

LOGLINE — A blind and aging gay laundress sees what matters the most in life after losing the man he loves.

SYNOPSIS — The story revolves around Kiko, a blind gay man in his sixties, who makes a living as a laundress in a poor coastal community in Batangas City. He raises his eight-year old adopted son, Ton-Ton, and supports his lover Rex by doing his neighbors’ laundry, delivering fresh clean clothes to his neighbors despite being visually impaired. As long as he can take care of both of Ton-ton and Rex, Kiko is happy. But things go awry when Rex figures in a drug mess, is hunted by a local syndicate, and runs away with all the money Kiko has — leaving him with nary a dime and void of dignity and pride. Realizing that there is more than just water in the well, a quick pause is all that Kiko needs to muster enough strength and face a new chapter in his life.

“YAKAP”
(EMBRACE)
Directed by Mika Fabella and Rafael Froilan

LOGLINE — A woman’s last few moments of life before crossing over to the afterlife are told through dance.

SYNOPSIS — A woman lays on a bed, barely breathing. In between life and death, her soul is surrounded by settings from her past. A familiar face comes to escort her to the afterlife.

INDIE NATION Section

(Exhibition Films)

 

“CITIZEN JAKE”

by Mike De Leon
Drama / 2018

“Citizen Jake” is a personal saga of a Filipino and his struggles with the contradictions within his own social class and the demands of a dysfunctional political family in a Third World nation.

 

“MEET ME IN ST. GALLEN”

by Irene Villamor
Romantic Comedy-Drama / 2018

An aspiring painter (Bela Padilla) and a frustrated musician (Carlo Aquino) meet and become instant friends but decided to end and leave everything as is just like complete strangers. What will happen if they meet again as two completely different people?

 

“DELIA AND SAMMY”

by Therese Cayaba
Comedy-Drama / 2018

Upon learning of her terminal illness, faded and forgotten actress Delia has to find family to take care and leave her difficult husband Sammy with, before she dies.

 

“SI CHEDENG AT SI APPLE”

by Rae Red and Fatrick Tabada
Comedy / 2018

“Si Chedeng At Si Apple” is a film about two friends who are both in their 60s. In the wake of her husband’s death, Chedeng, 66, decides to come out of the closet. Her best friend Apple, 63, beheads her live-in partner in a fit of rage. Bound by friendship, the two elderly women, together with the severed head placed inside a Louis Vuitton bag, set off an adventure to find Chedeng’s ex-girlfriend.

 

“MGA MISTER NI ROSARIO”

by Allan Habon
Romantic Comedy-Drama / 2018

How far will you go for art’s sake? Yogi Juan, Philippine Showbiz’s Golden Boy, takes every role seriously. His devoted housewife Sari supports him and role-plays along. But when Sari learns that Yogi’s upcoming role is a serial killer, can she revise the morbid fate that awaits her?

 

“SMALLER AND SMALLER CIRCLES”

by Raya Martin
Crime Drama / 2017

A serial killer in Payatas leaves the bodies of young boys in the dump as two Jesuit priests try to solve the murders. The film is adapted from the award-winning novel of F.H. Batacan.

 

“GUSTO KITA WITH ALL MY HYPOTHALAMUS”

by Dwein Baltazar
Romance-Drama / 2018

Scientifically, they say that the heart doesn’t recognise love or any other emotional activity but it’s rather the hypothalamus, a small part of the brain, perhaps just as small as Avenida Rizal, a major thoroughfare in the centre of Manila where the fate of four men intertwine. Each of them longing for a mysterious girl named Aileen.

 

Nespresso Vertical Shorts

SCREENING SCHEDULE:

AUGUST 6 (MON):
6:15 PM (Gala Screening) – CCP Little Theater (Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino)

AUGUST 11 (SAT):
10:00 AM – CCP Dream Theater (Tanghalang Manuel Conde)

 

Book Launchings

Hey, book lovers! There will be three (3) great books to be launched during the Cinemalaya 2018 festival run. These book launches are open to the public as audience at the CCP Slangan Hall (4th floor).

 

PRO BERNAL, ANTI BIO

Edited by Misha Boris Anissimov and Paul Douglas Grant
Published by University of San Carlos Press, 2016

Date: August 8 (Wed), 5:00 PM
Venue: Silangan Hall, 4th floor, CCP Main Building

 

LILAS: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE GOLDEN AGES OF CEBUANO CINEMA

Edited by Paul Douglas Grant and Misha Boris Anissimov
Published by University of San Carlos Press, 2016

Date: August 8 (Wed), 5:00 PM
Venue: Silangan Hall, 4th floor, CCP Main Building

 

DIREK: ESSAYS ON FILIPINO FILMMAKERS

Edited by Clodualdo Del Mundo
Published by De La Salle University Publishing House, 2018

Date: August 9 (Thu), 5:00 PM
Venue: Silangan Hall, 4th floor, CCP Main Building

 

#Cinemalaya2018 #Cinemalaya14 #BookLaunching

 

Related Articles

Cinemalaya 2018 Winners

Cinemalaya at 14 flies on ‘wings of vision’