Western Visayas films compete in Cinemalaya 2022

 

Western Visayas films compete in Cinemalaya 2022

 

The Western Visayas  is the backdrop of three competing full-length films for this year’s Cinemalaya  Independent Film Festival.  

 

After a two-year wait as a result of the series of COVID-19  lockdowns,  Cinemalaya finally returned as   a face-to-face event   with  a full-length feature category for eleven films, including three   films shot in Iloilo, Guimaras, and Silay in Western Visayas :  Batsoy, Kargo and Kaluskos.

 

Batsoy tells the story of the  fantastical adventure of  two young siblings to satiate their much-coveted and delectable craving for batsoy.  It highlights the noble and supreme love of an elder child for his younger brother.

After selling firewood for their basic needs,  Toto (Sean Ethan Sotto)  and Nonoy (Markko Cambas) went to buy batsoy, the food that the younger brother has been craving the most.

Mt. Manaphag, which faces the town of San Dionisio, becomes the silent witness to their journey to satisfy their craving.  Their adventure ultimately brought  viewers to a world of magic, fantasy and reality.

According to the film’s director Ronald Batallones,  it presents a simple, happy, and innocent life of the youth in the 1980’s amidst the rural landscape. It is a journey  aimed to cherish and relive the  mystical and enchanted past of provincial life.

And it indeed rekindled my younger years as a  radio report aired   the death of young actress  Julie Vega on   May 6, 1985 at the age of 16 .

She was   popular for her own soap opera Anna Liza in GMA Network . Her portrayal of the sensitive and frequently oppressed title character drew the sympathy and affections of the Filipino viewing public and further solidified her star status. Its rival soap opera is Flor de Luna that starred Janice de Belen.

The film likewise provides viewers the ultimate sensory experience to savor the famous comfort food of the Ilonggos: the Batsoy which  is a noodle soup made with pork offal, crushed pork cracklings, chicken stock, beef loin and round noodles. 

 

 

 

 

Kargo is a feature film about living and redemption.  Sara (Max Eigenmann) relieves the heavy burden from her past when she finally exacts revenge on the man who murdered her entire family.

When her entire family perished in a motorcycle accident at a rough highway in Maasin, Iloilo, Sara crashed into a deep depression, which was gradually replaced with an overpowering need to avenge them.

Believing that her husband and daughter were murdered, she searches for the man who killed her entire family to find some closure. But at the end of her journey, she untangles something she did not quite expect – a discovery that could profoundly change her entire life.

The film director TM Malones said that the films depicts the reality that  in a single moment, everything could end and be lost forever. And all the people involved, whether the victim or culprit, face a complete turning point in their lives.

Shot in Iloilo and Guimaras, the film revolves around this inevitable point, tied by a single event, two people standing on both ends of a spectrum, the unsuspecting culprit and the unforgiving victim in the search for their own kind of retribution.

I personally know two of the filmmakers  involved in these  entries:  Tara Illenberger and Kyle Fermindoza.

In Kaluskos, single mother Rebekah (Coleen Garcia) is  in the middle of a custody battle when she found  something underneath her daughter's bed that will question her love for her child. When the other Amaya emerges, Rebekah feels the motherly connection that she lost with her daughter.

The film director Roman S. Perez Jr said that it is a psychological domestic thriller about domestic violence: a mother who has challenges performing her expected role that makes her look bad to other people.

Shot in Silay, Negros Occidental, he said that the film examines a kind of feminism that exists from within, which also presents a mental health movement in regards to domestic violence.

 

The  films, often called “indie films”,  embody Cinemalaya’s vision : “the creation of new cinematic works by Filipino filmmakers“ works that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity.”

 

It also aims to invigorate the Philippine filmmaking by developing a new breed of Filipino filmmakers.

 

Sa Letrang B - baseball, boxing, BINGO

 

Sa Letrang B - baseball, boxing, BINGO

 

Baseball, boxing, Bingo – games that start with the letter “B”  became interesting  plots of  three competing full-length films for this year’s Cinemalaya  Independent Film Festival.  

After a two-year wait as a result of the series of COVID-19  lockdowns,  Cinemalaya finally returned as   a face-to-face event   with  a full-length feature category for eleven films, including  the “B” films: “THE BASEBALL PLAYER,”   “GINHAWA” and  “RETIRADA”.

THE BASEBALL PLAYER tells the story of  Amir (Tommy Alejandrino)  who is a 17-year-old Moro child with dreams of becoming a baseball player but has to train as a soldier for the Moro rebels.

