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.

 

Winners, Cinemalaya Awards Night 2014

Celebrating its 10th year, Cinemalaya ended this year's film festival with its awards night Sunday, August 10 at the CCP Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater).
Here is the list of this year's winners: 

Best Poster Design: Justin Besana for Asintado
Audience Choice Award, New Breed Category: Sundalong Kanin
Audience Choice Award, Directors' Showcase: Hustisya
2014 Gawad Balanghai: Kidlat Tahimik, father of Philippine Independent Cinema

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SHORT FEATURE
Best Screenplay - Kevin Ang Tan, Lola
Best Director - Kevin Ang Tan, Lola
Best Film - Asan si Lolo Me
Special Jury Prize - The Ordinary Things We Do
Audience Choice – Lola 

DIRECTORS SHOWCASE
Best Sound - The Janitor
Best Musical Score - Richard Gonzales, Kasal
Best Editing - Tara Illenberger, The Janitor
Best Production Design - Harley Alcasid, Kasal
Best Cinematography - Mycko David, Kasal

Best Screenplay - Aloy Adlawan and Michael Tuviera The Janitor
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role - Nicco Manalo, The Janitor
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Cris Villonco, Hari ng Tondo
Best Performance by a Lead Actor - Robert Arevalo, Hari ng Tondo
Best Performance by a Lead Actress - Nora Aunor, Hustisya
Special Jury Prize - Hari ng Tondo
Best Director - Michael Tuviera, The Janitor
Best Film - Kasal
NETPAC Award: Hustisya 
 
NEW BREED CATEGORY
Best Sound - Children's Show
Best Musical Score - Erwin Fajardo, Bwaya
Best Editing - Gerone Centena, Children's Show
Best Production Design - Toym Imao, K'na, the Dreamweaver
Best Cinematography - Neil Daza, Bwaya
Best Screenplay - Giancarlo Abrahan, Dagitab
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role - Miggs Cuaderno, Children's Show
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Barbie Forteza, Mariquina
Best Performance by a Lead Actor - Dante Rivero, 1st Ko Si 3rd
Best Performance by a Lead Actress -Eula Valdez, Dagitab
Special citation for Ensemble Acting - #Y
Special Jury Prize - K'na, the Dreamweaver
Best Film - Bwaya
Best Director - Giancarlo Abrahan, Dagitab
Canon Award Best Cinematography – Children’s Show
NETPAC Award: Bwaya

nono

 The entire premise of Nono is in itself, simple but also complex just like its characters: A young willful and charming boy with a cleft palate who wants to join a declamation contest, a gregarious lovelorn mother who raised her son the best that she can, a teacher who means well but is cautious, a bully, a young deaf boy, a flamboyant godfather and a well meaning Ilonggo.

I read a  good review from another cinemalaya afficionado and i decided to repost it in my blog.  so here it goes:


"Despite his speech impediment, Toto is not backing down as he strives to prove that he can do it. It may sound like your typical 'underdog' movie but this film does not emotionally manipulate the viewers to root for the kid because the script does not really put him under emotional torture. Sure his classmates laughs when he attempted to sing, sure there are kids who mocked him and yes there's even a bully (that became a friend later on) but they are all pretty harmless. Plus, Toto was never portrayed as a victim, he showed wisdom beyond his age but you could still the kid in him, a determined kid that will win your heart. Another thing I like about this film is the friendship Toto had with his deaf friend Ogoy and frienemy Badong. You could feel the children's innocence in every scene that these kids are in. Seeing them will make you remember of your childhood friends and classmates. I was particularly moved with Ogoy's story and how Toto & Badong looked after him. There's a scene in the film that really got me when former tormentor Badong carried Ogoy who fell asleep outside the school waiting for Toto to come out (Ogoy is an out-of-school-youth who sneaks in the school to help Toto but he got caught at that time).. Major kudos for finding these terrific kid actors. The adult actors also did fine, they gave great support to the kids especially Toto's wise-cracking supportive single mom Glenda. She had great rapport with the kids and his scenes with Toto felt natural and you would feel the love & support of a mom who motivates his son to never let his disability stop him from living the life he wants."

Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa

Poetry in motion. This is how best to describe the movie “Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa” (The Dance of Two Left Feet) from  Director Alvin Yapan  who also directed the  “Ang Panggagahasa kay Fe” (The Rapture of Fe) last year. The story revolves around a teacher, an infatuated student and a talented dancer. More than featuring all kinds of dances, Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Paa goes further by exploring themes about sexuality.

  According to the Cinemalaya website, the synopsis is: 

Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa explores the intersection and divergence between feminist and gay concerns in the third world context,.When Marlon, a college student, stalks Karen, his literature professor, he finds out that she moonlights as a choreographer and dance teacher in a dance studio. Frustrated over his performance in her literature class, he plans to impress her instead by learning to poeticize his body movements and enroll in her dance class. He hires his classmate to teach him the basics of dancing. As Dennis, his tutor, teaches him how his body should move, Marlon begins to understand the intersections between the art of poetry and dance. This opens up his world to new insights about the life of Karen as s single woman who chose to live the life of an artist in a third world setting. Marlon begins to understand how the poems being discussed by Karen in class are testaments to her choice to stand by her art. Karen eventually finds out, through Dennis, that Marlon only enrolled in her class to be near her. She confronts Marlon about this and wishes that his interest for dance would survive his infatuation for her. Marlon feels betrayed over Dennis telling Karen. But it is also this sense of betrayal that tells him that he has already become close to Dennis, whom he now considers a friend. Up until then, Marlon and Dennis have become inseparable as they both tackled the complexities of poetry and dance. Sensing the coldness between the two, Karen set them up to help her train a group of dancers for a cotillion dance. Eventually, Karen trains both Marlon and Dennis to star in her dance adaptation of the epic Humadapnon, when she bags a grant. Marlon will play the lead role of Humadapnon, who becomes trapped in a cave full of women. Dennis’ character now has to rescue Marlon from the women, as he plays the role of Sunmasakay, the male incarnation of the goddess Nagmalitong Yawa. On the eve of their performance, in a drunken conversation, Marlon confronts Karen how he could not understand her poetry. Karen, in response, assures Marlon that he does understand her poetry. His mind is just unwilling to, unlike his body which already understands. Karen invites Marlon to dance with her, but in the middle of her dance, she passes him onto Dennis. Their drunken dance culminates with Marlon and Dennis taking on the roles of Humadapnon and Sunmasakay on stage."

paolo avelino

rocco nacino

In a bold step to celebrate literature and present it in dance form, the producers picked literary poems of Merlinda Bobis, Ruth Elynia Mabanglo, Joi Barrios, Rebecca Anonuevo, Benilda Santos and Ophelia Dimalanta.and interpreted them through a cadence of motion. It was just amazing how poetry was seamlessly woven into the story.

jean garcia

 Watching the movie brought back memories of literature classes in college.  Flashback memories of me struggling in my freshman year at UP Diliman is inevitable, particularly  the triumph in the Filipino lit classes.   I guess I did understand and appreciate the written Filipino word than the written English word.

 I was actually drawn into the story and the symbolism that each scene portrays.   I find it refreshing to watch a movie where the theme is not in your face.   As a viewer - you would have to pay attention to what the characters are saying.  You have have to pay attention to each movement - to piece them all together. 

  Sayaw  is about dance, is about love, is about poetry, is about music, is about gay love? Is it? If the last part is all you are going to take away from that movie, I’m not so sure if you get it. This movie was beautifully vague yet at the same time quite deliberate. Who loved who? And did they love each other in first place? And what kind of love was it? That is what makes this film delicious because it leaves so much to interpretation without being indecisive.

The casting of the three main characters is certainly a triumph for Director Yapan. They all fit their roles to a T. Jean Garcia, Paulo Avelino and Rocco Nacino should be able to convincingly portray Karen, Marlon and Dennis, respectively.  Add to that the special participation of the Company of Dance Artists (CODA) and they all harmonize into a fluid and powerful interpretation of a slice of life through dance.Incidentally,one of the producers is a good friend of mine, Martin Lopez, who is the resident artistic director of FEU.

 Perhaps. the producers are successful in their attempt to immortalize poetry as a moving art.

And now, i have three bets for the best film in Cinemalaya 2011: Nino  (Fides Cuyugan, Sharmaine Buencamino), Amok (Garry Lim, Spanky Manikan) and Sayaw.