Aswang, Alyx Ayn Arumpac’s debut feature-length documentary on the Duterte administration’s drug war, and Midnight in a Perfect World, Dodo Dayao’s dystopian imagination of Metro Manila, received the lion’s share of prizes handed out by the Society of Filipino Film Reviewers (SFFR) for its inaugural Pinoy Rebyu Awards.
Aswang, which screened as part of the 2020 Daang Dokyu Film Festival, received four awards, including Best Feature Film, Best Documentary, Best First Feature, and Best Editing (for Anne Fabini and Fatima Bianchi). The SFFR cited the film’s “expert conjuring of Philippine mythology in depicting the horrors of the current administration’s drug war”.
Meanwhile, Midnight in a Perfect World, which premiered in last year’s Quezon City International Film Festival, won in five categories: Best Director, Best Ensemble Performance (for its main cast Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Glaiza de Castro, Anthony Falcon, Dino Pastrano, and Bing Pimentel), Best Cinematography (for Albert Banzon and Gym Lumbera), Best Music Score (Erwin Romulo, Malek Lopez, and Juan Miguel Sobrepeña), and Best Production Design (Benjamin Padero and Carlo Tabije). The SFFR cited Dayao’s “singular, clear-cut vision of the film and his masterful control of its technical aspects”.
Newcomer Charlie Dizon won Best Lead Performance for her role as a die-hard fan of actor Paulo Avelino in Fan Girl. In its citation, SFFR praised Dizon for a “nuanced, naturalistic portrayal of a giddy teenager obsessed with her matinee idol, never losing control of her character’s motivations and impressively showing a gamut of emotions throughout her character’s ordeal”.
The Best Screenplay award is given to Isabel Sandoval for Lingua Franca, for its “sensitive depiction of the life and love of a trans woman living as an undocumented immigrant in New York”.
Character actor Phi Palmos coveted the Best Supporting Performance prize for his charismatic, heartfelt interpretation of a supportive friend and countryman of JC Santos’ character in the Japan-set film Kintsugi.
SFFR, as has been its tradition since its decade-long existence as Pinoy Rebyu, does not distinguish between male and female performances, the way it does not distinguish gender in the other award categories.
The Best Short Film award is given to Bullet-laced Dreams by Kristoffer Brugada and Cha Escala, about indigenous children in Mindanao fighting for their right to education amidst increasing militarization.
The Best International Film award is given to Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s Happy Old Year, a quiet, sensitive depiction of the intricacies of letting go (both of materials things and broken relationships). The film premiered in Netflix Philippines in 2020 and is Thailand’s official submission to the 93rd Academy Awards.
Trophies will be sent to winners via courier.
The Society of Filipino Film Reviewers is composed of 53 avid reviewers of Philippine cinema. It aims to promote local film through advocating for film education, preservation, criticism, and exhibition of Philippine cinema.
Below is the full list of winners:
BEST FILM: Aswang
BEST DIRECTOR: Dodo Dayao, Midnight in a Perfect World
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE: Charlie Dizon, Fan Girl
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE: Phi Palmos, Kintsugi
BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE: Main cast of Midnight in a Perfect World
BEST SCREENPLAY: Lingua Franca (Isabel Sandoval)
BEST EDITING: Aswang (Anne Fabini and Fatima Bianchi)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Midnight in a Perfect World (Albert Banzon and Gym Lumbera)
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: Midnight in a Perfect World (Benjamin Padero and Carlo Tabije)
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: Midnight in a Perfect World (Erwin Romulo, Malek Lopez, and Juan Miguel Sobrepeña)
The Society of Filipino Film Reviewers announces shortlists in three categories for the 2nd Pinoy Rebyu Awards®: Best Documentary Short, Best Live Action Short, and Best Animated Short.
DOCUMENTARYSHORT
Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Short Film category for the 2nd Pinoy Rebyu Awards. Forty-seven films were eligible in the category. Members of the Short Films Committee vote to determine the shortlist and the general SFFR membership vote to determine nominees.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“Ang Meron sa Wala” (Arby and Christine Laraño) “Balon” (Maki Liwanag) “Coal Story, Bro” (RA Rivera) “Count” (Adjani Arumpac) “Halawod” (Anna Katrina Velez Tejero) “Iyallatiw (To Transfer)” (Melver Ritz Gomez) “Lingkis” (Yvonne Salazar & Sita Valenzuela) “Panambi” (Jane Mariane Biyo, Katya Marie Corazon Puertollano, and Myra Angeline Soriaso) “Random People” (Arden Rod Condez) “River of Tears and Rage” (Maricon Montajes) “Singil” (Maria Graciella Musa) “Tanda ng Pagtanaw” (Aireen Remoto) “The Right to Life” (Arbi Barbarona) “To Pick a Flower” (Shireen Seno) “Walang Katapusang Hurno” (Glenn Barit)
LIVE ACTIONSHORT
Fifteen films will advance in the Live Action Short Film category for the 2nd Pinoy Rebyu Awards. One hundred fifty-one films qualified in the category. Members of the Short Films Committee vote to determine the shortlist and the general SFFR membership vote to determine nominees.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“Alingasngas ng mga Kuliglig” (Vahn Leinard Pascual) “Baboy Talunon” (Kevin Piamonte) “Black Rainbow” (Zig Madamba Dulay) “City of Flowers” (Xeph Suarez) “Dandansoy” (Arden Rod Condez) “Dikit” (Gabriela Serrano) “Filipiñana” (Rafael Manuel) “Gabby” (Joanna Vasquez Arong) “Kids on Fire” (Kyle Nieva) “Kumbiyor” (Wówa Medroso) “Maski Papano” (Glenn Barit and Che Tagyamon) “Nang Maglublob Ako sa Isang Mangkok ng Liwanag” (Kukay Zinampan) “Sa Balay ni Papang” (Kurt Steven Soberano) “Sol” (Joanna Vasquez Arong) “The Man Who Isn’t There and Other Stories of Longing” (Trishtan Perez)
ANIMATED SHORT
Ten films will advance in the Animated Short Film category for the 2nd Pinoy Rebyu Awards. Fourteen films qualified in the category. Members of the Short Films Committee vote to determine the shortlist and the general SFFR membership vote to determine nominees.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“Ang Amomonggo sa Aton” (Vincent Joseph Entuna) “Blue Is Not My Favorite Color” (Vahn Leinard Pascual) “Feet Apart” (Dexter Paul de Jesus) “Flush” (Roland Cartagena) “Langit Lupa” (Cha Roque) “Maris” (Gabb Gantala) “Mga Ulap Tayong Nagiging Ulan” (Demetrio Celestino III) “My Mamily” (Cha Roque) “Patient No. 45” (Marzeus Alegre) “Project Remedy” (Jan Erika Cruz)
Nominations voting for the three categories above, as well as for 13 other categories for feature films, begins on Thursday, January 27, 2022, and concludes on Sunday, January 30, 2022.
Nominations for the 2nd Pinoy Rebyu Awards will be announced on Tuesday, February 1, 2022.
The Society of Filipino Film Reviewers is composed of 37 active reviewers of Philippine cinema. The 2nd Pinoy Rebyu Awards® will be held by the end of February 2022.
Kun Maupay Man It Panahon (Whether the Weather Is Fine), Carlo Francisco Manatad’s audacious magical realist take on Super Typhoon Haiyan’s impact on the psyche of survivors, topped the nominations for the 2nd Pinoy Rebyu Awards, as voted by the Society of Filipino Film Reviewers.
Kun Maupay, which was an entry to the Metro Manila Film Festival, received a leading 11 nominations. Aside from nods for Best Film and Manatad for Director, Screenplay, and First Feature, it is also nominated for Lead Performance (for Charo Santos-Concio), Supporting Performance (Rans Rifol), Ensemble Performance, as well as four other technical categories.
Close on its heels with 10 nominations is Erik Matti’s On the Job: The Missing 8, the long-awaited sequel to the hugely successful On the Job (2013). The Missing 8 participated in the Venice Film Festival where it won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for John Arcilla. Aside from Pinoy Rebyu nominations for Film and Director for Matti, it is also nominated for Lead Performance (Arcilla), Supporting Performance (Lotlot de Leon), Ensemble Performance, Screenplay, and four other technical categories.
The three other nominees for Best Film are Historya ni Ha, Lav Diaz’s 1950s-set film starring John Lloyd Cruz as a successful ventriloquist who returns to his barrio; Big Night!, Jun Lana’s hilarious satire on the Philippine drug war; and Last Days at Sea, a wistful ode to friendship from debuting filmmaker Venice Atienza.
Aside from Santos-Concio (Kun Maupay Man It Panahon) and Arcilla (On the Job: The Missing 8), the other nominees for Best Lead Performance are Christian Bables (Big Night!), John Lloyd Cruz (Historya ni Ha), Kim Molina (Ikaw at Ako at ang Ending), and Mae Paner (Tao Po).
The SFFR does not distinguish actors’ gender in the acting categories, the way it does not distinguish gender in the technical categories.
The Best Supporting Performance category has all-women nominees. Aside from de Leon (On the Job: The Missing 8) and Rifol (Kun Maupay Man It Panahon), the other nominees are Angie Castrence (Gameboys: The Movie), Dolly de Leon (Historya ni Ha), Jay Valencia Glorioso (Rabid), and Mystica (Kids on Fire).
One of the pleasant surprises in this year’s nominations is the strong showing of short films in categories outside Best Short Film (whether Live Action, Animated, or Documentary). Aside from Mystica’s nomination and a Best Live Action Short Film nod, Kids on Fire, for example, is nominated for 3 other categories: Screenplay, Production Design, and Original Score.
Other multiple short film nominees include Filipiñana, with nods for Live Action Short Film and Cinematography; Maski Papano, nominated for Live Action Short Film and Screenplay; and Random People, recognized for the Documentary Short Film and Editing categories. It’s Raining Frogs Outside is nominated for Editing while How to Die Young in Manila is nominated for Original Score.
This is unprecedented in local film awards bodies, and is a testament to the improving creativity of young filmmakers unburdened by the need to compromise with many full-length film producers who insist on giving the public tired narratives.
The Society of Filipino Film Reviewers’ 2nd Pinoy Rebyu Awards celebrate the best achievements in Philippine cinema of 2021. For eligibility, members of SFFR considered all films released in the calendar year in at least one cinema in the Philippines or on a largely accessible streaming service between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021. The SFFR is composed of 38 active reviewers of Philippine cinema.
The complete list of nominees can be found below.
Best Film
A total of 35 films received nominations from members of the society.
BIG NIGHT! Directed by Jun Robles Lana Produced by Guido Zaballero, Sienna Olaso, Vitto Lazatin, Isabel Santillan, and Ferdinand Lapuz
HISTORYA NI HA Directed by Lav Diaz Produced by Lav Diaz
KUN MAUPAY MAN IT PANAHON Directed by Carlo Francisco Manatad Produced by Josabeth Alonso, Armi Rae Cacanindin, and Vincent Wang
LAST DAYS AT SEA Directed by Venice Atienza Produced by Venice Atienza, Fan Wu, Moshe Ladanga and Katrin Maria Escay
ON THE JOB: THE MISSING 8 Directed by Erik Matti Produced by Ronald Stephen Monteverde, Erik Matti, Joseph Caliro, and Quark Henares
Best Director
A total of 30 directors received nominations from members of the society.
Venice Atienza LAST DAYS AT SEA
Lav Diaz HISTORYA NI HA
Jun Robles Lana BIG NIGHT!
Carlo Francisco Manatad KUN MAUPAY MAN IT PANAHON
Erik Matti ON THE JOB: THE MISSING 8
Best Screenplay
A total of 32 screenplays were nominated by members of the society.
BIG NIGHT! Jun Robles Lana
HISTORYA NI HA Lav Diaz
KIDS ON FIRE Kyle Nieva
KUN MAUPAY MAN IT PANAHON Giancarlo Abrahan, Jérémie Dubois, Carlo Francisco Manatad
MASKI PAPANO Che Tagyamon
ON THE JOB: THE MISSING 8 Erik Matti and Michiko Yamamoto
Best Lead Performance
A total of 30 actors received nominations by members of the society.
John Arcilla ON THE JOB: THE MISSING 8
Christian Bables BIG NIGHT!
John Lloyd Cruz HISTORYA NI HA
Kim Molina IKAW AT AKO AT ANG ENDING
Mae Paner TAO PO
Charo Santos-Concio KUN MAUPAY MAN IT PANAHON
Best Supporting Performance
A total of 36 actors received nominations by members of the society.
Angie Castrence GAMEBOYS: THE MOVIE
Dolly de Leon HISTORYA NI HA
Lotlot de Leon ON THE JOB: THE MISSING 8
Jay Valencia Glorioso RABID
Mystica KIDS ON FIRE
Rans Rifol KUN MAUPAY MAN IT PANAHON
Best Ensemble Performance
A total of 26 ensembles were nominated by members of the society.
BIG NIGHT! Christian Bables, Gina Alajar, Nico Antonio, John Arcilla, Soliman Cruz, Ricky Davao, Janice de Belen, Martin del Rosario, Eugene Domingo, Gina Pareño
GAMEBOYS: THE MOVIE Elijah Canlas, Kokoy de Santos, Susan Africa, Angie Castrence, Miggy Jimenez, Kych Minemoto, Adrianna So, Kyle Velino
HISTORYA NI HA John Lloyd Cruz, Dolly de Leon, Jonathan O. Francisco, Ceian Hazel Gabuco, Eliezl Gabuco, Cesar Gabuco, Teroy Guzman, Earl Ignacio, Hazel Orencio, Mae Paner, Erwin Romulo, Jun Sabayton
KUN MAUPAY MAN IT PANAHON Charo Santos-Concio, Daniel Padilla, Rans Rifol
ON THE JOB: THE MISSING 8 John Arcilla, Lotlot de Leon, Dennis Trillo, Dante Rivero, Andrea Brillantes, Donna Cariaga, Rayver Cruz, Soliman Cruz, Ricky Davao, Christopher de Leon, Isabelle de Leon, Ina Feleo, Eric Fructuoso, Agot Isidro, Joey Marquez, Leo Martinez, William Martinez, Vandolph Quizon
Best Film Editing
A total of 35 film editors were nominated by members of the society.
AMPANGABAGAT NIN TALAKBA HA LIKOL (IT’S RAINING FROGS OUTSIDE) Maria Estela Paiso
BIG NIGHT! Benjamin Tolentino
KUN MAUPAY MAN IT PANAHON Benjo Ferrer
ON THE JOB: THE MISSING 8 Jay Halili
RANDOM PEOPLE Caleb Maglunob
Best Cinematography
A total of 30 directors of photography were nominated by members of the society.
ARISAKA Mycko David
FILIPIÑANA Xenia Patricia
KUN MAUPAY MAN IT PANAHON Teck Siang Lim
LAST DAYS AT SEA Moshe Ladanga and Venice Atienza
ON THE JOB: THE MISSING 8 Neil Bion
Best Production Design
A total of 29 productions were nominated by members of the society.
BIG NIGHT! Marxie Maolen Fadul
DEATH OF NINTENDO Whammy Alcazaren and Thesa Tang
KIDS ON FIRE Alvin Francisco
KUN MAUPAY MAN IT PANAHON Whammy Alcazaren
ON THE JOB: THE MISSING 8 Roma Regala
RABID Shiel Marie Calde
Best Film Score
A total of 29 film scores were nominated by members of the society.