Khalid (JM San Jose) is  a young boy survivor of an armed conflict who is adopted  by  Amir’s  family. The presence  of Amir as his new “older brother” opened  the path to healing.

Unfortunately, another all-out war against Moro rebels breaks out, and he is confronted with making a choice between pursuing his dream or fighting in the war.

 

Director Carlo Obispo narrates that armed conflicts ruin the basic necessities of life. Families are broken apart, opportunities are lost. Dreams – especially those of the children, if they even had the chance to have any – are shattered. 

Children are always the most vulnerable. The impact of war adversely affects the life trajectory of the young ones.  The film is made to take a closer examination of the distressing battles children have to fight because of the decisions that adults make.

The almost slice-of-life story  showed how the armed conflict threatens to tear away the lives,  hopes, and dreams of the  characters caught in the crossfire.

 

GINHAWA tells the journey of Anton (Andrew Ramsay)  as an aspiring boxer.

He hopes to continue the legacy of his older brother Saul who was given a chance to escape poverty by joining a competition in the city but later faced tragedy.

Against his mother’s (Ruby Ruiz)  wishes, Anton leaves their small fishing town to pursue boxing in Manila where he unravels the ugly truth of the brutal sport.

Director Christian Paolo Lat narrates that  Ginhawa is not only about the fight in the ring that a boxer has to overcome but it is about  what happens outside the ring – the system, the politics, and the daily struggles of the poor in the Philippines.

Boxing is an escape and a fight from the harsh realities of a third world country.

Lat notes that Ginhawa presents the day to day struggle that these fighters go through in their village, in their community and in their family who are constantly facing the plague of poverty. Regardless of the deadly consequences, lack of government funding and knowledge in general, these boxers continue to chase after their dreams in the hopes of a better future.

Andrew Ramsay is the brother of actor Derek Ramsay. He studied in New York Film Academy, John Lennon School in UK, and Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts.

I am not a fan of boxing but I remember as a young boy my grandfather would bring me to boxing matches at the Rizal coliseum.  Instead of cheering for the fighters, I would sleep most of the time. When I travel abroad, local people would always mention the name of Manny Pacquiao whenever I tell them that I am a Filipino.

 

RETIRADA tells the story of Azon (Peewee O’Hara ) who experiences melancholia as she adjusts to her life as a retired government employee. Azon becomes a regular Bingo player hoping to duplicate her initial windfall. But her new sense of purpose and the adrenaline rush from her new hobby would teach her what retirement really means.

Directors spouses Milo and  Cynthia Paz  said that Retirada explores life’s meaning and purpose in the face of old age and death. It touched upon how retirees struggled to live out their senior years after retiring from an active day to day work life.

 In a society where being young and active is given more merit, growing old can lead to a sense of alienation and even depression as one contemplates one’s own mortality.

The entries, often called “indie films”,  embody Cinemalaya’s vision : “the creation of new cinematic works by Filipino filmmakers“ works that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity.”

 

It also aims to invigorate the Philippine filmmaking by developing a new breed of Filipino filmmakers.

 

With the theme “Breaking Through the Noise,”  the other eight competing full length films include Kaluskos,  12 Weeks,   Angkas,   Bakit Di Mo Sabihin?, Batsoy,  Blue Room; Bula sa Langit,  and  Kargo.  The short film section has  twelve  competing entries.

 

Shattered dreams amid the Mindanao conflict

 

Shattered dreams amid the Mindanao conflict

 

Troubled  relationships and  shattered dreams  amid  the  Mindanao conflict served as the plot of four competing full-length films for this year’s Cinemalaya  Independent Film Festival.  

After a two-year wait as a result of the series of COVID-19  lockdowns,  Cinemalaya finally returned as   a face-to-face event   with  a full-length feature category for eleven films, including four  Mindanao-themed films:  The Baseball Player, Angkas, 12 Weeks,  and  Bula sa Langit.  

“The Baseball Player” tells the story of  Amir (Tommy Alejandrino) , a 17-year-old Moro child with dreams of becoming a baseball player but who has to train as a soldier for the Moro rebels.

Khalid (JM San Jose) is  a young boy survivor of an armed conflict who is adopted  by  Amir’s  family. The presence  of Amir as his new “older brother” opened  the path to healing.

Unfortunately, another all-out war against Moro rebels breaks out, and he is confronted with making a choice between pursuing his dream or fighting in the war.

