Entrepreneur and producer Dr. Carl Balita is actively campaigning for the public to stay home during the start of the quarantine until today not just to contain the virus but to also to help the health and service professionals who are the frontrunners in the field. Among the many strategies he launched was the “Video Home Festival(VHF)”, a short filmmaking competition anchored on the theme “lockdown.” The challenge of the competition is to create films based on the theme while observing quarantine guidelines using immediate technology, space, and casts available for the filmmakers.

“I knew that the filmmakers were oozing with creativity in the new normal and were itching to express their craft even with all the limitations of a quarantine experience,” says Dr. Carl.  “We were surprised when after more than a month from our launch, entries came in from professionals, film students, and enthusiasts.”

Dr. Carl expounded the festival to raise funds for the industry workers through the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation (Mowelfund). Being a film producer himself and within the circle of show business, heis aware of the current plight of the industry players.  Mowelfund Board Member Boots Anson-Rodrigo and President RezCortez welcome the idea and are exploring new partnership opportunities with Dr. Carl and his company, Dr. Carl Balita Review Center (CBRC) on how to bring the collaboration to a more productive level.  Festival Director Jek David notes that some of the entries have international caliber, highlighting the quarantine experience of the filmmakers.

Continue reading “LVHF: Video Home Festival: Films on the Quarantine Experience” →

Contemporary Master filmmaker Lav Diaz returns to the most prestigious film festival in the world, the Cannes, with his latest film ANG HUPA (The Halt) to represent the best of Philippine Cinema. Diaz’s new oeuvre could be the most profoundly resonating among his list of historico-political films.

This, according to source, even has a futuristic touch to it, aiming to fight for real freedom and a better Philippines. One character is said to be Diaz’s tribute to an El Salvadorian Archbishop who was murdered while celebrating the mass in 1980. Father Romero will be played by Diaz’ regular thespian Noel Miralles. There is a 15-minute scene that features Miralles doing a zen meditation. His real-life counterpart is said to be very vocal about his stand against poverty, social injustice, assassinations, and torture.

Mainstream actor Piolo Pascual who topbills the film will be playing the role of a political activist. Other actors in the casts are Joel Lamangan, Pinky Amador, Shaina Magdayao, Mara Lopez, Hazel Orencio, Ian Lomongo, Joel Saracho, Bart Guingona, Susan Africa, Ashton Llarenas, Earl Ignacio, Adrienne Vergara, and iconic musician Ely Buendia.

Cannes Film Festival will be held from May 14 to May 25 at the Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France. Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu will serve as jury president. American film director Jim Jarmusch’s ensemble zombie comedy film The Dead Don’t Die will serve as the opening film of the festival. Cannes 2019 pays tribute to femme auteur Agnes Varda.

The QCinema International Film Festival ended its most commendable run last week but the films that we had seen are still very much talked about in coffee shops. We can only hope that next year’s edition would be as audacious and relevant as Diokno’s Kapatiran, or as fresh and unrelenting as Cruz’s Sleepless.  Here’s what we heard these coffee lovers say about each competition film from #QCinema. It appeared that not one saw Cesar Hernando’s Gayuma. And we don’t think they ever played Patintero, or ever came out of the house to play. Millenials!

Iisa

Perhaps based on a news report in 2012 when a rebel group was alleged to have ransacked a relief center in Davao during the aftermath of Typhoon Pablo, Iisa, a film written by Arnel Mardoquio narrates the melodrama of a motley crew of rebels bound by both personal and sociopolitical struggles. What seem to be problematic in its presentation are the many suffocating concerns of its politics, including whether a mother, guided by years of Marxist principles, would end up throwing everything out of the window by misappropriating revolutionary funds for personal use. No matter how critical her dilemma is, one may have to question the found reality employed by the filmmakers, among other things.

Rating: 2/5