MANILA, Philippines — Last June 27, Cinemalaya Filmmakers flocked to the Cultural Center of the Philippines for a celebratory pictorial of past and present finalists. It was a gathering of indie practitioners who have made their presence felt at film festivals here and abroad.
To celebrate the festival’s fifth year, we asked filmmakers how Cinemalaya had boosted their careers. Adolf Alix Jr. readily replies, “I did ‘Donsol,’ my first project as a director, for Cinemalaya in 2007. Many doors have opened for me because the festival trusted me on my first attempt at directing. It has a built-in structure to back up talented newcomers.” Alix has since racked up 11 feature films—in only two years!
Creative process
Aloy Adlawan shares, “Because of Cinemalaya, I discovered that I really enjoyed the creative process behind producing movies. I’m happier when I’m producing!” Among the films he’s produced are “Roomboy,” “Condo,” “Signos” and “Padyak.”
Milo Tolentino has been joining the short film competition for five years. He confides, “It’s the most accessible venue for my movies because it has wide viewership. The most important thing it gave me is confidence. Every year, I get encouraged to do more.”
Tolentino’s “Orasyon” and “Andong” won as Best Short Films in 2006 and 2007. The latter won at the 13th Pusan International Film Festival and at this year’s Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival in France.
Raymond Lee told us: “‘Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros’ was a success story for us. Cinemalaya has a way of realizing people’s dream projects outside the mainstream industry. It makes substantial indies more accessible to moviegoers.”
Ana Bigornia, who bagged a Special Jury Prize last year for her animated short, “My Pet,” enthuses: “For me, Cinemalaya presented a rare chance to show what I could do as a filmmaker. To be included in it was such a wonderful experience!”
Cinemalaya Cinco will be held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines from July 17 to 26, opening with the Piolo Pascual starrer, “Manila.”