BIG NIGHT! Teresa Barrozo
HOW TO DIE YOUNG IN MANILA Alyana Cabral
KIDS ON FIRE Len Calvo
KUN MAUPAY MAN IT PANAHON Andrew Florentino
ON THE JOB: THE MISSING 8 Malek Lopez, Arvin Nogueras, Erwin Romulo
Best Documentary Feature
A total of 5 films were nominated by members of the society.
LAST DAYS AT SEA Directed by Venice Atienza Produced by Venice Atienza
TAO PO Directed by Mae Paner Produced by Mae Paner
A WILL TO DREAM Directed by Patrick Alcedo Produced by Patrick Alcedo
Best First Feature
A total of 8 films were nominated by members of the society.
KUN MAUPAY MAN IT PANAHON Directed by Carlo Francisco Manatad Produced by Josabeth Alonso, Armi Rae Cacanindin, Kriz Gazmen, and Vincent Wang
LAST DAYS AT SEA Directed by Venice Atienza Produced by Venice Atienza
MY AMANDA Directed by Alessandra de Rossi Produced by E del Mundo
TAO PO Directed by Mae Paner Produced by Mae Paner
A WILL TO DREAM Directed by Patrick Alcedo Produced by Patrick Alcedo
Best Live Action Short Film
A total of 14 short live-action films were nominated by members of the society. The group previously narrowed down 151 eligible films to a shortlist of 15.
ALINGASNGAS NG MGA KULIGLIG Directed by Vahn Pascual Produced by Vahn Pascual and Tim Rone Villanueva
BLACK RAINBOW Directed by Zig Madamba Dulay Produced by Elvert Bañares and Tanya Lopez
FILIPIÑANA Directed by Rafael Manuel Produced by Kyle Nieva, Naomi Pacifique, and Kiko Meily
KIDS ON FIRE Directed by Kyle Nieva Produced by Carlo Francisco Manatad, Kyle Nieva, Maan Villareal, and Anna Weeks
MASKI PAPANO Directed by Glenn Barit and Che Tagyamon Produced by Che Tagyamon and Jo Torlao
SA BALAY NI PAPANG Directed by Kurt Soberano Produced by Elvert Bañares and Tanya Lopez
Best Documentary Short Film
A total of 15 short documentaries were nominated by members of the society. The group previously narrowed down 47 eligible films to a shortlist of 15.
LINGKIS Directed by Yvonne Salazar and Sita Valenzuela Produced by Jake Muñoz
PANAMBI Directed by Jane Mariane Biyo, Katya Marie Corazon Puertollano, and Myra Angeline Soriaso Produced by Arden Rod Condez
RANDOM PEOPLE Directed by Arden Rod Condez Produced by Arden Rod Condez
THE RIGHT TO LIFE Directed by Arbi Barbarona Produced by Arbi Barbarona and Ethel Mendez
RIVER OF TEARS AND RAGE Directed by Maricon Montajes Produced by Jola Diones-Mamangun and Raymund Villanueva
TO PICK A FLOWER Directed by Shireen Seno Produced by Shireen Seno
Best Animated Short Film
A total of 9 animated short films were nominated by members of the society. The group previously narrowed down 14 eligible films to a shortlist of 10.
ANG AMOMONGGO SA ATON Directed by Vincent Joseph Entuna Produced by Rhea Entuna and John Alson Entuna
BLUE IS NOT MY FAVORITE COLOR Directed by Vahn Pascual Produced by Vahn Pascual
FLUSH Directed by Roland Cartagena Produced by Ray Dom
MARIS Directed by Gabb Gantala Produced by Gabb Gantala
MGA ULAP TAYONG NAGIGING ULAN Directed by Demetrio Celestino III Produced by Demetrio Celestino III
MY MAMILY Directed by Cha Roque Produced by Cha Roque
Winners of the Pinoy Rebyu Awards will be announced on 28 February 2022.
Best International Films
This year, aside from honoring the best of local cinema, SFFR members selected from 112 eligible international films that legally screened in the Philippines in 2021, whether in theaters or streaming platforms, and came up with a list the of the five best:
DRIVE MY CAR Directed by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi Japan
THE POWER OF THE DOG Directed by Jane Campion UK, Canada, Australia, & New Zealand
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN Directed by Emerald Fennell UK & US
WHEEL OF FORTUNE AND FANTASY Directed by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi Japan
THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD Directed by Joachim Trier Norway, France, Sweden, & Denmark
The pandemic forced film festival organizers to shift their operations online or through a hybrid mode. Some were unable to adjust in time, but others thrived in the new setup.
For the fifth straight year, the Quezon City International Film Festival (fondly called QCinema) remains the gold standard for local filmfests as it is recognized as the best festival by Pinoy Rebyu, and it’s not even close. All 24 members of the Society of Filipino Film Reviewers who voted for this category placed QCinema as the Philippine’ best filmfest.
Below are the rest of the top ten that the SFFR deems the best in terms of ease of online access, affordability, and, most importantly, the quality of films.
1 – QCinema (81 points)
Festival Director: Ed Lejano
Members’ comments:
“QCinema remains as the Filipino film festival to beat. Holding a hybrid format for the second year in a row, it offered a well curated lineup from local arthouse gems to internationally acclaimed titles. It’s simply a delight for every cinephile out there.” – Leo Baltar
“The best lineup, with international films that were heralded in the big festivals.” – Ronald Cruz
“Managed to momentarily bring back the spirit of physical film fest in the country while continuing its trademark of showing quality local and international cinema to the Philippines.” – Cydel Gutierrez
“Amazing roster of acclaimed foreign language films like Memoria, The Worst Person inthe World, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Drive My Car; and one very special Filipino film, Historya ni Ha.” – Fred Hawson
“Provided both virtual and theatrical screenings, shorts and feature length films, local and international films; complete package, as always.” – Jay Lacanilao
“Very consistent amongst all the festivals.” – Jayson Laniba
“The only one to perfectly adjust to the current cinema situation in the Philippines, QCinema’s mix of virtual and in person approach, plus their once again exciting lineup, it’s no surprising it just steamrolls as the best local film festival every year.” – Nicol Latayan
“The selection and how the film festival was handled was even better than previous years.” – Jun Mendoza
“For having screenings at the cinemas which are occasionally full.” – Manuel Pangaruy
“The roster of films & programming are excellent, bringing the current international award-winning films to the Philippines.” – Bernard Santos
“The list of films shown were the top films of 2021 such as Drive My Car and The Worst Person In The World.” – Jay-r Trinidad
2 – Cinemalaya (40 points)
Festival Director: Chris Millado
3 – Sine Halaga (26 points)
Festival Director: Elvert Bañares
4 – Metro Manila Film Festival (15 points)
Organizer: Metropolitan Manila Development Authority
The “Walang himala!” scene in Himala (1982). The trapped-in-the-corner ending of Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag (1975). The “Magsayaw na lang tayo” scene in Temptation Island (1980).
These are few of the scenes in local cinema that have become iconic for varying reasons, whether through excellent writing, masterful directing, impeccable acting, or simply because they have stuck in the minds of viewers.
The ten scenes below are what the Society of Filipino Film reviewers recognize as the best scenes of 2021.
The confrontation, Gameboys: The Movie
Ronald Cruz, SFFR: “It might be fair to say that every Catholic Filipino family has a Tita Susan, that sanctimonious, Church-frequenting aunt who thinks that gays are fun as long as they’re not her relatives because she believes that they’re destined for hell. Despite the unsavory actions of Terrence (Kyle Velino) in season one of the Gameboys series, it can be argued that the franchise has never had a true villain until Susan, whose condemnation of homosexuality (the ‘praying away the gay’ type) is, sadly, not unrealistic by any stretch of the imagination. So when during a tense dinner Cairo (Elijah Canlas) finally snaps after seething for days under his calm exterior, we completely understand. There is something cathartic in how Cai defends not only the dignity of his boyfriend Gavreel (Kokoy de Santos) but also the decision to love the way they have chosen to love, in part because between the two of them, he has heretofore been the less secure about his sexuality. He’s also a proxy for teens frustrated with social norms that require unconditional deference to adults even if the respect is not reciprocated; his utterance of ‘respect begets respect’ is scathing. Beyond this, the confrontation precipitates the event that dramatically closes the movie and presumably begins the plot of the anticipated second season: Gav has to leave for the US to look after his ailing Tita Myra (Susan Africa). Gav’s reaction to Susan revealing Myra’s condition is devastating. The sequence easily convinces that very few actors of their age are better than Canlas and de Santos at evoking raw, genuine emotion.
Lest we forget, the trigger of this explosive sequence is the holier-than-thou Tita Susan, who is played with masterful control by the impressive Angie Castrence (a Best Supporting Performance nominee in the 2nd Pinoy Rebyu Awards). If her performance had been overblown or cartoonish, the caricature would have lessened the character’s impact. But Castrence’s Susan is so real that we cannot help but feel offended and angry, because she reminds us that hate for the LGBTQ+ community is all too true and pervasive within the systems that should be protecting our youth from oppression.
Gameboys: The Movie is also a nominee for Pinoy Rebyu’s Best Ensemble Performance. This sequence, chosen by the SFFR as one of the Best Scenes of 2021, should dispel any doubts about the cast deserving this recognition.”
Kokoy de Santos, actor: “Share ko lang yung mga naaalala kong mga kaganapan nung shinoot namin yung confrontation scene with my baby. Wow! Hahaha. And of course THE Angie Castrence. Ibang gabay ang ginawa samin ni Direk Ivan nung kinuhaan namin yung scene na yun, grabe yung motivation. And laging tumatatak na sakin yung kasabihan na pag nasa eksena, talon ka lang. Ibig sabihin kalimutan ko lahat ng mga iniisip ko bilang ako, bilang Kokoy. Maging si Gav ka. Ramdamin kung ano yung eksena. At sobrang thankful din ako na sobrang husay at masarap ka-eksena ng mga kasama ko.”
Wet look training, Paglaki Ko, Gusto Kong Maging Pornstar
Nicol Latayan, SFFR: “Darryl Yap, who shot into prominence and fame firstly as an online content creator, has since then ventured into being one of the most productive directors for Viva Films. In 2021 alone, he directed 10 feature films, the first one being Paglaki Ko, Gusto Kong Maging Pornstar. The film assembled some of the most prominent sexy actresses in Philippine cinema history – Alma Moreno, Rosanna Roces, Ara Mina, and Maui Taylor – playing veterans who are training the next batch of sexy stars to follow their footsteps.
In one of the film’s most memorable scenes, the ‘porn star’ trainees are being taught how to project the perfect sexy star wet look, by dipping themselves into a huge drum of water. In between, the four leads reminisce some of their own memories during their peak years as sexy actresses. Partly a quick history lesson, partly just a joyous chikahan of notable Pinoy sexy personalities, it was definitely one of the film’s highlights. Alma Moreno shared how she started the kamison trend to exude sexiness, Rosanna Roces in her approach when doing some lovemaking scenes, Ara Mina running with just a plain white shirt, and Maui Taylor’s first girl on girl onscreen kiss only to be bothered by a snake.
In some ways, this scene best encapsulates what made Pornstar a tribute to its genre at best, and a shaky experiment at worst. Part of me thinks that it would have fared well as a straight documentary-type approach instead of a feature-length narrative story, but then it’s clear that it’s not the film’s intent at all. Ironically enough, this scene ended up being a reflection on how Pinoy sexy films are done here – tease a bit, but never go all the way.”
Cydel Gutierrez, SFFR: “The unscripted drum scene in Darryl Yap’s Paglaki Ko, Gusto Kong Maging Pornstar is one of the most genuine scenes I’ve seen this year, thanks to the organic chemistry and contrasting/complementing personalities between four former bold stars: Maui Taylor, Alma Moreno, Rosanna Roces, and Ara Mina. This scene alone further evinces that Yap’s actors can carry the weight of his films without his interference. What’s special about this scene is its humanizing approach given to these former bold stars that the movie industry has long deprived them for years. Through their collective real-life past stories as movie stars, we finally get a glimpse of what’s inside their overexposed skin and their muffled mouths as women subjected to sexism by the predominantly patriarchal movie industry. Its subversion of the prevalent male gaze through an empathetic but comical throw and catch of dialogues is a testament to how letting women take over their own bodies and speak their own truths can advance a boring and overused narrative. It’s a commendable directing choice for Yap and he should do this more often–listen to his actors more.”
Darryl Yap, writer/director: “I remember writing the scene—feeling very, very cautious, kasi it’s the first scene to be shot na may involvement na ng stories from their past. Pero pa-intro pa lang ako, sumagot na agad sila, ‘Direk, napakatactless mo tapos sa amin, nahihiya ka!’ So I wrote the whole lublob sa drum scene in front of them. It was just a skeletal guide, full of keywords and blocking sketches.
Yung napanood ng viewers is an instant product of collaboration, brutal honesty and sensitivity. Andaming revelations, and usually pare-pareho sila. Andami ring di naisama sa cut, kasi too truthful to be told, baka may magalit na leading man o ano.
Natural Actresses. Gems of the Industry.”
Farewell to Ha, Historya ni Ha
Skilty Labastilla, SFFR: “When the love of Hernando’s life was forced to marry another man, Hernando (a dialed-in John Lloyd Cruz) felt that there is nothing in the world left talking about. Speech is now futile. So he hides behind Ha, his puppet, in communicating with the people journeying with him to an island of hope. Over the course of the journey, Ha proves to be a steady source of reason and good humor for the distraught Hernando. But after another unfortunate tragedy towards the film’s end, Hernando feels it is time to face reality and use his own voice again. The scene where he bids goodbye to Ha in the sea on a quiet, moonlit night is gut-wrenching even as it is not entirely unexpected. Only masters like Lav Diaz can make viewers cry for a puppet’s leaving.”
Daph Bajas, SFFR: “The doll Ha becomes Diaz’s (and Hernando’s) shadow/conscience/Lady Macbeth figure into the void. There is beauty and candor in Hernando bidding goodbye, with only the full moon and the occasional lightning illuminating the screen. Bodies of water, nighttime and goodbyes are never new foregrounds for Diaz, yet here it’s one of his quickest and most non-lingering. Hernando and Ha are indivisible, and it’s by this instance that Hernando already feels that he is ready to make peace with the uncertainty of the future.”
Lav Diaz, writer/director: “Saad ng kritikong si Noel Vera sa eksena ng pamamaalam ni Hernando kay Ha: ‘Later, what is arguably the film’s most painful moment also happens to be its most beautiful: Hernando standing hip-deep in seawater with Ha while the moon glares down from high overhead, the belly of storm clouds crackling with thunder to the distant left.’ (Critic After Dark, BusinessWorld, November 30, 2021)
Ang eksenang iyon ang huling shot na kinunan ko sa pelikulang Historya ni Ha, at naganap ang huling eksenang iyon ng shooting sa dalampasigan ng maayang bayan ng Sibaltan sa hilagang Palawan. Tinanong din ako ni Noel sa email kung magkano ang ginastos ng produksyon sa CGI (computer generated imagery). Sinabi kong walang CGI na ginamit sa pelikula dahil sarili kong pera ang ginastos sa pelikula, at yung mismong kabuuang gastos sa pelikula ay hindi magkakasya kung magsiCGI kami ng ganung eksena. At ang ginamit kong kamera ay ang aking mumurahing Sony A7SII. At nang malaman ni John Lloyd Cruz na mula sa sarili kong bulsa ang ginagastos sa pelikula ay buong pagpapakumbabang ibinalik niya ang ibinayad ng produksyon sa kanya upang maidagdag pa namin sa gastusin.