In “Angkas” ,  Leo (Joem Bascon) is not just an ordinary habal-habal driver. He is the resident ambulance and delivery man in a remote village in Compostela Valley

One day, he  is hired to transport the dead down the mountain. His estranged friend Miguel (Benjamin Alves)   joined Leo in fetching the corpse of Ditas (Meryll Soriano), their childhood friend who is a rebel pursued by the military.

As Leo and Miguel embark on a dangerous journey in a habal-habal, their fragile friendship will be tested, and they will encounter danger only to be saved by an unlikely hero.

In “12 Weeks”,  Alice (Max Eigenmann)  a single  40-year-old woman is working with a non-government organization (NGO) which is organizing a relief mission to the Bakwits or evacuees due to the Marawi siege.

She discovers she is pregnant after breaking up with her boyfriend (Vance Larena).  With her age and current relationship status, her first instinct is to have the pregnancy terminated. As her body undergoes dramatic changes, Alice struggles and needs to decide whether she wants to be a mother or not.

The fetus is most vulnerable during the first 12 weeks. During this period of time, all of the major organs and body systems are forming and can be damaged if the fetus is exposed to drugs, infectious agents, radiation, certain medications, tobacco and toxic substances, in addition to emotional stress.

 

“Bula sa Langit”  tells the story of a young soldier (Gio Gahol) who returns from Marawi war  to find himself  heavily disturbed by one of his traumatic kills . Despite his excitement to come home,  Wesley struggles to reconnect his present relationships with his family and girlfriend (Kate Alejandrino) while celebrating the town fiesta.

 

The contemporary armed conflict in Mindanao can be traced to the pre-martial law period of the late 1960s when the Moro youth and their political leaders demanded an end to discrimination and oppression and  the return of their ancestral homeland.

The conflict was sparked by discrimination and human rights violations under President Marcos’ dictatorship.

Many armed groups fought against the government to establish an independent Muslim region on the island of Mindanao.

Thousands were killed in the decades-long insurgency that ensued.

At the heart of the conflict in Mindanao lies deep-rooted prejudices against the  Muslim and indigenous population.

The conflict  is seen as the  result of social inequity and the skewed distribution of resources, including land grabbing which was a main issue for the Muslims, wrong policies and corruption, and the historical prejudice against the Muslims resulting further to unfulfilled aspirations which had consequently led to violent conflicts.

The Marawi  siege was a five-month-long armed conflict  that started on May 23, 2017 between Philippine government security forces and militants affiliated with the  Islamic State of Iraq and Syria  (ISIS), including the Maute and Abu Sayyaf Salafi jihadist groups.

It has forcibly displaced 98 percent of the total population of the city, as well as residents from nearby municipalities.

The almost slice-of-life stories in these four films  showed how the armed conflict threatens to tear away the lives,  hopes, and dreams of the  characters caught in the crossfire.

Breaking these “bonds of social injustice and oppression”  through a conflict  that has been going on for decades is never the solution.

 

 

The  films, often called “indie films”,  embody Cinemalaya’s vision : “the creation of new cinematic works by Filipino filmmakers“ works that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity.”

 

It also aims to invigorate the Philippine filmmaking by developing a new breed of Filipino filmmakers.

Cinemalaya through the years

 

Cinemalaya through the years

 

 

I have been watching Cinemalaya  Independent Film Festival  since it started in 2004, or 18 years ago, which is held annually at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and various cinemas.

 

The  films, often called “indie films”,  embody Cinemalaya’s vision : “the creation of new cinematic works by Filipino filmmakers“ works that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity.”

 

It also aims to invigorate the Philippine filmmaking by developing a new breed of Filipino filmmakers.

After a two-year wait as a result of the series of COVID-19  lockdowns, Cinemalaya will finally again  be a face-to-face event  with  a full-length feature category. It will run from August 5 to 14, 2022  at the CCP.

With the theme “Breaking Through the Noise,” this year’s eleven competing full length films include Kaluskos,  12 Weeks,   Angkas,   Bakit Di Mo Sabihin?, Batsoy,  Blue Room; Bula sa Langit,   Ginhawa; Kargo,  Retirada, and  The Baseball Player. The short film section has  twelve  competing entries.

The past winning films in the New Breed category included Pepot Artista  (2005), Tulad ng Dati  (2006), Tribu (2007), Jay (2008), Last Supper No. 3 (2009), Halaw (2010), Ang Babae sa Septic Tank (2011), Diablo  (2012), Transit (2013), and Bwaya (2014).

