MANILA, Philippines?Hopes are high that the 2008 Cinemalaya film festival and competition will match the bracingly elevated standards set by the indie showcase?s first three editions.
From July 11 to 20 at the CCP, film buffs will be viewing 10 films competing in the festival?s full-length category, which were culled from a total of 194 storylines submitted to the competition.
In addition, 10 short films will be on view ? plus a new competition of films for children, a laudable initiative supported by the National Council for Children?s Television.
There will also be a tribute to Manuel Conde, with six movies comprising his retrospective: ?Genghis Khan,? ?Ibong Adarna,? ?Verganza,? ?Señorito,? ?Cruz na Kawayan,? and ?El Robo.? Too bad, the last time we viewed the last surviving snippet of ?Juan Tamad Goes to Congress,? it was only 10 minutes long.
All the more reason, then, to cheer Cinemalaya?s focus on Conde, and Nic Tiongson?s new book, ?The Cinema of Manuel Conde,? which will be launched on July 10 in time for the festival.
But for many film buffs, Cinemalaya?s focal point is still its full-length category, with 10 new features up for viewing. With the festival opening on July 11, it isn?t too early to size up the official entries, depending on your preferences:
? ?100? by Chris Martinez is about a terminally ill woman?s list of things to do before she dies. With Mylene Dizon, Eugene Domingo, Tessie Tomas, TJ Trinidad, etc.
? ?Baby Angelo? by Joel Ruiz and Abi Aquino shows what happens when an aborted baby is found near a small apartment complex. The lives of some tenants are turned upside down as they are forced to confront the ghosts of the past. With Jojit Lorenzo, Katherine Luna, Ces Quesada, etc.
? ?Boses? by Ellen Ongkeko Marfil is about the friendship that develops between a violin teacher and his student, a mute, abused boy. They discover each other?s strengths and weaknesses by expressing them through violin. With Coke Bolipata, Ricky Davao, Meryll Soriano, Cherry Pie Picache, etc.
? ?Brutus? by Tara Illenberger focuses on two Mangyan kids who are hired by illegal loggers to smuggle logs from the mountains of Mindoro. They discover a world of greed and ideological conflict that plagues the home of their people.
? ?Concerto? by Paul Morales is about a piano concert held toward the end of World War II in a forest outside Davao City. Values are questioned as a family treads the thin line between enmity and friendship with the occupying Japanese troops. With Jay Aquitania, Meryll Soriano, Shamaine Buencamino, Nonoy Froilan, Elijah Castillo, etc.
? ?Huling Pasada? by Paul Sta. Ana and Alvin Yapan effects an instructive confluence of paths between a writer and a taxi driver who becomes a street child?s father figure. With Agot Isidro and Neil Ryan Sese.
? ?Jay? by Francis Xavier Pasion is about two protagonists with the same name ? a gay TV producer who documents the case of a gay hate crime victim, also named Jay. Eventually, the producer is drawn to the secret life and love of his subject. With Baron Geisler and Coco Martin.
? ?My Fake American Accent? by Onnah Valera and Ned Trespeces. A workplace comedy that follows the lives of call center agents for six months.
? ?Namets? by Jay Abello follows the ongoing flirtation between Manuel and Lourdes, whose lives revolve around food.
? ?Ranchero? by Michael Christian Cardoz unfolds in a small provincial jail, where Ricardo is about to be released. But a knife is reported missing, and the story takes some unexpected turns. With Gary Lim, Jess Evardone, Daniel Magisa, etc.
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?The Warlords?
Jet Li?s latest starrer, ?The Warlords,? was recently previewed at My Cinema at Greenbelt 3, and will open soon in local theaters.