Ang mahika ng paglikha ng cinema ang lumikha sa eksenang iyon. Hindi ko inakalang maringal ang liwanag ng buwan sa gabing iyon, hindi ko inasahang magiging labis ang hinahon ng karagatan sa gabing iyon, hindi ko inasam na sasabay ang mga pagkidlat at pagkulog sa kalayuan sa gabing iyon, hindi ko hiniling na maghatid ang langit ng napakanipis na ambon sa gabing iyon. Gaya sa pagdaloy ng isang dakilang tula, gaya nang halina ng isang himig, katulad nang hindi maarok na kaibuturan ng siphayo, isa lamang akong saksi sa isang hiwaga ng buhay sa gabing yaon, isa lamang akong kasangkapan sa hiwaga ng uniberso ng cinema.”
“Si Filemon” karaoke, Filipiñana
Miguel Edosma, SFFR: “Throughout the course of its runtime, the commentary on poverty can be felt throughout Filipiñana. Director Rafael Manuel left behind some brilliant metaphors that highlight the contrast between the rich and the poor. But it was during the climactic karaoke scene that the message about it was finally delivered.
After Isabel receives her paycheck, she and her friends go to a karaoke bar to sing, smoke, and drink. Isabel then sings an old folk song, ‘Si Filemon’, at her friend’s insistence. ‘Si Filemon’ is a Cebuano folk song about a fisherman who spends his meager but hard-earned money on a bottle of tuba. In between the song’s words, she finds herself. The camera closes in on her to completely isolate her for this realization. She tries to force a smile, but her facial expression can no longer conceal the heartbreaking revelation and profound malaise, melancholy, and ache she feels from the song.
Like Filemon, Isabel grasps at any pleasure she can find in order to cope with the hard work. Even more so, it dawns on her that she’s forever trapped in this restrictive system that doesn’t favor the poor and marginalized like her.”
Wowie Lagman, SFFR: “Compared to what most of us are accustomed to, this scene, on paper, would look pale. No outrageous outbursts and sharp dialogues, tearjerking confrontations or awe-inspiring shots. It’s just a group of co-workers drinking and singing in a bar.
It’s ‘happy hour’ without the happy part. And that’s what makes this profoundly impactful.
It’s an accurate depiction of our psyche as working Filipinos, regardless of where you fall on the economic bracket and questions the reasoning behind our tendencies.
It speaks volumes on how we have been conditioned to reward ourselves and splurge the moment we get paid for our work even when we don’t really have to (or want to). And we end up thinking, ‘Was it worth it?’ or ‘Did I really like it?’
It’s like what people these days always say: ‘Deserve ko ‘to’.
But do we really? I think this is what the writer wants to raise here. Yes, we do deserve some pat on the back for getting through the day. But does it mean unnecessarily spending our hard-earned-yet-still-not-enough money on ‘happy hour’?
Isabel only wants to have a taste of life’s good cake and have idle time on an al fresco restaurant while enjoying a smoke. But she can’t. She has to work. (Ironically, her work is helping others enjoy their idle time.)
But when her friends ask her to and enjoy, she seems half-hearted. While the rest were having fun with songs and their drinks, she sits there quietly, a cigarette in her hand–perhaps the only semblance of luxury from the fantasy life she can afford from her fantasy–like someone who is having fun perfunctorily.
She wants to enjoy life, but when given the chance–in a manner that’s plausible for the lifestyle she has–she refuses to dive in. Maybe because it’s not her idea of a good time?
Then she was forced to sing. (Is it because in our culture, singing in a bar is the sign that you’ve really had a good time?) Ironically, the song she picks–the one she’s humming at the beginning–was a slap in reality. That just like Filemon, she worked, earned, and squandered her money away on what she thought would give happiness.”
Kyle Nieva, producer: “We shot this scene in a dilapidated bar along EDSA. It was the only scene we scheduled for that day, so we had the luxury of a whole night to perfect this oner. It’s our breather from the drowning hectares of the golf and country club. It’s when we’re snapped out of our daydream with Isabel and presented with a more realistic and familiar Filipino imagery. It is in this scene that Isabel utters for the first time the lyrics of ‘Filemon’ which she had been merely humming in preceding scenes, and her singing magically reinforces the themes we explored throughout the film.”
Divine Revelation, Kids on Fire
James Espinoza, SFFR: “WWJCD — Discovering masturbation is a rite of passage for young boys. It’s the instant the world lets them in on the secret of its rapturous (*wink*) ecstasy. What’s become a classic euphemism for the brisk up and down motion of jerking off are earthquake tremors. Kids on Fire pokes fun at this cliché and elevates it to divine stakes by juxtaposing it to a Christian youth camp, where every waking moment is devoted to religious indoctrination and the denouncement of lustful sins (among the litany of many other transgressions). No questions allowed.
In the scene, chapter-titled ‘The Devil’, J.C. warily confesses to camp leader Sister Evelyn that he has discovered God’s gift to him — the ability to cause earthquakes by masturbating. His hesitation to speak up springs from the guilt and shame that have been morally inscribed and reinforced by every Bible verse they recite. To his surprise, Sister Evelyn is intrigued, wondering whether such a gift is actually from the Devil and not God, but ultimately eggs on young J.C. to demonstrate with some sizable motivation from her bosom.
Funny is key to why the scene works and how it maintains a degree of wholesomeness despite the subject matter. The events unfolding are sensitive but never perverted and are only inciting incidents to earth-shattering (I know, sorry!) consequences.
Sister Evelyn (played deliciously by Mystica) getting jizzed on the face should be the highlight of the scene, but that distinction goes to the doppelganger reveal. This twist is the film’s boldest statement, heavily implying that evangelist and temptress, good and evil, can take on the same form. It’s no coincidence that the camp counselor’s name literally has Eve in it, and the boy is named ‘J.C.’ WWJCD. What would J.C. do, indeed. Unlike his namesake, J.C. gives in to the temptation, and he is rewarded with salvation.”
Bernard Santos, SFFR: “Kids on Fire is a satirical short film to the fullest and an entertaining ‘finding yourself’ film set in the world of teenage religious doubt and confusion. The ‘divine revelation’ scene is not only an adolescent’s sexual awakening for JC (Alexis Negrite) but also a revelation of the hypocrisy and immoral act of the religious group he belongs to. The film serves as an ode to the sexually innocent, pushing the idea that when a person’s curiosity is suppressed, they lose a sense of who they are. While JC is initially fearful that his newfound sexual freedom might send him to hell, it is in fact the people around him that pose the greatest threat to him. This ejaculation scene is pivotal and the turning point of the film about its sensitive subject: religion vs sex.”
Kyle Nieva, writer/director: “This scene was supposed to take place in a locker room, where J.C. and Brother Wally are the last ones to leave the shower stalls. We had to revise on set at the last minute due to logistical constraints, so we made J.C.’s perplexing discovery happen during bed time–when all eyes are closed. It is not unprecedented that religious figures engage in sexual activities–and sometimes abuse–even right in our places of worship. We hold many religious leaders in very high regard for the holiness and total devotion that they show us; however, behind closed doors, some have fallen short. It is this pretense and hypocrisy that we tried to touch on in this scene.”
Ending, Rabid: HM?
Mayk Alegre, SFFR: “Isa na marahil sa pinakanakakabalisa o nakakapraning na sintomas ng COVID-19 ay ang mawalan ng panlasa. Pero sa pelikulang Rabid, malasa at masarap sa mata ang pinakahuling kuwentong ‘HM?’ kung saan sentral sa naratibo ang sikretong sangkap. Bago ang mga huling sikwensya, naluluhang nagbahagi si Princess Mallari (Donna Cariaga) sa mga ka-online meeting kung ga’no kahirap ang kasalukuyang sitwasyon na parang hindi mo na alam minsan kung tama pa ba ‘yung ginagawa mo. ‘Nakakapagod din po.’ Totoo. Para kang masisiraan ng ulo at sobrang hirap maghanap ng trabaho sa Pilipinas lalo na no’ng dumami ang mga kompanyang nagsarado at nagbawas ng mga empleyado.
Nagsimula ang pinakanagmantsang mga eksena nang umabot sa puntong wala nang kontrol ang anak n’yang si Nico (Yñigo Delen) at hayok na hayok na nilalantakan lagi ang niluluto n’yang kare-kare dahil sa isang lihim na resipeng nakahalo rito. Malagim ang mga sumunod na nangyari nang sumugod na rin ang kapitbahay n’yang si Sam (Chrome Cosio) na maulol-ulol na sa paghihintay ng order nito hanggang sa mapuno na ng mga nagwawalang buhay na patay ang paligid ng bahay. Matingkad na nagsarado ang pelikula sa sunod-sunod na notifications sa laptop na natanggap na si Princess sa iba’t ibang kompanyang inaplayan n’ya habang unti-unti s’yang inuubos ng mga tao o nilalamon ng sistema na nagsilbing kulminasyon ng matalas na komentaryo ng direktor sa krisis sa pandemya, pinansya, at social media.”
Michiko Yamamoto, writer: “Production didn’t anticipate they would need so much menudo for that scene. (It was kare-kare on film but the director doesn’t eat kare-kare so he made them cook menudo instead.) After that scene, owner of the house got angry seeing his interior covered everywhere in brown sauce.”
Donato Rapido reenactment, Big Night!
Fred Hawson, SFFR: “This memorable scene came in about 15 minutes after the first hour of Jun Lana’s award-winning black comedy. Gay hairdresser Dharna needs to have his name removed from the drug watch list of their neighborhood within the night. Following a tip, Dharna and his boyfriend Zeus go to seek help from the chief of Area 8, who turn out to be famous movie action star Donato Rapido. Zeus is in sheer awe of Rapido’s glowing presence since the actor had been his idol since childhood. After they shake hands, twangy Western music starts playing, as Zeus and Rapido begin to reenact a hostage-taking scene from Rapido’s film Koboy Kilabot for which he won Best Actor at the Metro Manila Filmfest.
Donato Rapido, in his cowboy hat, plaid shirt and brown leather jacket, goes ‘Ka-pang, ka-pang!’ mimicking the pinging sound of bullets as he fires an imaginary pistol with his hands, as Zeus pretends to evade them. Zeus then takes Dharna in the crook of his arm, saying that he will kill damsel-in-distress Petula if Rapido does not surrender. As an incredulous Dharna utters a couple of half-hearted calls for help, Rapido calls out Petula’s name with an echoing effect for each syllable, while running in slow motion towards her. Zeus then begins to fire his pistol hand at Rapido, who feigns like he got hit, flails his arms around from the impact and falls down to the floor gasping, all still in slow motion.
The improvised playfulness between Arcilla (all self-absorbed with a star complex) and Antonio (wide-eyed in a star-struck fanboy moment) in this scene is probably the only moment of pure joy in this whole film. The scene may seem shallow, cornball and cheesy, but it is a lot of fun watching the deadpan pair of Arcilla and Antonio comically go through every over-the-top trope in classic Filipino action films in those two precious minutes. In stark contrast, this light-hearted moment would precede the darkest twist of the film which comes immediately after. And as a self-fulfilling prophesy, John Arcilla did win the Best Supporting Actor award in the last Metro Manila Filmfest.”
Jun Mendoza, SFFR: “Jun Lana’s latest offering takes a deep dive into the President’s ridiculous war on drugs and how its means of gathering intel has chilling effects to the ordinary Filipino shown through the eyes of Dharna (Christian Bables). In the final stretch of Dharna’s search for freedom from the watchlist, Dharna, accompanied by Zeus (Nico Antonio), encounters Donato (John Arcilla), a retired action star from the peak of Philippine action films, who happens to be Dharna’s last ‘chance’ for survival. And with Donato’s narcissism and Zeus being his #1 fan, we all know that a reenactment is bound to happen. And true enough it did.
This reenactment scene was peak comedic genius as it gave the ridiculousness of how those movies back then were written with the serious commitment in the delivery of Arcilla and Nico . Not to mention that the scene was made intentionally longer than others to capitalize on the absurdity of that situation. And the cherry on top is Dharna’s reaction and one-liner during all of that. Certainly one of the funniest scenes in Philippine Cinema in recent years.”
Nico Antonio, actor: “Noong ginagawa namin iyong eksena, sinabihan kami ni Direk Jun na gawing comical pero hindi OA na parang ‘corny’.
Habang eksena na, iniisip ko kasabay nang pag handshake ko kay Sir John (Arcilla), ‘paano ko ba ito gagawin?!’ Tapos, bumalik sa alaala ko iyong mga kontrabidang tulad nina Romy at Pacquito Diaz, Max Alvarado, Bomber Moran, at iba pa. Kaya noong bumitaw na ako ng linya, iniba ko na iyong boses ko na parang tunog kontrabida. Pero, iniisip ko rin na dapat, hindi ako marunong umarte (na sobrang hirap kapag aral ka na sa larangan ng pag-arte). Kaya noong binabaril na ako ni Sir John, inisip ko naman na mag-ala-Matrix kahit nasabihan ako na gumalaw kasi iyon iyong naging instinct ko eh.
Naririnig namin na tawa nang tawa sina Direk Jun. Masaya ako at nagustuhan niya iyong ginawa ko. Masaya rin sina Sir John at Christian. Panalo ”
Jun Lana, writer/director: “Former action star turned politician Donato Rapido (John Arcilla) is the embodiment of our nation’s penchant for voting celebrities into power, and the scene with Zeus (Nico Antonio,) probably his greatest fan, where they reenact his most iconic role, is how I best sum up the current state of Philippine politics: ridiculous, surreal and downright insane. Initially I wanted to shoot it in one single unbroken take, but technical virtuosity often calls attention to itself too much, so in the end I decided to keep the coverage simple to allow the madness of the scene just unfold and take hold completely. Comedy is about timing and teamwork. It’s not always easy to capture on film but with persistence you can get it done. Just the faux shootout sequence alone took 3 hours to finish. It was exhausting especially for the actors, but John, Christian and Nico were professionals through and through and collaborated with me with commitment and passion. I think it turned out way better than what was on the page.”
Astrodome Zumba, Kun Maupay Man It Panahon
Vinson Gabato, SFFR: “Kun Maupay Man It Panahon is a road trip of sorts wherein the characters encounter surreal situations: from Daniel Padilla’s encounter with a carabao to Rans Rifol’s character becoming a healer. But the trippiest is the Astrodome scene.
As we follow Charo Santos’s Norma after her initial search for her husband, blaring dance music plays. We see the landscape. Apparently, a Zumba session is held just hours after the tragedy. A tiring exercise after a tiring day. Is it a shot at the misguided and exhausting ‘Filipino resilience’? Or the priorities by the government (although it’s more obvious on latter scenes)? Or just a collective fever dream because of everything? The lion on the roof of the structure notches up the surrealness of the shot. (I remember the DLSU turtles when the campus gets flooded.) An unnecessary event which is completely plausible.”
