Only in Hollywood
Toronto film fest features Brocka, Mendoza and Alix
By Ruben V. Nepales
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 06:24:00 08/24/2008
Filed Under: Entertainment (general)
LOS ANGELES—Seventeen years after his death, Lino Brocka continues to be recognized in international cinema circles. The late great director, along with Brillante “Dante” Mendoza and Adolfo Alix Jr., are the Filipino filmmakers whose works will be featured in the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) next month.
Brocka’s “Bayan Ko: Kapit Sa Patalim” will be among the four presentations in TIFF’s “Dialogues: Talking with Pictures.” International Herald Tribune film journalist Joan Dupont will showcase “Bayan Ko…” which stars Phillip Salvador, Gina Alajar, Claudia Zobel and Carmi Martin and was written by Pete Lacaba. Dupont joins Agnès Varda, Terence Davies and Deepa Mehta in presenting films that made an impact in their careers.
A press statement from the TIFF stated: “On the 10th anniversary of David Overbey’s death, the Toronto International Film Festival wishes to remember the former programmer’s contribution to cinema, the City of Toronto, and the Festival through the presentation of three of the films in the Dialogues program. Overbey was a programmer from the organization’s second year until his final Festival in 1998. He is credited with discovering some of the major talent on the international festival scene…
“In 1981, Joan Dupont did an exclusive interview for Le Monde with director Lino Brocka in Manila, the Philippines, thanks to assistance from his (Brocka’s) best friend, David Overbey. In memory of Overbey, Dupont presents ‘My Own Country (Bayan Ko)’ (1984) an uncompromising look at contemporary Filipino society. The film was considered so controversial that the Philippine government attempted to ban the film upon its completion. It tells the story of young printer Turing, whose life is a series of rapidly diminishing options. With a sick pregnant wife and a strike at his factory, Turing is eventually lured into a life of crime. Never afraid to criticize the ruling power in the Philippines, Brocka helped bring international attention to the struggles of the poor and marginalized in his home country through his acclaimed body of work.”
Controversial
Dante’s controversial “Serbis,” which was his ticket to claim the honor of being the second Filipino director after Brocka to have a film in the main competition in Cannes, is featured in TIFF’s Vanguard. The program is described as dedicated to films that push boundaries, especially in content. “Serbis,” which stars Gina Pareño, did indeed push some critics to write scathing reviews when it was shown in Cannes last May.
However, the inclusion of “Serbis” in the TIFF and the New York Film Festival (NYFF), also to be held next month, could be seen as a vindication of sorts for Dante, who marks his fourth participation in the Canadian festival. “Serbis” has the honor of being the first Filipino film to be featured as an official selection in the New York Film Festival (Brocka’s “Insiang” was shown in 2006, in a retrospective screening).
The movie is also in the official lineup in film festivals from September to December in Vladivostok (in Russia, which Dante will attend with the film’s Coco Martin, whom he describes as his “favorite actor”), Vancouver, Bangkok, Pusan, Oslo, Sao Paolo, Thessaloniki (Greece), Taipei, Mar del Plata (Argentina) and Jakarta (it will be interesting to see how Indonesia’s censors will react to the movie).
NYFF’s website describes “Serbis”: “Raw and uncompromising, the seventh feature by Brillante Mendoza… channeling both Fassbinder and John Waters, follows the travails of the Pineda family in the… city of Angeles. Bigamy, unwanted pregnancy, possible incest and bothersome skin irritations are all part of their daily challenges, but the real star of the show is an enormous, dilapidated movie theater that doubles as family business and living space. Mendoza brilliantly captures here the sordid, fetid atmosphere… A bold, challenging work from one of the recently energized Filipino cinema’s most interesting talents.”
Elderly portrait
Adolfo notches his first time in the TIFF with “Adela,” which stars Anita Linda and is featured in the Contemporary World Cinema program. The website of Canada’s biggest film festival provides this synopsis of Adolfo’s 10th movie: “It is Adela’s 80th birthday. She tries to treat it like any other day, going about her daily routine. But, desperately longing for her family, Adela cannot hide her loneliness. Director Adolfo Alix Jr. has crafted a deeply compassionate portrait of the plight of the elderly in the Philippines, anchored by a bravura lead performance by veteran actress Anita Linda.”
Dante shared with us via e-mail his feeling about participating in the TIFF again: “I’m definitely thrilled and honored to be a part of TIFF for four consecutive years, from 2005 to 2008 (‘Masahista,’ ‘Twilight Dancer’—as producer, ‘Tirador’ and ‘Serbis’). My films were featured in different sections by four different programmers in the past four years.
“But I’m particularly happy that ‘Serbis’ is in the Vanguard section this year. TIFF states that Vanguard ‘spotlights bold filmmakers who run ahead of the pack. This program is dedicated to irreverent, stylistically playful films that challenge the boundaries of social discourse. It is aimed at adventurous audiences who delight in movies that push the envelopes of technology, culture and sexuality. These edgy films have a distinct, youthful feel.’ I personally feel that ‘Serbis’ captures everything that this section is all about.”
When we asked about the critical drubbing of the movie in Cannes, Dante conceded, “I know that ‘Serbis’ is not an easy film to like. It is complex, even with a seemingly simple story that happens in a single day. It is riddled with crisscrossing plots. ‘Serbis’ challenged not only me as an artist but my craft as well, and my perspective as a filmmaker.”
Harsh reviews
On how he was affected by the harsh reviews, Dante, who said he was up in the mountains back home doing research for a new project, answered, “I might have lost my momentum for a while when I read some of the negative reviews but after reaffirming with myself that ‘Serbis’ is not just a film but an experience in itself, I realized that I did the right thing. Yes, it’s either you like the movie or you don’t. And with all the invitations for the film to be included in these festivals until next year and all the retrospective presentations being given to me in the US, Paris, Rome and in Asia, I don’t think I have any reason to complain.”
He vowed, “I think I will still do this kind of films and tell them the way they should be told—truthful and honest.”
The filmmaker, whose “Foster Child” recently won the Best Picture award (and Best Actress honors for the movie’s Cherry Pie Picache) in the Durban International Film Festival in South Africa, is optimistic about the audience reaction toward “Serbis” in the TIFF: “I’m confident that the audience in Toronto will react positively to my film, the way they did with my other films in the past.”
Fil-Canadians in Toronto can watch “Serbis” on Friday, Sept. 5, 6 p.m. at the Varsity 2 and on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 5 p.m. at the AMC 4.
“I will be in Toronto from Sept. 4 to 8 with my French co-producer Didier Costet of Swift Distribution to attend the first public screening,” Dante announced. “Our world distributor, Fortissimo Films, represented by Wouter Barendrecht, will also be there to introduce me to Regent Distribution which acquired the US territory rights of ‘Serbis.’”
Of the TIFF tribute to Brocka, who paved the way for Filipino directors in the international scene, Dante said, “I always look up to Lino Brocka as one of, if not the greatest Filipino filmmaker. Lino’s influence on me is his dedication and commitment to his craft.”
E-mail the columnist at rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com and read his blog, “The Nepales Report,” on http://blogs.inquirer.net/nepalesreport.
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