The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) flagship film festival, Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP), returns to the big screen this year featuring award-winning classic films of the new National Artists for Film and Broadcast Arts. The films will be screened for free in TriNoma Cinema in Quezon City and in all Cinematheques Centres nationwide (Manila, Iloilo, Negros, Davao, and Nabunturan) from September 9 to 23.
In line with the month-long celebration of Philippine Film Industry Month this September which aims to recognize the invaluable achievements of all the stakeholders and sectors of the industry, this year’s PPP Classics section consists of films of the three new National Artists for Film: actress Nora Aunor, screenwriter Ricky Lee, and late director Marilou Diaz-Abaya.
Newly-restored film Atsay by Eddie Garcia and Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos by Mario O’Hara, starring “Superstar” Nora Aunor, will have their gala premiere on September 9 in TriNoma Cinema. National Artist Aunor won the Gawad Urian Best Actress awards for Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos in 1977 and Garcia’s Atsay bagged the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) – Best Film award in 1978.
Notable films written by award-winning screenwriter Ricky Lee, Cain at Abel and Gumapang Ka sa Lusak by Lino Brocka, will be screened on September 14. Cain at Abel received the FAMAS Awards Best Picture in 1983, while Gumapang Ka sa Lusak bagged the Best Picture award in Gawad Urian in the same year.
Feature films Brutal and Karnal from the “trilogy” of multi-awarded director Marilou Diaz-Abaya will have their public screening on September 15. Diaz-Abaya bagged the MMFF Best Director award for her film Brutal in 1980 and the MMFF Best Picture prize for Karnal in 1983.
The annual PPP will also be returning to offer fresh perspectives from the youth and the regions, featuring the finalists from Sine Kabataan Short Film Lab and Festival and Sine Isla: LuzViMinda Short Film Competition. PPP Classics will be screened together with the Sine Kabataan and Sine Isla short films starting September 17 to 24 in all Cinematheques Centres (Manila, Iloilo, Davao, Negros and Nabunturan).
The PPP Classics lineup is supported by Solar Films, ABS-CBN’s Sagip Pelikula, and Viva Films.