The winners in the Directors’ showcase included Donor (2010), Bisperas (2011), Posas (2012), Sana Dati (2013) and Kasal (2014).

The winners in the Main competition included Pamilya Ordinaryo (2016), Respeto (2017),  Kung Paano Hinihintay ang Dapithapon (2018),  and  John Denver Trending (2019).

Eddie Garcia won Best Actor thrice   for ICU Bed#7 (2005 ), Bwakaw (2012),  and  ML (2018)   while Baron Geisler twice   for Jay (2008)  and Donor (2010). 

Two actresses won the Best Actress awards twice:  Merylle Soriano  for Room Boy (2005)  and Donor (2010) and   Ina Feleo for Endo ( 2007) and  Sanglaan (2009). 

Two persons won the Best Director award twice : Aureus Solito for Pisay (2007) and Busong (2011) while the late Eduardo Roy, Jr  for Pamilya Ordinaryo (2011) and Fuccbois (2019). Roy died last February 21 due to pulmonary embolism.

Roy also directed Quick Change where transgender Mimi Juareza won as Best Actor  in the 2013 New Breed section.

In the Directors’ showcase,   Vilma Santos won Best Actress in Ekstra (2013) while Nora Aunor won the following year for Hustisya (2014) while  there was no winner for Best Actor in 2013.

In 2012, the best actress award was given in the Director’s showcase to  an  ensemble,  Judy Ann Santos, Iza Calzado, Agot Isidro, and Janice de Belen  of Mga Mumunting Lihim. The same happened in the New Breed category in 2007 when the cast of Tribu  grabbed the trophy for best actor award also as an ensemble.

The youngest winner of  best actor award was   Noel Comia,Jr.  for Kiko Boksingero (2017)   when he was then 13 years old followed by  15-year old Jansen Magpusao  for John Denver Trending (2019).  

Other awardees for Best Actress in the New Breed section include Angel Aquino  for Donsol, (2006) Mylene Dizon for 100, (2008) Lovi Poe  for Mayohan (2010), Eugene Domingo for Ang Babae sa Septic Tank (2011),
Ama Quiambao  for Diablo (2012) Irma Adlawan  for Transit (2013) and Eula Valdez  for Dagitab (2014)

Other awardees for Best Actor in the New Breed section include Alchris Galura for Batad (2006) Lou Veloso  for Colorum (2009) John Arcilla  for Halaw (2010) Edgar Allan Guzman  for Ligo na Ü, Lapit na Me (2010) Kristoffer King  for Oros (2012)  and Dante Rivero for 1st ko si 3rd (2014).  

 

 

Only short films competed in 2015, 2020 and 2021.

Although it did not won the Best film award in 2005, “Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros” by Auraeus Solito became one of the icons of indie films.

 

My passion in watching Cinemalaya films perhaps is an offshoot of my exposure to experimental films during my college years in the late ‘80s and ‘90s at the UP Diliman where I saw several highly sensitive and political films.

The  UP Film Center served as a venue to screen films free from censorship as some of them were even banned from commercial viewing.

Some of the films I saw included Lino Brocka’s “Maynila, Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag” (1975) and “Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim” (1985), Ishmael Bernal’s “Himala” (1982), Mike de Leon’s “Sister Stella L.” (1984), and Marilou Diaz-Abaya’s “Karnal” (1984) and whose daring works portrayed revolt, labor unionism, social ostracism, and class division. Even “pene” films that had grown more pornographic and taboo were also screened.

Decades before the word “indie films” became a trend, I had the opportunity to meet and see the works of alternative filmmakers.

Indie films are sometimes distinguishable by their content and style and the way in which the filmmakers' personal artistic vision is realized.

Usually, but not always, indie films are made with considerably lower budgets than major studio films.

During my several conversations with 2022 National Artists awardee Ricky  Lee during Cinemalaya, his thoughts on the future of young movie makers  is essentially captured by his speech at a commencement exercise: “Magkaroon ka ng boses. Ng opinyon. Mundo mo ito. Di ka parang hanging nagdaan lang. Mag-iwan ka ng marka. Huwag kang matakot magkamali. Kahit mabigo ka, huwag kang mag-alala. Sa paulit-ulit na pagkabigo ay mas matututo ka. Para kang sinusulat na nobela na kailangang paulit-ulit na i-revise. Hanggang sa kuminang.”

 

( Peyups is the moniker of University of the Philippines. Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan law offices. For comments, e-mail info@sapalovelez.com, or call 0917-5025808 or 0908-8665786.)