MANILA, Philippines?Fifteen Filipino films are bound for international festivals in the last quarter of the year?with two countries mounting special retrospectives on the Philippines.

Apart from Pusan in South Korea, film festivals in Thessaloniki (Greece) and Vladivostok (Russia) have also chosen the Philippines as this year?s ?country of honor,? says independent producer Arleen Cuevas.

The 7th Pacific-Meridian International Film Festival, to be held in Vladivostok from September 19 to 25, has come up with a program called ?Focus on the Philippines.?

According to its website, among the films featured in the retrospective are Chris Martinez?s ?100?; Adolf Alix Jr.?s ?Adela?; Francis Pasion?s ?Jay?; Brillante Mendoza?s ?Kinatay?; Alix and Raya Martin?s ?Manila?; and the short films of Khavn de la Cruz.

In Vladivostok, Raya Martin?s ?Independencia? is also competing with entries from Australia, Russia, Canada, Mexico, Japan, United States, among others.

This month, ?Independencia? also has screenings in the Toronto, Croatia and New York fests, reports Cuevas. ?For local audiences, it will be running at the Cine Adarna in UP from September 14 to 19.?

In October, ?Independencia? will be featured in fests in Sitges (Spain), Vancouver (Canada), Antalya (Turkey), Chile, Granada, Mumbai (India), Vienna (Austria) and Thessaloniki, she says.

The country will also be given a tribute by the 50th Thessaloniki Film Festival, says Nonoy Lauzon of the UP Film Institute.

Main competition
Apart from the retrospective, Ralston Jover?s ?Baseco: Bakal Boys? is also in the main competition of the Greek fest set from November 13 to 22.

?Baseco? producer Albert Almedralejo says his film was also invited to the Wide Angle section of Pusan and the main competition of Vancouver. It will also have screenings in Stockholm (Sweden) and the Asian Third Eye fest in Mumbai.

Apart from Toronto and Brussels (Belgium), Mike Sandejas? Cinemalaya entry ?Dinig Sana Kita? has also been picked by the Hawaii International Film Festival which runs from October 15 to 25.

Nominated

Another Cinemalaya entry, Ana Agabin?s ?24K,? is nominated for the Golden Orchid narrative feature award in Hawaii as well.

Joel Lamangan?s ?Dukot? and Ronaldo Bertubin?s ?Last Viewing? are off to the World Film Festival in Montreal (Canada), ongoing until September 7.

Meanwhile, Adolfo Alix?s ?Aurora,? which was slapped with an ?X? by the MTRCB, will compete in the Southeast Asian section of the Bangkok fest from September 24 to 30.

Two other Filipino films, Martin?s ?Independencia? and Sherad Anthony Sanchez?s ?Imburnal,? are also competing in the Southeast Asian category along with films from Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

Martin and Alix?s ?Manila? is featured in Bangkok?s Panorama section and in the Oldenburg fest in Germany this month, too.

Winner

Earlier, Alix?s ?Kadin? won the Geber Award in the Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Alix?s ?Adela? is also part of the Bureau Art Project screening in Jerusalem Cinematheque in November.