Manuel Pangaruy, SFFR: “Maraming eksena sa Kun Maupay Man it Panahon na nagpapakita ng paranoia pero ‘yong eksena na lumingon si Norma (Charo Santos-Concio) sa astrodome at nag-umpisang mag-Zumba ang mga taong nasalanta ng bagyo ang pinakatumatak sa akin. Nakita mo rin ba ang leon sa itaas na bahagi na hindi mapakali? O, ang nakita mo ay ang isang performance na sa isang normal na pagkakataon ay sa loob ng Astrodome ginagawa? Ito na siguro ang pinaka-angkop pero mapanukat na depiction ng pagkakasadlak sa kawalan ng katiyakan. Hindi na ito pangitain ng pinapangarap nating mamalas kundi isang alinlangan na nakikita natin ang mga pangitaing madalas na sa panaginip lang nakakulong. Na madalas kesa hindi ay pangkaraniwang estado ng sinumang Pilipino na nilinlang ng unos: opresyon mula sa gobyerno, pagkabalisa sa pananalasa ng pag-itsa-puwera sa totoong kasaysayan, pagnakaw ng dignidad, mga Super Typhoon na wala tayong planong lubayan.”
Jérémie Dubois, co-writer: “What I remember is that we had a few additional animals and that the lion was walking through the crowd as it were.”
Carlo Francisco Manatad, co-writer/director: “The film was mainly shot all across Luzon, but there was a location that I felt was non-negotiable, the Tacloban Astrodome. I could vividly remember the thousand people who stormed the area to get a glimpse of the production.
The Zumba scene was practically the hardest to mount, not just in terms of scale and scope but also on an emotional level. Imagine having bit players play the roles they have experienced in real life, making them perform and dance in a way that maybe some of them don’t even understand why they were doing it. I would try as much to explain why we were doing the scene. I could see lots of confused faces. But every time I looked back at them, their looks would shift from confused to looking serious, and reassuring me that they are more than willing to be part of the film and tell their story. It ended up with everyone having a good time and dancing even though the shooting was already done. Ma’am Charo even kept her promise of dancing in front of the Taclobanons after the shoot!
Regarding the Zumba song: I remember when I was in high school, that song (‘Tahong ni Karla’) was very popular. I wanted to include the track in the film, for pop culture reference and personal reasons din. We were trying to find the artist that produced the track para cleared kami with all the rights to all the songs used. We only got in touch with the wife: apparently the artist died during Yolanda.”
The massacre, On the Job: The Missing 8
Jay Lacanilao, SFFR: “The massacre scene in The Missing 8 probably hits differently to Filipinos compared to foreigners who have seen it. For foreigners, it might be incredibly brutal, and it is, but for Filipinos, it might be too familiar and hits too close to home that its horrifying effect is no longer that bleak. But that is the horror in itself. The fact that we are desensitized by these heinous crimes we see in cinema is very telling of our current state that goes beyond art. It’s our reality.
More than that, it’s one of the best scenes of last year because of Erik Matti’s penchant for extreme brutality incorporated with flashy style. Matti did not hold back in showing this massacre as he should when this has happened in real life by people who also did not hold back. What sets Matti apart from these murderers is that he still has soul. By including family members of the murderers’ target, Arnel Pangan (Christopher de Leon), he emphasized the mercilessness of this massacre and that it could happen to anyone innocent–including his viewers. And for them to be unceremoniously buried just adds up to the revulsion. This scene is also the turning point for The Missing 8‘s lead Sisoy (John Arcilla) to turn against his own corrupt self, which shows how institutions only exist for their own gain.”
Chuck Gutierrez, actor: “The massacre scene was shot last March 2020. We badly needed to finish the scene because of the rumors of a lockdown due to the pandemic. We spent the whole night with Christopher de Leon and the rest of the Missing 8 inside that small car. Despite the very tough scenes, everything went smoothly. The entire cast wanted to have our picture taken for posterity only to find out that Christopher had to leave the as soon as we wrapped. The next day, we were informed that Christopher was positive for Covid-19 and the lockdown officially started in the country. The Missing 8 literally went missing since we needed to be quarantined.”
Scene of the Year: Ending, Kun Maupay Man It Panahon
Den Lebantino, SFFR: “The last five minutes of Kun Maupay Man It Panahon brings a confluence of emotional experience, evoked by a montage depicting catharsis and uncertainties. For Norma (Charo Santos), saying goodbye to her husband is the closure she needs, a goal defining her journey through the typhoon-ravaged Tacloban. Manatad is keen on his character’s psyche which allows for a deeper understanding of resilience and its motivation. Asin’s ‘Himig ng Pag-ibig’ accompanying the final shots reflects Norma’s cathartic moment on the elevated rock, the fireworks adorning the sky behind her.
Andrea (Rans Rifol) reaches her own bliss. She sings before the people who enthroned her. By her bliss and Norma’s relief, Manatad pulls off the kind of culmination that is quite sublime—the weight put on what these characters gain in the face of a tragedy rather than what they lose—not an attempt to romanticize hope but to present survival as allegorical: a phenomenon that transcends reality, a virtue that can stand the wounds of the flesh, a path traversed by a suffering soul reaching its destination.
But Manatad grounds us back to the truth. We see Miguel (Daniel Padilla) in the final frame, perturbed as he waits for his mother Norma. He stands at a ship’s entrance, uncertain of how this ends for him. In the absence of the song’s words expressing the joys of a fulfilled longing, Miguel disappears from the screen. Manatad leaves us with a question unanswered—a tragedy lingering through the tentativeness of a resolution.”
Leo Baltar, SFFR: “The ending sequence of Kun Maupay Man It Panahon is where director Carlo Francisco Manatad elevates the absurdity of the film’s premise, maximizing every material at his disposal. Once trying to navigate the unease of their predicament, the three characters now surrender to the air of hopelessness as they part ways. Like everything else, logic seems immaterial at this point.
We observe Andrea (Rans Rifol) singing before a crowd of people who all seem like they’ve already found a new home in this broken ship of a town, making do with what is left in the rubble. As Asin’s ‘Himig ng Pag-ibig’ permeates the atmosphere, everything morphs into a different energy, like in a concert of some sort. We see the crowd, engulfed in bright lights, wave their hands in the air.
Then, it all skews towards spectacle, as we witness Norma (Charo Santos-Concio) dance her miseries away amid fireworks shining through a looming storm. Is she out of her mind? We can never tell. Left on his own in the town’s port, Miguel (Daniel Padilla), meanwhile, awaits the two women in his life, as the survivors rush and stumble to their feet to step aboard the ship sailing to Manila. Miguel says nothing, because what is there left to say? Somehow, it’s enough to observe all the emotions take shape in his eyes, haunting us even after the screen fades to black.
One might say that this final sequence pokes fun at the survivors of the typhoon, but this narrative unit captures this sentiment best: survivors of any crisis have their own ways of confronting their traumas, no matter how eccentric they may look. After all futile attempts to make sense of a tragic situation, is it really that offensive for them to escape even just for a while, especially when relief feels like a distant tomorrow?”
Carlo Francisco Manatad, co-writer/director: “The ending was very clear in my head, three independent shots with their own ‘endings’. But we only thought of the ending track/music when we were doing post. It was supposed to be scored by Andrew Florentino (composer). But during one of our previews, Benjo Ferrer (editor) placed the Asin track over the ending sequence, and right then and there, we knew we wanted to get the rights to the music. It just felt right. We shot the ending shot of Daniel as the last shot of the whole production.”
Kun Maupay Man It Panahon, a moving absurdist drama set in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan (locally named Yolanda) and starring Charo Santos-Concio and Daniel Padilla, is named Best Film in the 2nd Pinoy Rebyu Awards, handed out by the Society of Filipino Film Reviewers. In its citation of the film, SFFR recognized its “effective depiction of the collective trauma of disaster survivors as seen through the eyes of three protagonists navigating a labyrinth of state inefficiency, mass hysteria, and magic.”
Charo Santos-Concio, Daniel Padilla, and Rans Rifol in a scene from Kun Maupay Man It Panahon
The film, directed by debuting director Carlo Francisco Manatad, also garnered five other awards: Best First Feature (Manatad), Best Editing (Benjo Ferrer), Best Cinematography (Teck Siang Lim), Best Production Design (Whammy Alcazaren), and Best Film Score (Andrew Florentino).
Kun Maupay Man It Panahon premiered in the Metro Manila Film Festival 2021 and is currently streaming in KTX, iWant, Upstream, FDCP Channel and WeTV, until March 6.
The other major awards were given to On the Job 2: The Missing 8, which won for Best Director (Erik Matti), Best Screenplay (Matti and Michiko Yamamoto), Best Lead Performance (John Arcilla), and Best Ensemble for its main cast.
Matti was recognized for “his masterful orchestration of technical and artistic elements of a film that grippingly depicts widespread political manipulation of media and the police”, while Arcilla was cited for his layered performance as a radio announcer whose initially unquestioned beliefs have taken a different turn”. The film is currently screening as a miniseries in HBO Go.
Theater veteran Jay Valencia Glorioso wins Best Supporting Performance for her captivating turn as a mysterious, sinister woman seeking shelter amidst the pandemic in another Matti-directed film, Rabid.
Last Days at Sea, about a filmmaker’s friendship with a boy in a gentle seaside community, was adjudged Best Documentary Feature.
Kids on Fire, Kyle Nieva’s entertaining satire on religious hypocrisy starring Mystica, was named Best Live Action Short Film, while Mga Ulap Tayong Nagiging Ulan, Demetrio Celestino’s uplifting short combining stop-motion and illustration about embracing grief, was deemed the Best Animated Short Film. River of Tears and Rage, Maricon Montajes’ heart-rending document of the burial of the baby River Nasino, was recognized as Best Documentary Short Film.
SFFR earlier released its list of 5 Best International Feature Films of 2021: Drive My Car, The Power of the Dog, Promising Young Woman, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, and The Worst Person in the World.
The Society of Filipino Film Reviewers is composed of 38 active reviewers of Philippine cinema. Because of challenges brought about by the Covid-19 virus, there will be no physical awarding ceremonies this year. Trophies will be delivered to winners.
The full list of nominees and winners can be found below:
Best Film
Big Night! Historya ni Ha *Kun Maupay Man It Panahon Last Days at Sea On the Job 2: The Missing 8
Best Director
Venice Atienza, Last Days at Sea Lav Diaz, Historya ni Ha Jun Robles Lana, Big Night! Carlo Francisco Manatad, Kun Maupay Man It Panahon *Erik Matti, On the Job 2: The Missing 8
Best Screenplay
Big Night! (Jun Robles Lana) Historya ni Ha (Lav Diaz) Kids on Fire (Kyle Nieva) Kun Maupay Man It Panahon (Giancarlo Abrahan, Jérémie Dubois, Carlo Francisco Manatad) *On the Job 2: The Missing 8 (Erik Matti and Michiko Yamamoto)
Best Lead Performance
*John Arcilla, On the Job 2: The Missing 8 Christian Bables, Big Night! John Lloyd Cruz, Historya ni Ha Kim Molina, Ikaw at Ako at ang Ending Mae Paner, Tao Po Charo Santos-Concio, Kun Maupay Man It Panahon
John Arcilla in a scene from the political thriller On the Job 2: The Missing 8
Best Supporting Performance
Angie Castrence, Gameboys: The Movie Dolly de Leon, Historya ni Ha Lotlot de Leon, On the Job 2: The Missing 8 *Jay Valencia Glorioso, Rabid Mystica, Kids on Fire Rans Rifol, Kun Maupay Man It Panahon
Jay Valencia Glorioso in a scene from the horror film Rabid
Best Ensemble Performance
Big Night! Gameboys: The Movie Historya ni Ha Kun Maupay Man It Panahon *On the Job 2: The Missing 8
Best Film Editing
Big Night! (Benjamin Tolentino) It’s Raining Frogs Outside (Maria Estela Paiso) *Kun Maupay Man It Panahon (Benjo Ferrer) On the Job 2: The Missing 8 (Jay Halili) Random People (Caleb Maglunob)
Best Cinematography
Arisaka (Mycko David) Filipiñana (Xenia Patricia) *Kun Maupay Man It Panahon (Teck Siang Lim) Last Days at Sea (Moshe Ladanga and Venice Atienza) On the Job 2: The Missing 8 (Neil Bion)
Best Production Design
Big Night! (Marxie Maolen Fadul) Death of Nintendo (Whammy Alcazaren and Thesa Tang) Kids on Fire (Alvin Francisco) *Kun Maupay Man It Panahon (Whammy Alcazaren) On the Job 2: The Missing 8 (Roma Regala) Rabid (Shiel Marie Calde)
Best Film Score
Big Night (Teresa Barrozo) How to Die Young in Manila (Alyana Cabral) Kids on Fire (Len Calvo) *Kun Maupay Man It Panahon (Andrew Florentino) On the Job 2: The Missing 8 (Malek Lopez, Arvin Nogueras, Erwin Romulo)
Best Documentary Feature
*Last Days at Sea Tao Po A Will to Dream
A scene from the documentary Last Days at Sea
Best First Feature
*Kun Maupay Man It Panahon (Carlo Francisco Manatad) Last Days at Sea (Venice Atienza) My Amanda (Alessandra de Rossi) Tao Po (Mae Paner) A Will to Dream (Patrick Alcedo)
Best Live Action Short Film
Alingasngas ng mga Kuliglig Black Rainbow Filipiñana *Kids on Fire Maski Papano Sa Balay ni Papang
A scene from the short film Kids on Fire
Best Animated Short Film
Ang Amomonggo sa Aton Blue Is Not My Favorite Color Flush Maris *Mga Ulap Tayong Nagiging Ulan My Mamily
Still from the animated short film Mga Ulap Tayong Nagiging Ulan
Best Documentary Short Film
Lingkis Panambi Random People The Right to Life *River of Tears and Rage To Pick a Flower
Still from the short documentary River of Tears and Rage
Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, local cinema still struggles to stay afloat. Since the virus ravaged the Philippines, cinema-based activities have been halted, and theaters only began operating again with limited capacity in November last year. Film productions were also postponed in early 2020, forcing major studios and companies to lay off over 300,000 industry workers. So it is no surprise to witness a drastic decline in the number and quality of films produced amid the rapidly changing health crisis.
Fortunately, film festivals continue to provide Filipino creatives not just a space for their art but much-needed jobs as well, while a new Omicron variant looms over the country. In fact, new spaces for cinema have been born during the pandemic, such as the Sine Halaga Film Festival, despite the fluctuating audience numbers.
This month, the local industry finds another space in Sinepiyu, the flagship film festival of the Far Eastern University (FEU), dedicated to nurturing young, promising talents. “[It’s] more of celebrating different films from different regions,” Patrick Pangan, Sinepiyu 14’s festival director, told SFFR when asked how the festival was curated.
Now in its 14th year, Sinepiyu boasts 30 competition films out of over 70 submissions. The entries are scattered in two categories: All Tamaraws, an exclusive division for student filmmakers of FEU-Manila, and Interschool, divided into three genres namely Narrative, Documentary, and Experimental, which caters to all aspirants from various academic institutions across the country.
Pangan said that content remains the primary basis in determining what films are included in the official roster. Members of the selection committee also prefer a deliberation and ranking format than a point system.
But Pangan clarified that if a film were submitted by a regional filmmaker, it doesn’t mean that it would be automatically selected. “It really undergoes deliberation pa rin naman,” he added.
As its theme “Layag sa Agos ng Kwento” reflects, Sinepiyu still navigates the industry’s changing landscape amid the pandemic, with all its ebbs and flows.
Beyond ‘Zoom cinema’
Filmmaker and FEU film instructor Nico Hernandez, who helped develop and screen the entries for the All Tamaraws category alongside his colleague Jet Leyco, admitted that it is difficult to produce a film during these precarious times. “Talagang mahirap din para sa mga bata.”
