PARK CITY, Utah?We miss the presence of Filipino filmmakers at this year?s Sundance Film Festival, which opened with ?In Bruges,? an action-comedy starring Colin Farrell, Ralph Fiennes and Brendan Gleeson.
Interestingly, there?s a film that bears the name of barong-loving Quentin Tarantino. Larry Bird directs and stars in ?Quentin Tarantino Presents Hell Ride.? Dennis Hopper and Michael Madsen also star. Will Quentin wear his Tesoro?s barong in the winter chill of this snow-covered mountain town? Abangan.
In the absence of Filipino filmmakers this year, we?re glad to note that Asians or Asian-Americans are nevertheless represented. Ann U. Collier, publicist of Sundance, sent us a list of films with Asian/Asian-American affiliation:
Complicated life
?Death in Love? by Boaz Yakin: Asian-American Vanessa Kai makes her film debut in this feature about a self-assured, but neurotic 40-year-old bachelor who attempts to make sense of his complicated life in the shadow of his mother?s concentration-camp experience. Cast includes Josh Lucas, Jacqueline Bisset, Adam Brody and Lukas Haas.
?Dinner with the President? by Sabiha Sumar and Sachithanandam Sathananthan: From interviews and audiences with religious leaders to dinner with the President of Pakistan, the film tackles issues ranging from politics to women?s rights.
?The Drummer? by Kenneth Bi features Tony Leung and Jaycee Chan playing a young man who?s transformed from a reckless young gangster into a mature adult through the inspiration of Zen drumming.
?Gas Zappers? by Kenneth Tin-Kin Hung is a short animation about climate change.
?Juvenile? by China Moo-Young and Glenn Doherty dramatizes a single parent?s relationship with his teenage daughter on the day she brings home her new boyfriend.
On the verge of extinction
?The Linguists? by Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller, Jeremy Newbergerfollows, linguists who document languages on the verge of extinction.
?The Betrayal? by Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath follows the epic story of a family forced to emigrate from Laos, after chaos of the secret air war waged by the US during the Vietnam War erupts.
?Puujee? by Kazuya Yamada: A Japanese photojournalist encounters Puujee, a young girl who tames wild horses on the Mongolian plains.
?Seven Intellectuals in Bamboo Forest, Parts 4 and 5? by Yang Fudong are the artist?s recently completed films in his celebrated series, based on the history of seven intellectuals in the ancient Chinese Wei and Jin Dynasties.
?Smart People? by Noam Murro and Mark Jude Poirier tells the tale of a self-absorbed literature professor who alienates his son and turns his daughter into an overachieving, friendless teen. Cast includes Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church and Ellen Page.
Employment
?Up the Yangtze? by Yung Chang chronicles the story of young men and women who take up employment on a cruise ship, where they confront rising waters and a radically changing China.
In ?Yasukuni? by Li Ying, controversies abound as Japanese officials honor the deceased at the legendary Yasukuni shrine, where swords used to kill Chinese soldiers were famously forged.
The Short Film category includes Jiang Xuan?s ?August 15th?; Tadashi Nakamura and Karen Ishizuka?s ?Pilgrimage?; Julia Kwan?s ?Smile,? and Tim Sternberg?s ?Salim Baba.?
Other notable entries this year: Kirsten Dunst?s ?Welcome.? In her directing debut, ?Spider-Man?s? girl tackles the tale of a family encountering a ghost in their new house, with Winona Ryder leading the cast.
?Sunshine Cleaning? by Christine Jeffs. A mom (Amy Adams) and her sister (Emily Blunt) start an unusual business: A biohazard-waste removal service. Adams reportedly eclipses her fine performances in ?Junebug? and ?Enchanted.?
Documentary
?Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?? by Morgan Spurlock is a documentary that chronicles the search for the al-Qaida head in the Middle East.
?Phoebe in Wonderland? by Daniel Barnz is about a rebellious little girl, played by Elle Fanning (Dakota?s sister), who finds solace in her unconventional drama teacher.
?The Guitar? by Amy Redford: Robert Redford?s daughter makes her directorial debut in a film about a woman who spends her final days learning to play the electric guitar.
?U2 3D? by Catherine Owens and Mark Pellington is a documentary that enables viewers to experience U2?s ?Vertigo? concert in 3D.
?What Just Happened?? by Barry Levinson is a satire starring Robert De Niro as a down-and-out Hollywood producer.
?Assassination of a High School President? by Brett Simon is about a rookie journalist for the school paper, who unravels a mysterious plot involving the class president, drugs, and some stolen test scores. Cast includes Reece Thompson and Bruce Willis.
Aging airport janitor
?Captain Abu Raed? by Amin Matalqa is about an aging airport janitor who is mistaken for an airline pilot by poor neighborhood children. It weaves fantastical stories to offer hope for a sad, and sometimes unchangeable, reality.
?The Merry Gentleman? by Michael Keaton, who directs for the first time, tells the story of a young woman (Kelly Macdonald) who flees from an abusive marriage and sets off to start a new life. When she finds herself an unwitting witness to a murder, she stumbles into a curious friendship with a depressed hit man (Keaton).
?Sugar? by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck is a sports drama about a Dominican baseball star who is inspired by the Kevin Costner film, ?Field of Dreams.?
?The Adventures of Baxter & McGuire: The Boss? is an animated buddy-comedy that chronicles the adventures of Baxter and McGuire?who just happen to be testicles!
Other promising titles: Ari Gold?s ?Adventures of Power?; Clark Gregg?s ?Choke?; Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega?s ?The Crown?; Steven Schachter?s ?The Deal?; ?Marianna Palka?s ?Good Dick?; Sean McGinly?s ?The Great Buck Howard?;
Andrew Flwming?s ?Hamlet 2?; Geoff Haley?s ?The Last Word?; Stacy Peralta?s ?Made in America?; Azazel Jacob?s ?Momma?s Man?; Rawson Thurber?s ?The Mysteries of Pittsburgh?; Alan Ball?s ?Towelhead,? and Jonathan Levine?s ?The Wackness.?
E-mail rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com, and read his blog, ?The Nepales Report,? on www.inquirerbloggers.net/nepalesreport.
