Category: Movies

Award-Winning Documentaries to Close This Year’s Cinemalaya 18

Delikado by Karl Malakunas, and We Don’t Dance For Nothing by Stefanos Tai are the documentary films chosen to close the 18th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. The films will be screened at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater) on August 13, at 3:30 pm, and 7:00 pm, respectively.

After making rounds in film festivals abroad, Delikado will have its Philippine premiere as one of the closing films of Cinemalaya 2022. Telling a narrative beyond the paradisiacal image of Palawan, Karl Malakunas delved into the plight of environmental crusaders as they faced corporations and the government to protect the ‘last ecological frontier’ of the Philippines.

Malakunas, a journalist turned filmmaker, placed the spotlight on Atty. Robert “Bobby” Chan, Nieves Rosento, and Efren “Tata” Balladeres as they risk their lives tracking down illegal loggers, to raise awareness about the pressing social and environmental issues in Palawan.

Delikado garnered awards abroad namely the Sustainable Future Award at the Sydney Film Festival 2022, and Special Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature from the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. According to Luciana Tellez-Chavez from Humans Right Watch, “Delikado is an important and powerful film. The tension is palpable throughout… but so is the incredible courage of the environmental defenders portrayed.”

A brief Q&A follows the screening for a conversation with Malakunas.

We Don’t Dance For Nothing by Stefanos Tai, captures the contrast of being trapped and being free through a ‘photo-montage’ as it follows the story of Filipina Domestic Workers in the midst of rallies in Hong Kong while tackling LGBTQ+ themes, issues of Workers’ Rights, and Hong Kong’s changing political landscape.

Miles Sible, a Filipina performer in Hong Kong, plays the role of H – a young domestic worker who plans to run away for the sake of love. Tai ensured genuine representation by casting Filipino performers in this documentary film.

DOXA Documentary Festival in Vancouver regarded We Don’t Dance For Nothing with the sole HonorableMention last May 2022.

The 18th Cinemalaya opened at the CCP on August 5. Awarding ceremonies are set on August 14 at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater).

For more information, visit the CCP and Cinemalaya websites. Follow the CCP and Cinemalaya official social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

August 8, 2022
‘Riding the Waves: 15 Years of Cinemalaya’ and More Books to Be Launched During the Film Festival

Six books by icons and experts on Philippine cinema will be launched during the ongoing 18th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

On August 8 at 4:00 pm, a back-to-back launch of Nick Deocampo’s book Alternative Cinema: The Unchronicled History of Alternative Cinema in the Philippines and Philippine Cinema 1897-2020 by Gaspar Vibal and Dennis Villegas will be held at the Cinemalaya Tent.

Alternative Cinema is a collection of ethnography and history of alternative cinema in the Philippines. It also seeks to reveal the “hidden side” of Philippine cinema. The book took 40 years to create, utilizing Deocampo’s notes, notebooks, and diaries.

Deocampo is an award-winning Filipino filmmaker, film historian, University of the Philippines Film Institute (UPFI) professor, and advocate for film literacy. Since 1982, Deocampo has written on alternative films in the country which started while he was in Paris shortly after graduating from the UP.

Philippine Cinema 1897-2020 received the Best Book on Art in the 39th National Book Awards. The book was written by Gaspar A. Vidal of the University of the Philippines Diliman and Dennis A. Villegas of the Far Eastern University, and edited by Teddy Co.

Co is the founder of Cinema Rehiyon and was the chairman of the Cinema Committee the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

On August 9 at 4:00 pm, the launching of the books Mga Screenplay ni Ricky Lee Volume 1: Brutal, Moral, Karnal and Mga Screenplay ni Ricky Lee Volume 2: Himala, Cain at Abel, Salome by National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Ricardo “Ricky” Lee will be held at the Third Floor CCP Hallway.

Lee, a Filipino screenwriter, journalist, novelist, and playwright, collaborated with fellow National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Marilou Diaz-Abaya on the screenplays of Brutal, Moral, and Karnal. The first volume contains the complete scripts of the three films with precursory articles on their developments.

