Indie film fest remains in Shangri-La Plaza for now

THE 22^nd edition of the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival is set to screen full-length and short films once more at the Shangri-La Plaza mall in Mandaluyong City. It will also bring back talkbacks, book launches, and the Philippine Premiere section, where newly made films will make their screen debut.

With the theme “Reel Reflections,” the festival will have nine full-length films and 10 short features in competition. It will run from Aug. 6 to 18, marking Cinemalaya’s longest run ever as it spans two weekends.

“Traditionally, it has been opening on a Friday and ending on a Sunday. This time, we open on Aug. 6, a Thursday, and close 12 days later on Aug. 18, a Tuesday,” said Dennis N. Marasigan, vice-president and artistic director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), at a press conference on July 8.

“When we reviewed the audience figures from past editions, most viewers really came on the weekend. So, it’s a waste if we lose the final Sunday because of closing the theater for the awards already,” he told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of the event.

For Cinemalaya Foundation President Laurice Guillen, this year’s theme of reflection is an opportunity to “pause for a moment and look behind us.”

“What have these years revealed to us? What have our films taught us? What have we carried forward?” she said. “They’re not questions for today alone. They’re questions we hope we’ll rediscover through this year’s films and the conversations they inspire.”

Chris B. Millado, Cinemalaya’s festival director, added that the theme is apt given their symbol of the ancient Philippine boat, the balangay. “We chose it back in 2005 because it is the vessel that carries new filmmakers and their stories across rough seas,” he said.

Included in the rough seas was the lack of funding that threatened last year’s edition and delayed it to October rather than August. Representing one of its saviors, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), at the press conference was FDCP chair Jose Javier Reyes.

“We are at that very critical point in the history of Philippine cinema that it is not only a matter of persistence, but a matter of existence and survival,” he said. “If Philippine cinema should survive amidst the barrage of all kinds of technological developments, including streaming, we must be innovative, we must think out of the box, and we must think global, and there is no better example than the works of independent filmmakers who think out of the box, who defy convention, and who push the very value of the existence of the Filipino creative.”

This year’s edition received 278 short film submissions and 199 full-length story scripts, according to festival competition and monitoring committee chairman Carlitos Siguion-Reyna.

The nine full-length films in this year’s competition, many of which are star-studded, are:

A.ni.mál by Dustin Celestino. The film unfolds as the daughter of a provincial mayor comes home with a video of a powerful family friend abusing his dog. While the mayor scrambles to protect his longtime ally, the daughter threatens to make the video public.

Director Dustin Celestino said that the film is “about political dynasties.”

“We seek to unmask the true nature of evil as petty, shallow, and pathetic, often an unfortunate side-effect of narcissism combined with idiocy,” he said. “We made this film to give the Filipino audience a glimpse beyond the curated image our public officials carefully manufacture to deceive and control our people.”

Its main cast members are Maxine Ignacio, Frances Makil-Ignacio, Jojit Lorenzo, Anthony Falcon, Bituin Escalante, and Reymund Domingo.

2 Valid IDs by Ma-an Asuncion-Dagñalan and Abet Pagdagdagan Raz. This dramedy is centered on a poor farmer who is unable to claim a remittance because she lacks the required two valid IDs.

As she becomes increasingly exhausted and desperate to get the remittance for her husband’s medical treatment, the situation puts her at odds with her character, beliefs, and morality. “Ito ang statement ko sa isang lipunan na gustong gusto pahirapan ang mahihirap (This is my statement on a society that really likes to give the poor a hard time). It’s about systemic and structural violence,” said screenwriter Abet Pagdagdagan Raz.

Its leads are played by Marietta Subong (aka Pokwang), Meryll Soriano, Joey Marquez, and Zaijian Jaranilla.

Ganggang by JL Burgos. A coming-of-age drama about three boys who form an unlikely bond to find the best fighting spider to pit against the school bully’s spider, until their own search puts their friendship to a test.

Mr. Burgos said at the press conference that the film depicts different societal ills in the barrio where the boys live.

“Natatakot ang mga nang-aapi, natatakot ang mga nambubully, kapag ang inaapi ay lumalaban na (The oppressors are afraid, the bullies are afraid, when the oppressed fight back),” he said, quoting a line in their trailer.

Hand of God by Mark Duane Angos. Touted as a sports film, it follows a child soldier who finds an unexpected refuge in football. Set in a remote village scarred by years of conflict, the boy must decide whether to follow the path laid out by war or to choose his own.

“We hope that our little film will inspire and provide some perspective. A sports movie is the perfect vehicle sometimes to show the nitty-gritty and complexities of our social reality,” the director, Mr. Angos, said. For him, it shows that “all children have the right to play.”

It stars child actor KD Omalin, Ruru Madrid, Iza Calzado, Ronnie Lazaro, and Sue Ramirez.

Kaka sa Yawan by Alpha Habon. The coming-of-age film, set in Mindoro, is about Manila boy Niko and Tadyawan-Mangyan boy Ayan, who bond over the course of one summer. Years later, the adult Niko returns to honor a promise.

“It’s a contemplation on grief, but also love, compassion, and friendship,” said the film’s director Alpha Habon, who sees this film as “representation of the rich culture of a community that has not been represented before — the Tadyawan culture of Mindoro.”