But Hernandez said the good thing about this season of Sinepiyu is that the students were also given the opportunity to film outside their homes and not solely resort to Zoom recordings. “Ngayon talagang nakita mo ‘yung fire ng mga bata na lumabas to film, to shoot kasi mayroon na silang opportunities to do that kasi kahit papaano nag-relax talaga ‘yung mga protocols,” he added.
Pangan aired the same sentiment. “If we say kasi na if nakaapekto ang pandemic diba parang ang lalabas mostly na mga pelikula ay like ‘yung nag-emerge nga during the pandemic is ‘yung ‘Zoom cinema’ na tinatawag natin or through online platforms. But then, di naman ganun ‘yung nangyari. Marami pa ring nag-physicalize ng mga films nila talaga or nag-onsite ng pagshu-shoot,” he noted.
At least until May 15, Metro Manila and various areas in the country will remain under Alert Level 1 status, which allows production and filming activities as long as health protocols are followed.
In terms of quality, Hernandez said that, at least for All Tamaraws, the films are technically very strong. “‘Yung visual language na ginamit nila is very engaging to the eye, very attractive to the eye. But I think more than the form, I think it’s the richness of the stories that really helped kasi sometimes may mga form din naman na not too mainstream ‘yung look, but when you look at the story, talagang mas powerful siya over the others.”
Behind the scenes of Mundong Walang Katiyakan, a film shot amid the pandemic. Photo from Vahn Pascual
Meanwhile, Vahn Pascual, one of the participating filmmakers under the Interschool division, said that filming his entry Mundong Walang Katiyakan served as his coping mechanism at the height of the pandemic.
“Kasi nag-o-overthink ako nung nasa gitna pa ng pandemic na bilang isang miyembro ng LGBTQIA+ community parang paano ‘yung magiging future ko pagtanda tapos dito pa sa lipunan natin na di naman gaano ka-open sa community ko,” Pascual told SFFR.
This is why Sinepiyu, alongside other film festivals, is important for young talents like Pascual, as it offers them a place in the industry. “Dito sa film festival na ‘to, mas napapalawak din ‘yung culture nating mga Pilipino katulad nung mga nasa regions nga kasi mas maraming taong nakakanood lalo na’t available din siya sa online, so mas accessible siya sa mga tao,” he added.
‘Mainstreaming regional cinema’
Like most film festivals in the pandemic, Sinepiyu is held in a hybrid format through online streaming via the FDCP Channel and in-person screenings in Cinematheque Centre Manila, with curated film programs that target a particular audience’s tastes. The film showings are also free of charge, whether one decides to participate in the physical moviegoing experience or settle for the smaller screen.
However, one cannot deny that the screening and discussion spaces largely remain Manila-centric, especially for a festival which aims “to mainstream Philippine regional cinema.” This barrier is exacerbated by the country’s unreliable internet services and geographical restrictions as felt squarely by viewers residing in the provinces.
While acknowledging this issue of accessibility, Hernandez also pointed out the very availability of regional works that Sinepiyu hopes to highlight. “Most of the time, makikita mo na kung sino ‘yung mga nasa center ng lipunan, sila ‘yung nakakapag-produce ng pelikula and hindi natin nabibigyan ng opportunity ‘yung mga tao from the regions,” he stressed.
Pangan, meanwhile, cannot sideline the fact that the institutions to which the filmmakers belong are still a huge factor in the selection process. “Siyempre, majority pa din ‘yung [mula sa] Benilde, UP Diliman, [at] Mapua.”
This reality poses many questions: Are screening spaces really as inclusive as they are claimed to be? Do cultural conversations online reach those in the peripheries? How important is cinema in this time of abject precarity?
But this shortcoming does not solely fall on the shoulders of the festival organizers, because after all, “It takes a village when it comes to working in this kind of event,” as Pangan remarked.
One can only hope that, as it wades through the pandemic’s uncharted waters, Sinepiyu will carry on and not go off course.
Sinepiyu 14 ran from May 2-7, 2022. The Society of Filipino Film Reviewers is one of its media partners.
With the movement and flow of the global health crisis gripping the country, Sinepiyu navigates the social currents and plugs in the life support for film industry. Short film is a good start for aspiring filmmakers to exhibit their creativity.
Now in its 14th year, Sinepiyu is Far Eastern University’s film festival that has maintained a benchmark of credibility as a university-based film competition, offering two divisions – All Tamaraws, and Interschool, which has three categories, namely Narrative, Documentary, and Experimental.
For this year, all the short films were streamed on the FDCP Channel. The festival had a lot to offer in terms of genre: coming of age, social commentary, family drama, comedy, science fiction, and experimental. Watching these short films makes us realize that the fire is still alive for students to showcase their creativity and tell their own story through cinema.
As a follower of university-based short film festivals, I can see that there is progress in terms of the diversity of stories that the filmmakers are telling, as well as in the technical aspects of the film like editing and cinematography.
The following are some of the notable Sinepiyu films that I was able to catch:
“Ilo” by Serafin Emmanuel Catangay is a scifi short film that showcases the art of driving the audience to imagination through stunning effects integrated with the heart of the story: the love of a father for his son and for the community.
“Bulawan” by Jermaine Tulbo shines with its simple yet powerful message on poverty and capitalism. The film holds you from start to finish and despite its shocking premises, it’s a good short film that deserves a watch, primarily for its good take on depicting two characters conflicting emotions.
“Lilibeth” has a sensitive subject matter, but director Shai Colanse tells it in a uniquely witty manner. You can hear the voice of the youth in this film, which leaves quite a mark with its strong social commentary.
“Pempem at ang Bomba Magazine” by Migs Ruallo is an audience pleaser that everyone can relate to. It’s a feel-good coming-of-age film that captures the feelings of curious young girls on the brink of adulthood.
“Ang Amomonggo Sa Aton” by VinJo Entuna stands out from the pack with its unique style of storytelling. The visuals, treatment and beat of the film are fresh, innovative, and progressive. It also gives us an interesting subject matter to think of in the form of a creature that is said to be the culprit behind the series of killings in a community.
Finally, “Top Fans” by Vien Dimaculangan is a very timely political satire and social commentary that has its fair share of laughs. It somehow summarizes what has been happening on social media during the campaign period and in so doing admirably serves its purpose of stirring its audience to reflect on the events surrounding us.
Despite the added challenges in filmmaking today, it’s good to know that we can still hear the voice of Pinoy cinema’s future visionaries in these university-based festivals. Fueled by artistic expression and limited only by its runtime, short films will continue to flow as an important part of storytelling and culture.
A decade since its inception, QCinema International Film Festival is marking the feat with a loaded lineup for this year’s edition, boasting a total of 58 films, scattered across eight sections of full-length films and three shorts programs.
Cleverly called “in10city,” the festival will run from Nov. 17 to 26 via a hybrid setup. All films will be physically screened at Gateway, SM North EDSA, Trinoma, Cinema 76, and Power Plant in Makati. The theatrical screenings are priced at P300 per film.
Meanwhile, the online screenings via VivaMax will be limited to the three shorts programs – QCShorts 2022, QCShorts 2021, and RainbowQC Shorts – beginning on Nov. 21. Streaming prices are P299 per program.
“Ngayon medyo post-pandemic na kaya medyo revenge festival-watching tayo,” said QCinema festival director Ed Lejano at a press conference on Thursday, Nov. 3. “We’ve returned all our sections and introduced new sections for those who have followed QCinema all these years and also for the new followers.”
Opening and closing films
“Triangle of Sadness” poster designed by Justin Besana (courtesy of QCinema).
Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or-winning class satire “Triangle of Sadness” is set to open QCinema 2022. The film stars Filipino actress Dolly de Leon, whose performance has been actively campaigned for a historic Oscar nomination. It will be screened through an invitation.
Another Filipino talent will be featured in Mihai Mincan’s “To The North,” the festival’s closing film. The Venice Film Festival entry stars Soliman Cruz.
Competition sections
Of the 11 categories, two are competition sections: Asian Next Wave and QCShorts.
Asian Next Wave, QCinema’s main competition introduces new works from the Southeast and East Asian regions, centering on emerging filmmakers with less than three features.
Still from “Plan 75” (courtesy of QCinema).
The roster includes He Shuming’s debut film “Ajoomma,” which is Singapore’s entry for the 95th Academy Awards’ Best International Feature Film category. Another Oscar entry in Chie Hayakawa’s sci-fi drama “Plan 75” also makes the cut. A Cannes Golden Special Mention winner, the film is led by Filipino actress Stefanie Arianne.
Cambodian-French director Davy Chou’s “Return To Seoul,” an entry to the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, is also in competition. It is Cambodia’s submission to the Oscars’ Best International Feature Film category.
Also part of the lineup are Thai filmmaker Sorayos Prapapan’s debut feature “Arnold is a Model Student,” which premiered in Locarno’s Cineasti del presente section, and Indonesian director Makbul Mubarak’s FIPRESCI Prize winner “Autobiography.”
Still from “Elehiya” (courtesy of QCinema).
Completing the Asian Next Wave section are two Filipino titles: Anna Isabelle Matutina’s Cinemalaya 2022 NETPAC winner “12 Weeks,” starring Max Eigenmann who also took home the festival’s Best Actress award, and Loy Arcenas’s “Elehiya,” starring the late and legendary Filipina actress Cherie Gil.
The QC Shorts section, another competition category, premieres six short film production grantees, which were selected out of around 160 entries. The filmmakers received P350,000 to produce their respective works.
The selection includes Jaime Morados’s “Ang Pagliligtas sa Dalagang Bukid,” Whammy Alcazaren’s “Bold Eagle,” Glenn Barit’s “Luzonensis mula 7 hanggang 9,” Rocky De Guzman Morilla’s “Mga Tigre ng Infanta,” Austin Tan’s “Ngatta Naddaki y Nuang? (Why did the Carabao cross the Carayan?),” and JT Trinidad’s “Sa Ilog na Hindi Nagtatapos.”
“Sa Ilog na Hindi Nagtatapos” poster (courtesy of QCinema).
Members of the selection committee include Lejano, QCinema monitoring head Kristine Kintana, producer Armi Cacanindin, filmmaker-editor Carlo Francisco Manatad, film critic Jason Tan Liwag, and writer-director Pam Miras.
Exhibition sections
Meanwhile, the exhibition sections feature nine categories: Screen International, New Horizons, RainbowQC, RainbowQC Shorts, Special Screenings, Midnight Series, Digitally Restored Classics, Advance Screenings, and Asian Shorts Program.
Screen International is a special curation highlighting distinctive works of internationally-acclaimed directors.
“EO” poster designed by Aneta Filip Gębscy (courtesy of QCinema).
The roster boasts David Cronenberg’s body horror masterwork “Crimes of the Future,” an entry to Cannes’ main competition and Jerzy Skolimowski’s Cannes Jury Prize winner “EO,” starring Isabelle Huppert. “EO” is Poland’s submission to the Oscars.
Also part of the selection are arthouse director Hong Sang-soo’s “Walk Up” and Costa Rican filmmaker Valentina Maurel’s “I Have Electric Dreams,” which garnered multiple recognitions in Locarno, including Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Actor awards.
Ali Abbasi’s third feature film “Holy Spider,” a Palme d’Or selection at Cannes this year, also makes its Philippine premiere. The film earned the festival’s Best Actress award for Zar Amir Ebrahimi and was picked as Denmark’s submission to the 95th Academy Awards.
Two Cannes entries complete the Screen International selection: Austrian director Marie Kreutzer’s “Corsage” and Lukas Dhont’s “Close,” which was named as the Belgian submission to the Oscars’ Best International Feature Film category.
For the New Horizons section, QCinema features five films, including Alice Diop’s Venice Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize winner and French Oscar entry “Saint Omer,” Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner and Bolivian Oscar entry “Utama,” and July Jung’s “Next Sohee,” the closing film of Cannes Critic’s Week.
Still from “Utama” (courtesy of QCinema).
Two German works are also in the lineup: Sophie Linnenbaum’s “The Ordinaries” and Anne Oren’s “Piaffe,” which won Locarno’s Junior Jury International Award.
The RainbowQC section presents a notable mix of LGBTQ-themed international and local titles.
Saim Sadiq’s Cannes Un Certain Regard Jury Prize and Queer Palm winner “Joyland” headlines the section. It is the first Pakistani film to debut in Cannes and also the country’s submission to the Oscars’ Best International Feature Film category.
Kasho Iizuka’s “Angry Son,” which won the Grand Prix Award in the Osaka Asian Film Festival, is also a RainbowQC selection.
Still from “Angry Son” (courtesy of QCinema).
Also part of the category are Mark Slutsky and Sarah Watts’s “You Can Live Forever,” Alain Guiraudie’s 2013 Cannes Un Certain Regard Best Director Award winner “Stranger By The Lake,” Céline Sciamma’s Cannes Queer Palm and Best Screenplay winner “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” Samantha Lee’s “Billie and Emma,” a grantee of QCinema’s 2018 Circle competition, and Catherine Corsini’s 2021 Queer Palm winner “The Divide.”
The RainbowQC Shorts program, meanwhile, showcases the following: Trishtan Perez’s QCShorts 2021 Best Picture “I get so sad sometimes,” Norvin delos Santos’s “Isang Daa’t Isang Mariposa,” Vahn Leinard Pascual’s “Alingasngas ng mga Kuliglig,” Gabriela Serrano’s “Dikit,” and Petersen Vargas’s “How to Die Young in Manila.”
The Special Screenings section is also set to premiere four much-awaited titles, such as
Janchivdorj Sengedorj’s “The Sales Girl,” Kōji Fukada’s Venice Golden Lion winner “Love Life,” Fyzal Boulifa’s “The Damned Don’t Cry,” and Filipino auteur Lav Diaz’s “Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon (When The Waves Are Gone).”
Still from “Nocebo” (courtesy of QCinema).
Also making for an exciting watch is the Midnight Series section. It features Lorcan Finnegan’s “Nocebo,” starring Filipina actress Chai Fonacier, Michelle Garza Cervera’s Spanish supernatural thriller “Huesera,” which took home the Best New Narrative Director award in Tribeca, and Ana Lily Amirpour’s cult sensation “Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon,” led by Kate Hudson and Jun Jong-seo.
Among the exhibition sections, the Digitally Restored Classics category has earned the most buzz online. It screens newly restored versions of widely celebrated directors: Mike de Leon’s 1976 directorial debut “Itim (The Rites of May)” and Wong Kar-wai’s romantic masterpiece “In the Mood for Love.” De Leon’s “Kisapmata” was originally part of the section, but it was recently pulled out by the director.
Still from “In the Mood for Love” (courtesy of QCinema).
This year, QCinema is also introducing a new section, Advance Screenings. It is a first-look section on films that will later have separate releases in the Philippines. It includes Santiago Mitre’s 2022 Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner “Nanny” and Venice FIPRESCI Prize winner “Argentina, 1985,” which is also Argentina’s submission to the Oscars. Both films will later be available on Amazon Prime Video.
In collaboration with Warner Brothers Philippines, Maria Schrader’s “She Said” and Luca Guadagnino’s “Bones and All” will also make their appearance at the festival. “Bones and All,” top-billed by Timothée Chalamet, bagged the Venice Silver Lion for Best Direction.
Finally, the Asian Shorts program is also making a comeback. The selected films are M. Reza Fahriyansyah’s “Dancing Colors,” Zou Jing’s “Lili Alone,” Deepak Rauniyar’s “Four Nights,” Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan’s Sundance 2022 Short Film Grand Jury Prize winner “The Headhunter’s Daughter,” Story Chen’s Cannes 2022 Palme d’Or Best Short Film winner “The Water Murmurs,” and Timmy Harn’s “Papaya.”