For the second volume Mga Screenplay ni Ricky Lee (Volume 2): Himala, Cain at Abel, Salome, Lee included the three screenplays of the films which were directed by Ishmael Bernal, Lino Brocka, and Laurice Guillen respectively. Bernal and Brocka are both National Artists for Film and Broadcast Arts.

The University of Santo Tomas Publishing House published the two book volumes of Lee.

On August 11 at 4:00 pm, Ang Daigdig ng mga Api: Remembering a Lost Film (a collaboration between Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr. and Dik Trofeo) and Riding the Waves: 15 Years of Cinemalaya edited by Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr. will be launched at the Cinemalaya Lounge by Latitude at the Third Floor of the CCP Main Gallery.

del Mundo is a writer who recreated the multi-award winning film Ang Daigdig ng mga Api in book form. He collaborated on the book with Dik Trofeo, the film’s assistant director, who contributed anecdotes and black-and-white pictures from behind the scenes. Dick Baldovino is another photo contributor to the book’s images.

Riding the Waves: 15 Years of Cinemalaya will have its onsite relaunch after last year’s online launch. It contains a vibrant tapestry of narratives that portray through words and images the first 15 years of the festival’s existence through the contributors’ unique vantage points.

World-renowned artists and cultural figures who contributed articles in Riding The Waves include Doreen Yu, Lito B. Zulueta, Jose Javier Reyes, Marjorie Evasco, Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr., Bayani San Diego, Jr., Philip Cheah, Max Tessier, Ben Suzuki, Jessica Zafra, Michael Kho Lim, and Chris B. Millado.

For more details, check out the CCP and Cinemalaya websites. Follow the CCP and Cinemalaya official social media accounts in Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

August 8, 2022
“The Invitation”, Horror Told From a Female Perspective

The Invitation gave Thompson the chance to work in the horror genre which was irresistible. “I grew up on horror, on thrillers. They are sacred to me,” she says. “I always wanted to make a horror movie told from a female perspective.”

Thompson made her feature writer-directorial debut with The Light of the Moon, which won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Film at SXSW. The film holds a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score, with critics calling it “harrowingly effective” (Variety), “honest and complex” (The Hollywood Reporter), and Film Inquiry stated that “for any filmmaker this would be an unmitigated triumph, but for a first-time filmmaker this is revelatory.”

The Invitation centers on Evie (Emmanuel), a struggling artist in New York. After the death of her mother and having no other known relatives, Evie takes a DNA test…and discovers a long-lost cousin she never knew she had. Invited by her newfound family to a lavish wedding in the English countryside, she’s at first seduced by the sexy aristocrat host but is soon thrust into a nightmare of survival as she uncovers twisted secrets in her family’s history and the disturbing intentions behind their generosity.

Thompson says her favorite and most challenging scene was the rehearsal dinner, where the true motivations of the hosts are revealed. “It starts off as a beautiful, sumptuous ball, and then halfway through, the penny drops. In that sense, it was like making two scenes in one: the beauty is covering a nightmare boiling under the surface,” Thompson explains. “All of the decadent food is actually rotting and melting and dripping, the incredible chandelier is actually made of antlers and skulls. Among the characters, there’s so much to capture: Evie’s emotion, as she’s realizing the true horror of what’s happening to her, so many looks from the guests, so many nuanced beats. It was a three-day shoot to get it all – so that was the hardest scene but also the most rewarding one, because I think it’s one of the best scenes in the film.”

“It begins as a masked ball, beautiful and decadent and transformative,” says producer Emile Gladstone. “Evie walks in, beautiful, wearing her red dress and her gorgeous mask, and she is sitting next to a man who she’s recently fallen in love with. She’s never felt more at home or surrounded by family with a solid man in her life. And then, halfway through the dinner, it all turns. And what’s beautiful turns nightmarish.”

In cinemas across the Philippines August 24, The Invitation is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Connect with the hashtag #InvitationMovie

August 8, 2022
Film Facts: 5 Things to Know About ‘Bullet Train’ Starring Brad Pitt

The new action film Bullet Train starring Brad Pitt is heading to Philippine cinemas this week!

Bullet Train follows Pitt’s Ladybug, an unlucky assassin waiting to catch a break and finish his job in peace. However, he soon finds himself inside the world’s fastest train where he gets on a collision course with other assassins whose missions are not unrelated to his.

