SUBSCRIBECinemalaya 2007
July 23rd, 2007 | 5 Comments
Cinemalaya 2007, The Philippine Independent Film Festival opened last Friday night at the CCP with Dante Mendoza’s Foster Child. While we were not able to be there, we did manage to view one screening last Saturday and 4 last Sunday including 5 short films. This year, 9 full feature digital films and 10 shorts are in competition:
Full feature
- Endo - Jade Castro
- Ligaw Liham - Emilio Abello VI
- Still Life - Katrina Flores
- Kadin - Adolfo Alix, Jr.
- Pisay - Aureus Solito
- Tribu - Jim Libiran
- Gulong - Jeanne Lim & Socorro Fernandez
- Sinungaling na Buwan - Ed Lejano (this was pulled out for failure to submit the final film for screening)
- Tukso - Dennis Marasigan
The French Film Festival last Tuesday screened four films of Brillante Mendoza, a sort of retrospective of this highly talented director fresh from his success of being featured in the director’s fortnight in the prestigious Cannes Film Festival for his next work, Foster Child. Screened were Putot, Manoro, Kaleldo and Masahista. Except for the first (frankly, I haven’t read about this feature and can’t say much), the rest were highly acclaimed works that has reaped rave reviews as well as high awards in some major film festival abroad. I didn’t bother with watching Masahista as I’ve already seen it during its regular run last year but I missed Manoro when it was screened in Cinemanila while Kaleldo, after a bout of a bum stomach, missed the second part of the movie.
Nine hours and I was glued to my seat (well, except for the trips to the CR) as I watched the world premier (final cut) of Lav Diaz’s Heremias (UNANG AKLAT: ANG ALAMAT NG PRINSESANG BAYAWAK) as the closing film in the 2006 Cinemanila International Film Festival in Greenbelt 1. Whew! That was the longest movie I’ve watched (I’ve watched a movie marathon for 12 hours way back in college in SM Megamall but these were a series of Italian, Cambodian and Japanese films) but this still is an hour short of his other work, Ebolusyon ng Isang Pamilyang Pilipino (2004) which clocks in at 10 hours but 4 hours more than his other critically acclaimed Batang West Side (2002). I really don’t know what to expect from a Lav Diaz as I wasn’t really able to catch the other two (I’m not also sure if Ebolusyon was screened here). Ronnie Lazaro, the lead actor was also present as well as Tikoy Aguiluz, the festival director introduced the film. Too bad, Lav was present but was at the projection room and didn’t see him.