In one scene of Davy Chou’s restless drama “Return to Seoul,” its protagonist Freddie (played to perfection by Ji-Min Park), sits at a bar, drunk, with her new friend Tena (Guka Han) and a guy she recently hooked up with. Everyone else in the establishment is quietly eating or having a peaceful conversation. Freddie asks her friend to write a text message in Korean, swearing at her own estranged father. Of course, her friend declined. Frustrated, she leaves the two at their table, flirts with the house DJ right in front of her other fling, so she can request a song and dance to it all alone. This would probably be the best scene that perfectly captures Davy Chou’s occasionally awkward but undeniably absorbing coming-of-age drama about a 25-year-old French adoptee, who goes to South Korea to find her biological family.
Freddie, in an unexpected turn of events, ends up in South Korea, where she decides to spend two weeks of her break. She ends up with a sudden urge to find her parents, leading her to new and unexpected directions, thanks to her insanely unpredictable personality, which is perfectly described in the scene I mentioned earlier. She’s fiery and aggressive. She doesn’t give a f*ck about everybody else. Furthermore, she brings heartache to the people she touches. And she never looks back. She’s chaos walking.
And this is one of the two things that makes this coming-of-age drama so hard to let go. It’s reminiscent of Pablo Larraín’s palpable 2019 drama “Ema.” Much like the protagonist in the aforementioned film, Freddie feels like a destructive and unstoppable force who, once she sets her eyes on something, never lets go. She breaks people’s hearts like her father, her South Korean fling, and her boyfriend Maxime (Yoann Zimmer). And she doesn’t even feel sorry for them. Yet as a viewer, I find it so hard not to look away from her – the same exact feeling that her new friend Tena felt the first time she laid eyes on this mysterious newcomer.
The second part of what makes this film click is its fish out of water tale about a protagonist, who basically looks like a native Korean (she was even described as having ancient Korean traits) but can’t barely speak nor understand the language. Everything has to be translated for her by her friend Tena. Here, the language barrier and cultural differences between her and the people around her plays a significant role in depicting how we see things as outsiders.
Freddie basically represents us – the audience – and we feel the exact sense of disbelief whenever she would come across something that’s wildly unnatural for her, but is actually a pretty common thing in South Korea. From what seems to be an innocent tradition of pouring soju (rice wine) for your friends, to how parents would try to fix their children’s marriages, we share the same feeling of amazement and disbelief as with Freddie.
It all works, thanks to an incredible performance by its lead star Ji-Min Park. On top of it, it boasts a pretty strong cast which includes Oh Kwang-rok as Freddie’s biological father, Guka Han as Tena, a hotel worker who becomes her friend and translator, and frequent K-drama actress Kim Sun-young who provides most of the film’s lighter moments as Freddie’s biological aunt.
Admittedly, the film’s strongest part is its first half, because the film suffers a sudden shift in pacing during its second half, which includes up to three time jumps. Despite this, the film delivers a pretty satisfying finish, making the entire ordeal worth it.
“Whatever you and I got, it’s got to be fed,” Mark Rylance’s Sully tells a young cannibal played by Taylor Russell in this 1980s-set road movie from Luca Guadagnino – an adaptation of the 2015 novel of the same name by Camille DeAngelis.
In the film, Russell plays Maren Yearly, a teenage girl who lives with her father, Frank (played by André Holland) in Virginia. Early in the film, we see her being invited to probably her first night out with girls of her age from their school. But as she lies next to her new-found friend, something feels off with Maren. After an incident that night, she and her father are forced to pack their things and travel to Maryland to hide from the authorities. But one day, she finds herself all alone – her father has left her, leaving only a cassette-recorded message explaining how she has inherited her “urges” from her missing mother. From here, she embarks on a road trip across different states to track her mother down, meeting other similar “eaters” like her, including Sully (Rylance) and a hobo named Lee (Timothée Chalamet).
Penned by David Kajganich (who also did the writing for Guadagnino’s 2018 “Suspiria” remake), this genre-busting road movie mixes coming-of-age with romance and horror to mixed results. It works best as a coming-of-age tale of a girl discovering her identity as she looks for her mother, who may have shared the same condition. Here, Russell shines with a mostly restrained performance as the young Maren, who, at first, is still in denial of her true nature. She gets a bit of a lesson from a veteran cannibal drifter she met on her way, Sully, who teaches her how to use her smell to distinguish others like her.
Still from “Bones and All”
The highlight of the film is, of course, her romance with Timothée Chalamet’s Lee, whom she meets after arriving in Indiana. She first encounters her inside a grocery store, and later tracks him down just after feeding off a man he had an altercation with earlier. Unlike Sully who is more cautious when feeding off his victims, Lee is careless. He comes out of an abandoned building where he had just killed his prey, his bare chest covered in blood. He didn’t even bother wiping it off as he drove with her away. Chalamet looks perfect for the part, with his curly, copper hair, baggy eyes and scrawny body. Sadly, he doesn’t share any chemistry at all with his co-star, Russell.
Despite being partly a romance film, there’s clearly a lack of emotional engagement between the two characters and the audience. I couldn’t feel any spark between them, which may be the reason why its romance aspect failed for me. On top of this, the film’s pacing feels similar to the chapters of a novel. Its most rewarding moments come off episodically. I couldn’t pinpoint if it’s the writing, the direction, or the editing, but the way the scenes unravel feels like turning one page of a book after another. It leaves a fleeting feeling, as if you’re waiting for the next big moment to happen after the next page.
The film does have its brilliant moments, one of which includes a very short but humorous scene of Maren and Lee talking about their “firsts.” It’s also a visual feast, featuring picturesque spots from all over the United States’ countryside blanketed in moody, autumn tones. It’s admittedly well-made, with brilliant performances from its stars. And of course, fans of Guadagnino and Chalamet would easily devour this latest collaboration. But sadly, it’ll leave viewers still feeling hungry as it ultimately fails to fulfill its promise, bones and all.
Daddy issues, Western dreams, nostalgic memories and environmental advocacies abound in this year’s roster of short film entries for the QCShorts competition. It’s a mixed bag of films, but all of them tackle the complexities of Filipino society and culture, in their own weird, little ways. Film festival veterans Glenn Barit (“Cleaners”) Whammy Alcazaren (“Never Tear Us Apart”) are joined by a new breed of young blood, namely Jaime Morados, Rocky De Guzman Morilla, Austin Tan, and JT Trinidad.
‘Luzonensis Osteoporosis’ (dir. Glenn Barit)
★★★½
Leave it to Glenn Barit to make one of this roster’s weirdest yet highly entertaining short, a sci-fi tale about a prehistoric hominid who is about to leave overseas to be a migrant worker. Just a few hours before his scheduled departure, Luzonensis discovers that his passport is missing. Together with his father, the two retrace their path to find it. He ponders on who he is and his place in this country as their backs ache along the way.
Barit’s “Luzonensis Osteoporosis” is a great way to kick off this compilation, with its rich symbolism on the plight of the Filipino worker. Inspired by the Homo luzonensis, the first recorded Filipino whose remains were found in 2007 in Callao Cave in Northern Luzon, this playful sci-fi short effectively touches on many of our countrymen’s desire of finding a greener pasture abroad, with Luzonensis heading for Canada, following his father’s footsteps — also an OFW in Italy before.
At some point, the film somewhat asks its audience: how well do we know ourselves as a Filipino, as depicted with how our protagonist’s grandmother claimed that his father used to look like him, but was unrecognisable after he returned from working in another country, and how Luzonensis doesn’t even recognize a fellow Filipino who looks exactly like him in the woods. That now-memeable speech from our current Vice President You-Know-Who as she tries desperately (yet fails miserably) to greet her “friends” from China in Mandarin is just a short but sweet cherry on top. Weird and eccentric, this one hits all its targets in one effective, single blow.
‘Ngatta Naddaki y Nuang? (Why Did the Carabao Cross the Carayan?)’ (dir. Austin Tan)
★★★
A heartwarming coming-of-age tale, Austin Tan’s short follows 23-year-old Oyo as he visits his grandparents in Cagayan before he migrates to Canada. Accompanied by his childhood friend, RJ, a tricycle driver, the pair go around town visiting their old teachers, saying goodbyes, and searching for a carabao. He and his parents used to tease his little brother Michael that the latter was found in carabao dung, hence he hopes to find that one last memento of his younger brother who passed away during a flood.
It’s presumably set in the aftermath of Typhoon Vamco (Ulysses) which resulted in the worst flooding in the Cagayan Valley after four decades back in 2020 (that flooding worsened when Magat Dam opened its seven gates to release water). “If only the lights didn’t go out. If only they didn’t flood the dam,” he whispers sadly. While everyone around him seems to be excited that he finally has a chance to escape the country, one can’t help but notice the pain and sadness hovering over him as he traces back his memories of his hometown, particularly as he desperately looks for a carabao (he was told that all of them probably died after getting washed away by the flood). It admittedly starts off pretty rocky, but soon finds its footing as Oyo tries to complete his unfinished business.
Both a love letter to his hometown and a melancholic bid for goodbye to the memories of the character’s late sibling, Austin Tan’s short is a poignant rumination on grief and guilt.
‘Ang Pagliligtas sa Dalagang Bukid’ (dir. Jaime Morados)
★★★
For those who are not familiar with it, “Dalagang Bukid” is a 1919 Filipino silent film from José Nepomuceno, hailed as the founder of Philippine movies. Adapted from Hermogenes Ilagan’s zarzuela of the same name, the film is considered as the first Filipino-produced and directed feature. Sadly, it’s already a lost film as there are no surviving copies of it that exist today after the studio of Malayan Movies burned down in 1921, along with all the master prints of their early films.
For this short, Jaime Morados reimagines the magic of seeing the first Filipino film on the big screen, inspired by stories told by his grandmother. Here, we follow Joaquin and his girlfriend, who fell in love with the movie after they first saw it together inside a movie house upon its release. But when the studio caught fire in 1921, he attempted to save the film reel of the first movie he’s ever seen – only to end up being sucked into the world of the almost-destroyed film.
Morados effectively showcases his love and appreciation for Philippine history and culture with this short film, particularly with how the spectacle of cinemas affects and defines us. My only comment with this short would probably be the length, as I wish the film was edited to make the pacing slicker and consistent. Overall, it’s a good intentioned film buoyed by good performances from its leads who kept the film engaging from start to finish.
‘Bold Eagle’ (dir. Whammy Alcazaren)
★★★★
From the twisted mind who gave us the controversial “Fisting,” aka “Never Tear Us Apart” a few years back, Whammy Alcazaren tests the viewers (and the country’s censorship committee) once again with his latest work. The film follows a sex worker named Bold, who’s trapped at home with his talking cat. Obviously caught in his daddy issues, he seeks refuge in the strong arms of strange men. As he spends his days within the confines of his house, he wonders to his cat about his place in the world.
A sex dramedy on the gay internet subculture, this film effectively touches on our generation’s desperate search for happiness and fulfillment, at times forcing us to venture deep down into the nether regions of the Internet. As expected, this is yet another audio/visual acid trip from Alcazaren, making it one of the most visually fun shorts from this roster that will surely tickle your senses and imagination – although I badly wish they didn’t have that sticker emoji that covered and censored most of the scenes. I guess blame it on this country’s old-fashioned and skewered censorship system (which usually allows women to bare it all on screen for the viewing pleasure of men but are too afraid to show a man’s private parts). Despite that, this is the most enjoyable entry from this year’s short film competition, as it pokes fun at the things we do to satisfy our urges and to be happy, in this age of technology and social media.
Trippy and yes, bold, Whammy Alcazaren’s adventurous short is a fun but surprisingly relatable observation of our continuous longing and efforts to find human connection in this time when emotions and feelings are reduced to mere likes, retweets and views.
‘The River That Never Ends’ (dir. JT Trinidad)
★★★
In this drama from JT Trinidad, we follow Baby, a middle-aged trans woman who works as a companion-for-hire for strangers. At home, she takes care of her aging father, who can’t even speak. While there’s a neighbor who’s interested with her and wants to be her partner, she has no time for any other relationship as she endlessly shuttles between her job and her responsibility to her father. But as time passes by, the people around her start to disappear, until she realises that she has been left behind in a stagnating city.
Set in the backdrop of the pending Pasig River Expressway (PAREX), an all elevated expressway which traverses the entirety of Pasig River that is being fast-tracked despite all the environmental, heritage and mobility concerns, this slow burn tale of a lonely trans woman who is stuck between her seemingly endless responsibilities to her father and her work. Trinidad effectively compares this with the endless body of water that Baby passes through every day as she commutes for work. It’s brimming with mood at every frame, with Baby’s feeling of isolation and detachment perfectly depicted in the film, amidst all the urban decay around her.
By its final frame, one can’t help but share the protagonist’s loneliness as she hopelessly watches the world move on around her, leaving her stuck in the same dilemma, the same cycle and the same place until God knows when. It’s a feeling that many Filipino children are burdened with, no thanks to our country’s culture of using their own sons and daughters as a form of retirement plan or investment, leaving us kids with no choice but to waste away our peak or youthful days endless working day and night, only realizing that by the time we are free of these responsibilities, it’s all too late. We are already past our prime. And we’d wasted all of our chances of possibly being happy. What’s frustrating is that even until now, this cycle still continues. Like the Pasig River, it seems like it never ends.
‘Mga Tigre ng Infanta’ (dir. Rocky De Guzman Morilla)
★★★
Capping this year’s short film competition is this surrealist drama from Rocky De Guzman Morilla about a girl discovering her true nature. In the film, we are introduced to Katrina and her father Leon as they visit her late grandmother Gare’s wake in Infanta, Quezon. Upon their arrival, she immediately feels aloof and starts to act weird, as noticed by her aunt. She develops a connection with Infanta’s landscape more than her distant relatives, and starts to change, physically as rashes appear on her skin, and spiritually, having these weird visions which includes seeing a dark entity crawl out of the property where Gare’s casket lies. The next day, the whole town is surprised to discover that Gare’s casket is empty.
A moody and atmospheric tale of discovering one’s self, this film effectively portrays Katrina’s coming-of-age as she slowly realizes that she and her dead grandmother probably share the same nature, against the backdrop of the controversial Kaliwa Dam project. The film leaves out a lot of details and lets the viewers fill the blanks with their own imagination, therefore one may conclude that Katrina’s heritage may have been of indigenous descent, and her transformation is somehow a metaphor of her embracing that heritage – especially at a time when her own people, the IPs of Infanta, are threatened to be thrown away and displaced by the dam construction. It’s an interesting short film that mixes themes of maturity and culture with fantasy, to occasionally entertaining results.
Despite their variety, one can’t help but feel that all of these shorts share the same feeling of stuckness, of hesitation or inability to move forward, as discussed during the short Q&A with the filmmakers after their premiere. Almost all the characters in these films share the same feeling that we, as Filipinos, feel right now as we are yet to be freed from the threats of the pandemic. They all reflect the current status of the Philippines now, particularly as we find ourselves being taken over by one stupid administration after another, filled with people who are supposed to be thinking what’s best for our countrymen, but instead just fills up their pockets with senate-approved confidential funds and partners with capitalists and their projects that promise modernization and development, recklessly disregarding those that’ll be affected.
Overall, this year’s roster of films show that QCinema continues to be a great avenue for discovering up-and-coming talents, with unique voices of their own.