The film stars Beaver Magtalas, Bryce Nicolo Mercader, Dennis Dato, Noelle Polack, Nikki Valdez, Luis Alandy, Karl Medina, Queenay Mercado, Deanne Bautista, and Benedix Ramos.

Mag-iina by Giancarlo Abrahan and Guelan Varelan-Luarca. The film follows a woman who returns to her family’s ancestral house after the 40^th day of her estranged father’s death. There, three generations of women are bound by grief, madness, and evil thicker than blood.

“It’s about grief, ghosts, and the madness we inherit, written by one of my dearest friends, Guelan, who happens to be the contemporary playwright I most deeply admire,” said director Giancarlo Abrahan. “He turned my 2014 Cinemalaya film Dagitab into a stage play, so this is my turn, to make his award-winning play Corridors into a film.”

It stars Janine Gutierrez, Cherry Pie Picache, Agot Isidro, Ness Roque, and Jackie Lou Blanco.

Status: Rejected by Vahn Leinard Pascual. The film follows a grandmother longing for love and the promise of a better life, played by Ruby Ruiz. She is swept into an online romance that challenges her sense of worth, family, and dreams.

“It’s a coming-of-age story of a 69-year-old lola who has long dreamed of going to America to be with her youngest son, Clark,” said director Vahn Leinard Pascual. “Isa itong patunay na walang pinipiling edad ang muling pagtuklas sa sarili (This is proof that rediscovering oneself has no age limit).”

The rest of the cast include Alessandra de Rossi, Beverly Salviejo, and Yani Villarosa.

Tayo Lang Ang Nakakaalam by David Corpuz. This queer family drama is about Neil and Bong, long-term partners who have shared a close bond with Bong’s mother, Gloria. Their lives become uncertain when Bong suddenly falls ill and is confined in the hospital.

The film will force the family to face challenges after a long-held secret is revealed, according to director David Corpuz.

“Kakatapos lang ng Pride Month at nais ko lamang sabihin na ang pride ay hindi lamang ang karapatang magmahal, ito rin ay karapatang mag-alaga, maalala, at magkwento ng aming sariling mga kwento (Pride Month just ended and I just want to say that it’s not just about the right to love, but also the right to take care, remember, and tell our own stories),” he said.

The cast is composed of Martin del Rosario, Miguel Odron, Yayo Aguila, and Epy Quizon.

Tirik by May-i Guia Padilla. This film tells of Paring Bert, a priest, and Santos, a parishioner and taxi driver, who go on a gritty journey to make peace with their moral conflicts while eluding an assassination attempt.

Director May-i Guida Padilla said of the film: “Shit happens, ika nga (as they say), but Tirik asks you kung hanggang saan mo ba kaya itayo ang kandila ng tama o ng kabutihan (how far you will go to keep lit the candle of what’s good and right).”

The cast includes Rocco Nacino, Floyd Tena, Chai Fonacier, Jess Mendoza, Glenn Sevilla Mas, Justin Mclaire, Brian Arda, Hershey Neri, Bor Ocampo, and Hope Summer Skye.

SHORT FILMS
The 10 short feature films in the main competition are:

Elenita Elena Elaine by Gabriela Serrano, about a reality where people have ceased to dream, and where three women’s mundane routines and subconscious worlds collide.

Honey, My Love, So Sweet by JT Trinidad, follows a young boy who lives in a decaying cinema in the heart of Manila and discovers first love through films and their new friend’s father.

Hoy, Hoy, Ingat! by Norvin de los Santos, is about two siblings in urban poverty, the younger eager for viral fame and the older embarking on a rescue mission to take back a beloved family jeepney.

kung paano kakalas by Joseph Vitali, centers on a street vendor who races to sell his last sherbet before Christmas ends, chasing the simple chance to finally go home and rest.

Para-paraan by Mae Chan Li, a documentary about a wheelchair user and the everyday barriers she faces in ordinary spaces, challenging audiences to see exclusion in society.

Runo! by Lysa Catolico and Jazmine Gin Pateña, an animated film about a silly Filipino stray dog or aspin, who is dead set on fetching her student owner through a long, dangerous journey.

Silkscreen by Rey Anthony Villaverde, about a struggling shirt printer who reconnects with his aging father, the former owner of their fading family business, as they confront the changes time has brought.

Sorbetes by Jennissie Gilbuena, is about two brothers who cope with the aftermath of a traumatic event that shakes their community by eating ice cream.

The Keeper by Nolan Rae Fabular and TRNZ, an animated film about the devoted keeper of a trophy hall, which is disrupted by an intruder that unravels her carefully curated world.

The River Flows in Different Places by Lot-lot Hermosura, a documentary centered on two Filipino-Palestinian mothers who recount their repatriation journey from Gaza to the Philippines.

Running concurrently with Cinemalaya is the 38^th Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video, Southeast Asia’s longest-running independent film competition. Showcasing works across Short Feature/Narrative, Experimental, Documentary, and Animation, the competition continues to champion alternative forms of cinema and provide emerging filmmakers with a platform to push creative boundaries.

The full screening schedules have yet to be announced. Tickets will be priced the same as last year, P350. For more details, visit the CCP and Cinemalaya websites and social media pages. — Brontë H. Lacsamana