News:
Paris Cinema Festival honors Filipino films and filmmakers
Jocelyn Dimaculangan
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Boasting of "a new generation of film directors, and a [body of work]
filled with energy and audacity," the Philippines has been chosen as
the country of honor in the sixth edition of the Paris CinemaInternational Film Festival. According to Jeremy Segay, program
advisor of the said film fest, out of the 280 film screenings that
will be held from July 1-12, 46 of them will come from the
Philippines.
In an interview with Variety, Mr. Segay, an expert on Asian cinema
who has assembled this year's retrospective, points out: "There was a
kind of a Filipino New Wave at the end of the 1970s with filmmakers
like Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal. Then for a long time afterwards
there was a black hole. It's only recently that Filipino cinema has
become rediscovered, in many ways because it has carved out a
homosexual niche."
In addition, two Filipino movies will compete against 14 other films
chosen worldwide in the feature and short film categories. These are
Jim Libiran's full-length film Tribu, which stars real-life gang
members, and Alvin Yapan's short film Rolyo, which is about the
alternative use of film reel rolls.
Two Filipino directors are given a retrospective in the 2008 Paris
CIFF: the late Joey Gosiengfiao, who is dubbed as the John Waters of
the country for his campy films, and Brillante "Dante" Mendoza whose
works employing "cinema verite" have recently been screened at the
Cannes International Film Festival. Direk Dante's films to be
screened are Masahista, Kaleldo, Manoro, Foster Child, Tirador and
Serbis while Direk Joey's films are Temptation Island, Bomba Star,
Katorse, and Underage.
There are four sections in the special program dubbed as "Country of
Honor: the Philippines, " namely mainstream, indies, classics and
Cinemalaya entries.
The Cinemalaya films are Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros by
Aureaus Solito; Big Time (Mario Cornejo; Pepot Artista (Clodualdo del
Mundo, Jr.,), Donsol (Adolfo Alix), Batad: Sa Paang Palay (Benjie
Garcia), Pisay (Aureaus Solito), Endo (Jade Castro), Kadin (Adolfo
Alix).
The indies are Kubrador (Jeffrey Jeturian), Ang Babae sa Breakwater (Mario O'Hara), Tuli (Aureaus Solito), Ang Huling Balyan ng Buhi (Sherad Anthony Sanchez), Indio Nacional (Raya Martin), Balikbayan
Box (Ramon Mes de Guzman), Todo Todo Teros (John Torres), Serafin
Geronimo: Kriminal ng Baryo Concepcion (Lav Diaz), and Three Days of
Darkness (Khavn dela Cruz).
Mainstream movies are Dekada `70 (Chito Roño), Bridal Shower (Jeffrey Jeturian), Gagamboy (Erik Matti), Ploning (Dante Nico
Garcia), Caregiver (Chito Roño), and Blackout (Ato Bautista).
The classics are the aforementioned Gosiengfiao films plus Lino
Brocka's Insiang, Ishmael Bernal's Himala, Mike de Leon's Kakaba-Kaba
Ka Ba?, Peque Gallaga's Scorpio Nights, Laurice Guillen's Init sa
Magdamag, and Tikoy Aguiluz's Boatman.
Earlier tonight, July 5, the "Evening with Philippine stars" was held
at the Balzac Theater in Champ Elysees. Piolo Pascual's movie
Dekada `70 was screened back-to-back with Judy Ann Santos's Ploning
directed by Dante Nico Garcia.
Sharon Cuneta was also expected to attend the gala screening of
Caregiver along with Direk Chito.
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Source:
Website:
www.pariscinema.org |
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