“Are you guys together?” a female classmate asks Eden Dambrine’s Léo in reference to his closeness with his best friend Rémi (Gustav de Waele). “No, we’re not together,” he nervously responds. He tries his best to explain his relationship with his friend as he gets bombarded with more questions: “We’re BFFs to the point that we’re almost brothers.” But his answer doesn’t seem to satisfy his classmates, who think that his intimacy with his friend equates to them being a couple. This serves as the breaking point in Lukas Dhont’s highly emotional, albeit manipulative coming-of-age drama.
In the film, we are introduced to thirteen-year-olds Léo (Dambrine) and Rémi (de Waele), two best friends who spend the long summer holidays together. Their closeness is depicted in pure innocent intimacy – running through fields of blooming flowers, playing in their secret spot as knights, and even sleeping together in the same bed most nights. Rémi is always by his side, no matter what. But things change when the two boys return to school, and everyone starts to question their relationship. The girls ask them if they’re a couple, hinting of a homosexual relationship. And this starts to cloud Léo’smind and taint the two boys’ closeness. Slowly, we witness as he puts a distance between him and his best friend. He starts to join ice hockey, he doesn’t talk to Rémi anymore at school, and even ditches their daily bike rides, crushing the heart of his friend. In one of the film’s most painful moments, he tells him to go away and blatantly ignores Rémi when the latter comes to visit and watch him play ice hockey.
Still from “Close” (courtesy of QCinema).
This is where this brilliant coming-of-age drama shines – its exposition in its first half of how the once-close relationship of its two protagonists turned cold and bleak. Penned by Dhont and Angelo Tijssens, the film’s depiction of the friendship between the two inseparable boys is sweet and tender. But as peer pressure comes into the picture, this is immediately put into test. It effectively showcases how gender norms in our society affect our own perception and forces us to accept how we should act according to what everyone thinks is appropriate for one’s sexuality. For example, Léo’s female classmates say girls can be clingy and affectionate to their female friends, but boys like him are not supposed to. It also shows how in today’s world, everyone seems to mind other people’s business as if it’s something they’re entitled to know.
Sadly, the film takes a surprisingly manipulative twist that ruins its brilliant first half. And while this doesn’t really make the entire film bad, it’s just disappointing that they’ve chosen this route because it ends up losing its steam right after. Still, the film remains engaging all throughout because of the strong performances of its cast. Gustav de Waele is simply brilliant as Rémi – a portrayal so heartbreaking and relatable at the same time. This is perfectly complemented by Eden Dambrine’s beautifully nuanced turn as Léo. He shines with those expressive eyes of his whenever he stares back at the camera. It feels like he’s asking us: “Was it my fault? Am I the one to blame?”
While its second half isn’t as strong as its mesmerizing first half, Lukas Dhont’s latest work is a gorgeously shot and superbly acted coming-of-age drama that will take your breath away, save for its ill-advised twist that comes along.
“Surely, the elderly don’t want to be a blight in our generation,” an unknown man whispers in the opening of this dystopian Japanese drama from director Chie Hayakawa. It’s a cold and striking way to start the film, but it effectively sets the overall tone for the rest of Hayakawa’s drama.
Set in the near future, Japan has declared an aging population crisis, which in turn has contributed to many hate crimes towards the elderly. As a solution, the Japanese government created a program called Plan 75, encouraging senior citizens of ages 75 and up to be voluntarily euthanized to remedy their super-aged society. The program provides a $1,000 preparation grant to those who will apply for it, which they can use for anything they desire or to pass it to their loved ones. They even offer a “group plan” as a package to be cremated or buried together with old friends. “Some applicants don’t feel lonely that way,” a salesman claims. There’s even a Plan 75 Platinum, which offers a staycation for one day and two nights and comes with a super deluxe meal at a facility complete with a pool, hot spring, photo studio, and even a spa massage. Isn’t that so enticing?
Still from “Plan 75” (courtesy of QCinema).
From here on, we follow three individuals who are connected to the program, one way or another. Mishi Kakutani (Chieko Baisho) is an elderly woman who loses the means to live independently after one of her co-workers (also a senior citizen like her) had an accident in the hotel they’re working at. After they were let go by the company, she tries to look for a new job, but no one will hire her anymore because of her age. Alone and hopeless, she starts to consider signing up for the plan. On the other hand, Himoru Okabe (Hayato Isomura) is a pragmatic Plan 75 salesman who starts to discover the dark truths behind their program when his estranged uncle signs up for it. Lastly, Maria (Stefanie Arianne) is a young Filipino caregiver who’s about to face choices of life and death as she takes on a job at the Plan 75 facility.
An expansion of her critically lauded short film of the same name, Chie Hayakawa effectively tackles this generation’s fear of death and growing old in this slow burn, dystopian drama. It’s even more astounding since the film’s premise was inspired by the Sagamihara stabbings, which was a hate crime that rocked Japan back on July 26, 2016, wherein 19 people were killed, and 26 victims were injured at a residential care center for the disabled in Kanagawa Prefecture. With this film, Hayakawa puts a spotlight on Japan’s stigma, being less accepting of physically and cognitively impaired persons, including the elderly. With such a premise, this could have easily been a manipulative drama, but Hayakawa manages to tackle her points with such care and sensitivity. The loneliness and isolation, particularly of Mishi’s character as she desperately calls her daughter but gets no answer repeatedly, resonates on screen. So when she finally bid her goodbyes on her last phone call to a local call center for the elderly who joined the Plan 75 program, let’s just say that no eye was left dry.
Eighty-one year-old veteran actress Chieko Baisho delivers a gut-wrenching yet restrained performance that keeps the entire picture moving, as Misha, one of the elders who have considered signing up for the program. Hayato Isomura also shines as Himoru, a Plan 75 salesman whose beliefs and faith in their program are tested along in the film. Filipina actress Stefanie Arianne is also effective as she plays the caregiver Maria, whose character was created to be a straightforward comparison to the Japanese’ lack of empathy with their elderly.
An admittedly slow-moving yet incredibly absorbing meditation on our inner fears of death, growing old and being alone, this Japanese drama is a haunting and thought-provoking film that will linger with you long after the credits roll.
Cherie Gil remains to be one of this generation’s best actresses, and her passing away in August early this year leaves a hole in our hearts forever. Sadly, this film which serves as her last big screen performance is not the exquisite swan song we expected it to be.
The film follows Dra. Celina De Miranda (Gil) who returns to Mirador, her ex-husband’s ancestral villa, to follow his wish to have his ashes scattered into the sea. She hopes that in this way, she and her husband will finally have their own closure. But right after she arrives on the island, she is confronted by the ghosts of her husband’s past affairs and haunted by her frustration of not being able to bear him a child, which may have led to their failed marriage. On top of this, her husband’s ashes get stolen before she could accomplish her plans. She believes one of his former mistresses on the island took him. Unable to bid her farewell properly, she plunges into desolation, and finds herself attracted to her husband’s possible illegitimate son, Jasper (Ross Pesigan).
“Elehiya” poster designed by Justin Besana (courtesy of QCinema).
Originally entitled “Mirador” (which I think is the more fitting title here), this psychological drama from writers Raquel Villavicencio and director Loy Arcenas works so hard to find its footing, but like its main character who’s desperate to get her closure, this film also never finds one. It’s a shame actually, because Gil gives another wonderful performance here, but the film itself fails to live up even just to her presence. While I understand that the film had a rather difficult journey just to get to the big screen after the country and the entire world got swept by the pandemic and its stars passed away before the movie’s completion, it’s simply difficult to look past its faults and flaws.
It starts slow, complementing its character’s state of mind. She’s mourning the loss of her husband, Rafael De Miranda – a beloved doctor of the island, but behind the comforts of their villa lies all his infidelities. Still, she loves him for what he was and longs for his presence and even his touch. She never even liked Mirador as “it moans and groans under the weight of the family’s history.” But for him, she’s willing to spend a few days in their villa so she could accomplish his wishes.
The script becomes rather playful, even lurid at some point in the film’s second act, when she starts to lose herself and becomes attracted to Rafael’s rumored illegitimate son to one of the villa’s maids (Sue Prado). Here, the pacing picks up as she tries desperately to get close to him. It’s not clear how all of this happened: Is it because he reminds her of her late husband, or is she acting under the influence by the villa who seemed to drive everyone who lives in it mad, figuratively (like how Rafael, his brother, and even Jasper act like wild, horny animals, turning the place into their own motel) and literally (like Jasper’s mom). This could have been fun, but Arcenas treats the entire film too seriously despite the ridiculous premise. Things become increasingly crazy, but the direction doesn’t seem to notice it. Because of this, the film falls flat from start to finish, wasting its potential.
The visuals, similar to the direction, also looks bland, with the camera work having the quality of a digital movie from the early 2000s. It’s as if the one holding the camera got his hands on a digicam for the first time, zooming in and out repeatedly in many scenes like shooting a home video.
Performance-wise, Gil shines as she embraces the character of Celine, with a committed turn that keeps you hooked from start to finish. Other than her, the rest of the cast seems to be on autopilot. She’s the only one who gives this film some life, but sadly that’s not enough to save the entire film from turning into a big disappointment.
Once the credit rolls, one can’t help but feel empty and dissatisfied. The film comes and goes with a whimper, and much like its protagonist, it isn’t sure where it’s heading or where it wants to go. For sure, Cherie Gil’s memory lives on, but sadly, not in this movie.
For a remarkable feature debut commandeered by two riveting lead performances, offering a very intense, haunting cinematic experience, “Autobiography” by Makbul Mubarak wins the Asian Next Wave award of QCinema.
The award, which focuses on emerging filmmakers from Southeast Asia and East Asia with less than three features, made a comeback in this year’s edition of QCinema.
The festival also cited “Autobiography” for its deliberately paced, slow-burn drama with serious socio-political implications that shows a director who’s hitting the ground running with a film that unanimously impressed the jury.
Aside from the Best Film award, Makbul Mubarak also takes home the Best Director trophy.
Winning the NETPAC Jury Award this year is “Return to Seoul” by Davy Chou.
The film is noted for its sensitive portrayal of a woman in search not just of her identity, but also her place in the world constantly in flux. It is built upon formal elegance and emotional maturity, taking us to unexpected places as we follow the protagonist on a journey across cities, cultures, latitudes, but most importantly a journey within her own self.
Another awardee is Setsuko Shiokawa for the production design of the film “Plan 75.”
The Artistic Contribution was awarded to Shiokawa for the film’s controlled yet engaging design of an imagined near future where life or death becomes a choice and existence is diminished to muted tones of sadness and resignation. It is also cited for its intelligent recreation of dystopia that is pegged on reality and never bordering the fantastic.
In what is first in local awards, starting this year, QCinema’s sole acting honor, regardless of gender, will be Best Lead Performance.
The Pylon for this year’s Lead Performance goes to Chieko Baisho of “Plan 75.”
Also winning in the Asian Next Wave category are Shuming He and Cris Ong, Best Screenplay for “Ajooma.”
In the QCShorts competition, Best Film goes to “Bold Eagle” by Whammy Alcazaren.
The film is cited for stitching a visual vernacular of today’s technological tools, articulating a timely and queer political critique that captures anger, loneliness, frustration, boredom and alienation amidst the pandemic.
Glenn Barit takes home another Pylon for his film “Luzonensis Osteoporosis,” which wins the NETPAC Jury Award.
The film is noted for its absurdist depiction of an internal dilemma and irony that the first discovered Filipino must also become a regular overseas contract worker.
The film also brings home the Audience Choice award.
In 2019, Glenn Barit’s film “Cleaners” won Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and the Audience Choice award.
“The River that Never Ends” by JT Trinidad brings home the Pylon for Gender Sensitivity for its measured vivid and heartbreaking portrayal of a transwoman and a city in their meandering routines of neglect, survival and melancholia.
The members of the jury in the Asian Next Wave competition are Kong Rithdee, Rolando Tolentino, Samuel Jamier, Jose Javier Reyes, and Meninaputri Wismurti.
Keith Sicat, Anna Isabelle Matutina, and Rolando Tolentino are the QCShorts jury members.
Some winners were also given cash prizes aside from their trophies. Asian Next Wave Best Film received 5,000 USD, NETPAC Jury Prize got 3,000 USD, QCShorts Best Film received 150,000 pesos, NETPAC Jury Prize got 100,000 pesos, Gender Sensitivity Award received 150,000 pesos and Audience Choice got 150,000 pesos.
QCinema will run until November 26, 2022. For details about the festival, go to www.qcinema.ph.
“When they’re young, they need you more,“ says Hong Hui Fang’s character in this Singaporean-Korean dramedy from He Shuming. In the film, Fang plays Lim Bae Hwa, the titular auntie, or ajoomma (Korean word for a married, or middle-aged woman). A widowed housewife who lives with her only son, she spends all her time in line-dancing classes at the local park and watching her favorite Korean dramas, particularly the show of her favorite Korean star, Jae Sung (Yeo Jin-goo of Hwayi: A Monster Boy). She’s dedicated all her life to her family, but the now-adult son thinks she has become too suffocating at home. So when he backed out at the last minute from their Korea trip, she decides to push through with the trip alone.
Hong Hui Fang plays the titular character in Ajoomma
Penned by Shuming and Kris Ong, this dramedy that screened in the recently concluded QCinema is a heartwarming story of self-discovery and understanding the life we all want to have for ourselves. Story-wise, it’s admittedly light — even at times taking its cues from K-drama tropes, and may require a bit of suspension of disbelief. Despite that, the film knows its boundaries and doesn’t try to reach way too far from its grasp. I love how the film’s protagonist feels so universal, as many in the world share the K-drama obsession of Auntie (I’m admittedly very guilty of this too). And so anyone can relate to her character immediately, since any self-confessed fan would give anything just to be able to step on the same streets where our favorite Korean TV characters have walked before. What’s more interesting is how the film quietly touches on many serious themes without being too heavy-handed, such as our own fears of growing old all alone and that inevitable death.
Hong Hui Fang delivers a superb performance as the titular ajoomma, effectively showing the complexities of her character as a mother who’s still trying to understand and to know more about his secretive son, and a woman who’s now all alone and unsure what to do in life since all her years were spent taking care of her family. Kang Hyung-seok impresses with a delightful turn as Kwon-Woo, their South Korean tour guide, while Jung Dong-hwan shines in a charming portrayal of Jung Su, the good Samaritan who helps our Auntie. Yeo Jin-goo’s cameo also serves a nice cherry on top as the protagonist’s favorite Korean star.
Overall, this feel-good comedy drama is an occasionally humorous and admittedly touching little film filled with cultural nuances and universal themes that everyone can easily relate to. It’s a slick, lighthearted escapist fare that doesn’t overstay its welcome, making it an enjoyable viewing.
The Society of Filipino Film Reviewers announces shortlists in three categories for the 3rd Pinoy Rebyu Awards®: Best Animated Short, Best Documentary Short, and Best Live Action Short.
Members of the SFFR Short Films Committee voted to determine the shortlists after viewing more than 130 submitted short films. The general SFFR membership will vote to determine 5 nominees in each category.
Nominations for both short and full-length film categories will be announced on February 15.
ANIMATED SHORT
Ten films will advance in the Animated Short Film category for the 3rd Pinoy Rebyu Awards.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
Ang Liwanag ng Bakunawa (Alvin Joshua Gasga and Elisha Shem Domingo) Bad Tourism (Mark Mendoza) Brand X (Keith Deligero) Con Ambre (Sofia Carro D. Falcasantos) Daligmata Delivers One Last Time (Minnesota S. Flores) It’s Just a Cupcake (Isabella Francesca Aldana) Letters to Our Little Brown Brothers (Noli Agbayani Manaig) Rambutan (Shayla Claire Perales) Sampung Minuto (Jasper Villasis) Si Biboy kag ang Sigbin sa Siudad (Hannah Britanico)
A scene from Keith Deligero’s Brand X, one of the shortlisted films for Best Animated Short Film
DOCUMENTARYSHORT
Ten films will advance in the Documentary Short Film category for the 3rd Pinoy Rebyu Awards.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
Baón sa Biyahe (James Magnaye) Bigktimasa (CM Bautista) Like People, They Change Too (JT Trinidad) Manila Lockdown (Ditsi Carolino) On Hands and Knees (Nico Antonio Bagsic) Palengke Day (Mervine Aquino) Pasilong (Toni Cañete) Rocks in a Windless Wadi (EJ Gagui) See Us Come Together (Alyssa Suico) Things I’ll Tell You (Demie Dangla)
A still from EJ Gagui’s Rocks in a Windless Wadi, one of the shortlisted films for Best Documentary Short
LIVE ACTIONSHORT
Sixteen films will advance in the Live Action Short Film category for the 3rd Pinoy Rebyu Awards.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
Aga-Hiw: The Dreamer (Jaime Morados) Atay! Patay! (Jannah Corrine) Bold Eagle (Whammy Alcazaren) Cut/Off (Von Victor Viernes & Sean Russel Romero) Golden Bells (Kurt Soberano) Kwits (Raz de la Torre) Lapis Akong Naghihintay ng Pantasa (Gerald Pesigan) Life On Moon (Sheron R. Dayoc) Luzonensis Osteoporosis (Glenn Barit) Ma, (Miguel Legaspi) Mga Handum nga Nasulat sa Baras (Arlie Sweet Sumagaysay and Richard Jeroui Salvadico) Mga Kadini sa Kaugmaon (Shievar Olegario and Karina Jabido) Pagbilang Kong Tatlo (Xzy Dumabok) The Headhunter’s Daughter (Don Josephus Eblahan) This Is Not A Coming Out Story (Mark Felix Ebreo) Write Here (Jake Muñoz Consing)
A still from Miguel Legaspi’s Ma, one of the shortlisted films for Best Live Action Short
The Society of Filipino Film Reviewers is composed of 37 active reviewers of Philippine cinema. The 3rd Pinoy Rebyu Awards® will be held by the end of February 2023.
Leonor Will Never Die, Martika Ramirez Escobar’s imaginative homage to 1980s Pinoy action flicks, and Blue Room, Ma-An Asuncion Dagñalan’s engaging debut feature about a group of privileged teens embroiled in a web of drugs and police corruption, lead the nominations for the 3rd Pinoy Rebyu Awards, as voted by the Society of Filipino Film Reviewers.
Escobar’s first full-length feature, which premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and was the opening film of the 2022 Cinemalaya Film Festival, received a leading 10 nominations. Aside from nods for Best Film and Escobar for Director, Screenplay, and First Feature, it is also nominated for Lead Performance (Sheila Francisco) and Ensemble Performance, as well as four other technical categories.
Tied at 10 nominations is Blue Room, nominated for Director, First Feature, Screenplay (Dagñalan and Siege Ledesma), Supporting Performance (Soliman Cruz and Juan Karlos Labajo), Ensemble Performance, and four other technical categories.
Aside from Leonor Will Never Die, four other films are nominated for Best Film: 11,103, a gripping documentary by Mike Alcazaren and Jeannette Ifurung about Martial Law violence survivors; 12 Weeks, a topical drama directed by Anna Isabelle Matutina centering on a pregnant woman in her 40s; Kapag Wala Nang mga Alon, Lav Diaz’s searing commentary on the past administration’s failed drug war; and Kitty K7, an empowering tale set in the alter world, helmed by Joy Aquino.
Joining Sheila Francisco (Leonor Will Never Die) in the Lead Performance category are Tommy Alejandrino (The Baseball Player), John Lloyd Cruz (Kapag Wala Nang mga Alon), Max Eigenmann (12 Weeks), Ronnie Lazaro (Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon), and Rose van Ginkel (Kitty K7).
The SFFR does not distinguish actors’ gender in the acting categories, the way it does not distinguish gender in the technical categories.
The nominees for Best Supporting Performance, aside from Soliman and Labajo, are Shamaine Buencamino (Kapag Wala Nang mga Alon), Claudia Enriquez (12 Weeks) and Bing Pimentel (12 Weeks).
The Society of Filipino Film Reviewers’ 3rd Pinoy Rebyu Awards celebrate the best achievements in Philippine cinema of 2022. For eligibility, members of SFFR considered all films released in the calendar year in at least one cinema in the Philippines or on a largely accessible streaming service between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022. The SFFR is composed of 38 active reviewers of Philippine cinema.
The complete list of nominees can be found below.
Best Film
11,103 Directed by Miguel Alcazaren and Jeannette Ifurung Produced by Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala and Zonia Bandoy
12 WEEKS Directed by Anna Isabelle Matutina Produced by Jules Katanyag and Danzen Santos Katanyag
KAPAG WALA NANG MGA ALON Directed by Lav Diaz Produced by Bianca Balbuena and Bradley Liew
KITTY K7 Directed by Joy Aquino Produced by Antoinette Jadaone and Dan Villegas
LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE Directed by Martika Ramirez Escobar Produced by Mario Cornejo and Monster Jimenez
Best Director
Joy Aquino KITTY K7
Ma-an L. Asuncion-Dagñalan BLUE ROOM
Lav Diaz KAPAG WALA NANG MGA ALON
Martika Ramirez Escobar LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE
Anna Isabelle Matutina 12 WEEKS
Best Screenplay
12 WEEKS Anna Isabelle Matutina
THE BASEBALL PLAYER Carlo Obispo
BLUE ROOM Ma-An Asuncion L. Dagñalan and Siege Ledesma
KAPAG WALA NANG MGA ALON Lav Diaz
KITTY K7 Pamela Miras
LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE Martika Ramirez Escobar
Best Lead Performance
Tommy Alejandrino THE BASEBALL PLAYER
John Lloyd Cruz KAPAG WALA NANG MGA ALON
Max Eigenmann 12 WEEKS
Sheila Francisco LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE
Ronnie Lazaro KAPAG WALA NANG MGA ALON
Rose Van Ginkel KITTY K7
Best Supporting Performance
Shamaine Buencamino KAPAG WALA NANG MGA ALON
Soliman Cruz BLUE ROOM
Claudia Enriquez 12 WEEKS
Juan Karlos Labajo BLUE ROOM
Bing Pimentel 12 WEEKS
Best Ensemble Performance
12 WEEKS Max Eigenmann, Bing Pimentel, Claudia Enriquez, Vance Larena, Nor Domingo, Angie Castrence, Mikee Lim
BLUE ROOM Juan Karlos Labajo, Harvey Bautista, Nour Hooshmand, Keoni Jin, Elijah Canlas, Soliman Cruz, Bombi Plata, Jericho Arceo, Bon Andrew Lentejas, Ricardo Cepeda, Michael Angelo Dagñalan
FAMILY MATTERS Noel Trinidad, Liza Lorena, Nonie Buencamino, Agot Isidro, Mylene Dizon, Nikki Valdez, James Blanco, JC Santos, Anna Luna, Ina Feleo, Peewee O’Hara, Jerry O’Hara, Ketchup Eusebio, Roxanne Guinoo, Ian Pangilinan, Trishtan Aguilar, Kzhoebe Nicole Baker, Choline Bautista, Mischa Clark, Meghan Danielle
KAPAG WALA NANG MGA ALON John Lloyd Cruz, Ronnie Lazaro, Shamaine Buencamino, Don Melvin Boongaling, Trinidad Alim, Wilmer de Jesus, Neil Alvin delas Alas, Jay-R Escandor, Ronaliza Jintalan, Andy Jolo, Berhel Jolo,
LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE Sheila Francisco, Bong Cabrera, Rocky Salumbides, Anthony Falcon, Rea Molina, Allan Bautista, Tami Monsod, John Paulo Rodriguez, Dido de la Paz, Ryan Eigenmann, Don Melvin Boongaling, Rosario Elena Perez, Raion Sandoval
Best Film Editing
BOLD EAGLE Carlo Francisco Manatad
BLUE ROOM Vanessa de Leon
GINHAWA Alec Figuracion and Sebastian Olivedo
KITTY K7 Chrisel Galeno-Desuasido
LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE Lawrence Ang
RESBAK Diego Marx Dobles
Best Cinematography
BLUE ROOM Neil Daza
KAPAG WALA NANG MGA ALON Larry Manda
KITTY K7 Lara Moreno
LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE Carlos Mauricio
RESBAK Joshua Reyles
Best Production Design
BLUE ROOM Marxie Maolen Fadul
KITTY K7 Carmela Danao and Rochelle Jan Crisostomo
LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE Eero Yves Francisco
NANAHIMIK ANG GABI Marielle Hizon
RESBAK Brillante Mendoza
Best Film Score
11,103 Erwin Romulo, Malek Lopez, and Juan Miguel Sobrepeña
BLUE ROOM Mikey Amistoso and Jazz Nicolas
DELETER Myka Magsaysay and Paul Sigua
LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE Alyana Cabral and Pan de Coco
NGAYON KAYA Len Calvo
RESBAK Diwa de Leon
Best Documentary Feature
11,103 Directed by Miguel Alcazaren and Jeannette Ifurung Produced by Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala and Zonia Bandoy
Best First Feature
12 WEEKS Directed by Anna Isabelle Matutina Produced by Jules Katanyag and Danzen Santos Katanyag
ANGKAS Directed by Rain Yamson Produced by Ferdinand Lapuz and Martin Mayuga
BLUE ROOM Directed by Ma-An Asuncion L. Dagñalan Produced by Harlene Bautista, Ma-An Asuncion L. Dagñalan, Wilfredo Manalang, and Ferdinand Lapuz
GINHAWA Directed by Christian Paolo Lat Produced by Christian Paolo Lat, Hannah May Ybalez, and Mia Salisbury
LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE Directed by Martika Ramirez Escobar Produced by Mario Cornejo and Monster Jimenez
Best Live Action Short Film
ATAY! PATAY! Directed by Jannah Corrine Produced by Angelli Lazarte, Natasha Wildi, Jude Jumamil, and Natasha Jumamil
BOLD EAGLE Directed by Whammy Alcazaren Produced by Alemberg Ang
GOLDEN BELLS Directed by Kurt Soberano Produced by Anson Yu, Dina Yu Soberano, and Ester Tan Yu
LUZONENSIS OSTEOPOROSIS Directed by Glenn Barit Produced by Manet A. Dayrit Jason Conanan, Ed Lejano, and Gelo Angustia
MGA HANDUM NGA NASULAT SA BARAS Directed by Richard Jeroui Salvadico and Arlie Sweet Sumagaysay Produced by Arden Rod Condez
PAGBILANG KONG TATLO Directed by Xzy Dumabok Produced by Harvey Gana
Best Documentary Short Film
BAÓN SA BIYAHE Directed by James Magnaye Produced by Gio Rayla
MANILA LOCKDOWN Directed by Ditsi Carolino Produced by Emile Guertin
ON HANDS AND KNEES Directed by Nico Antonio Bagsic Produced by Nico Antonio Bagsic
PALENGKE DAY Directed by Mervine Aquino Produced by Mervine Aquino
ROCKS IN A WINDLESS WADI Directed by EJ Gagui Produced by EJ Gagui
SEE US COME TOGETHER Directed by Alyssa Suico Produced by Mayday Multimedia
Best Animated Short Film
ANG LIWANAG NG BAKUNAWA Directed by Alvin Joshua A. Gasga and Elisha Shem E. Domingo Produced by Alvin Joshua A. Gasga and Elisha Shem E. Domingo
BRAND X Directed by Keith Deligero Produced by Gale Osorio
IT’S JUST A CUPCAKE Directed by Frankie Aldana Produced by Frankie Aldana
LETTERS TO OUR LITTLE BROWN BROTHERS Directed by Noli Agbayani Manaig Produced by Noli Agbayani Manaig
RAMBUTAN Directed by Shayla Claire Perales and Shiela Mae Tanagon Produced by Shayla Claire Perales and Shiela Mae Tanagon
SAMPUNG MINUTO Directed by Jasper Villasis Produced by Robe Zamora Dagcuta and Jasper Villasis
Best International Film
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN Directed by Martin McDonagh Ireland, UK, USA
CLOSE Directed by Lukas Dhont Belgium, France, Netherlands
DECISION TO LEAVE Directed by Park Chan-wook South Korea
EO Directed by Jerzy Skolimowski Italy, Poland
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE Directed by Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan USA
JOYLAND Directed by Saim Sadiq Pakistan, USA
Winners of the Pinoy Rebyu Awards will be announced by the end of February 2023.
2022 saw the reopening of more cinemas/cinematheques across the country, including those screening film festival entries, when pandemic restrictions eased.
Some filmfests were more successful than others in their curation of entries, logistics preparation, and ensuring filmgoer satisfaction. Here are 9 that made the cut, according to 24 members of the Society of Filipino Film Reviewers.
QCinema still reigns supreme as cinephiles’ favorite filmfest for the past 6 years, spoiling moviegoers with the latest international filmfest darlings and showcasing quality short films whose production the Quezon City government financed.
Cinemalaya stayed at second place in the past few years, but emerging as new contenders are the Binisaya Film Festival and the long-running Gawad Alternatibo, both tied at third place. This augurs well for filmfests that feature mostly short films, as it signals a growing audience and appreciation of the short form of cinema.
1 – QCinema (78 points)
Festival Director: Ed Lejano
SFFR members’ comments:
“Ten years since its inception, QCinema remains on the right track, expertly curating a roster of international and local gems that makes physical moviegoing experience all the more exciting.” – Lè Baltar
“QCinema seems to aspire to outdo itself every year, and every year, it succeeds.” – James Espinoza
“Amazing roster of foreign films, many of which were submitted by their respective countries to the Oscars.” – Fred Hawson
“Still the best among the rest.” – Jay Lacanilao
“The lineup is fantastic, plus the added Rockwell venue is highly-appreciated.” – Macky Macarayan
“QCinema never fails to bring the best of local short films and international films. It’s still the perfect avenue for emerging filmmakers and film enthusiasts alike.” – Jim Paranal
“Showcased unique short films in the QCShorts section and well-curated films that have made waves internationally (e.g. Bones and All, Triangle of Sadness).” – Ralph Regis
“Never disappoints in bringing local and international films that are worth watching.” – Naz Tabares
2 – Cinemalaya (46 points)
Festival Director: Chris Millado
“Made a few significant films of the past year.” – Jay-ar Trinidad
3 (tie) – Binisaya (23 points)
Festival Director: Keith Deligero
3 (tie) – Gawad Alternatibo (23 points)
Festival Director: Chris Millado
“The real treasure trove of new, exciting voices, more than its ballyhooed sister, Cinemalaya.” – Skilty Labastilla
5 – Metro Manila Film Festival (10 points)
Festival Director: Romando Artes
6 – Cinema Rehiyon (9 points)
Festival Director: Angely Chi
7 – Daang Dokyu (8 points)
Festival Directors: Jewel Maranan, Baby Ruth Villarama, Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala, and Monster Jimenez
8 – Pelikulaya (3 points)
Festival Director: Liza Diño
9 – Ngilngig Asian Fantastic Film Festival (3 points)
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