Watch the trailer for Bullet Train below:

Excited to see Bullet Train on the big screen? On this list, we’ve rounded up some interesting facts that you might want to know about the new film!

1. Brad Pitt’s former stunt double is directing.

This is not the first time that director David Leitch and Brad Pitt worked together. In fact, Leitch used to be the actor’s stunt double in films such as Fight Club, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Troy, and more.

“It was a little funny to me, watching Brad play a stuntman in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” shared Leitch. “I can tell you that the relationship between actor and stuntman that was part of that movie is real. You develop a close and collaborative relationship. We went in different directions for a while, but fate wasn’t done with us, and I’m so glad it’s brought us back together.”

Photo: Columbia Pictures

2. It is based on a Japanese novel.

The film is based on the book Maria Beetle by Kotaro Isaka published in 2010, with its English-translated version published just last year. Another popular title from Isaka is Three Assassins, which like its predecessor, follows intertwining stories between quirky hired killers.

Photo: Goodreads website

3. Lady Gaga was supposed to play Maria Beetle.

It was Lady Gaga who was set to play Ladybug’s mysterious handler. However, due to scheduling conflicts with Lady Gaga starring in Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci, the actress had to turn down the role.

“It really all came down to her schedule with the Ridley Scott film, House Of Gucci,” director Leitch told Entertainment Weekly. “There were short discussions and then, this isn’t going to work because she was preparing for the Ridley movie. They shot right before us and overlapped with us and it really didn’t work.”

Photo: House of Gucci on Twitter

4. One of the assassins pulls their inspiration from Thomas the Tank Engine.

Brian Tyree Henry who plays Lemon– the partner-in-crime of Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Tangerine– shared that he had shaped his character in the film with Thomas the Tank Engine in mind.

““He knows how to tell his marks based on certain characteristics of Thomas The Tank Engine,” Henry told Empire in an interview. “He can tell if there’s somebody that’s reliable, something that needs to be killed right away, or somebody that is actually up to little schemes.”

Photos: ‘Bullet Train’ trailer and ‘Thomas & Friends’ on Twitter

5. ‘Bullet Train’ got Brad Pitt into another film.

Before Bullet Train, Brad Pitt also appeared in this year’s The Lost City headlined by Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. According to The Lost City directors Aaron and Adam Nee, they didn’t expect to have Pitt on board, but thanks to Bullock and Bullet Train (and the hairdresser), the actor was happy to join!

“Brad Pitt’s name came up early for this. But the role isn’t a cameo, he’s in a good chunk of the movie. We were like, ‘We’re never going to get Brad Pitt to do this,’” said Adam in an interview with Total Film. “And then Sandy did Bullet Train [with Pitt], she was pitching him the role and she and Brad share a hairdresser, Janine [Thompson]. Janine was saying to Brad, ‘How would you do your hair if you played this part? What would you do about this?’ It felt like she just started getting him excited about it. And it then suddenly became real – and we were sitting on a Zoom, and talking to him about the movie. Before we knew it, he was in the jungle.”

Photo: ‘The Lost City’ trailer

Bullet Train opens in cinemas nationwide this Wednesday, August 10, 2022. Book your seats in advance and buy your tickets here.

August 8, 2022
Lady Gaga is Harley Quinn in Musical Sequel ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’

Joker is really setting itself apart from DC’s superhero movies, with its sequel reportedly set to be a musical!

After his grounded take on Gotham’s most infamous villain, director Todd Phillips has revealed its sequel title to be Joker: Folie à Deux, and now Lady Gaga has revealed her participation in the film. Lady Gaga has posted a brief promotional clip for the movie which shows her silhouette with Phoenix dancing to the tune of Irving Berlin’s “Cheek to Cheek.”

While the clip does not outright reveal Lady Gaga’s role as Harley Quinn, we see in her silhouette the iconic heart tattoo that Quinn often has on her face. Watch the clip below:

Joker: Folie à Deux
10.04.24 pic.twitter.com/obp7T9lBFL
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) August 4, 2022

Back in June, The Hollywood Reporter announced that the actress was in talks to be in the film, alongside the claim that the sequel was to be a musical. The title, Folie à Deux refers to a delusional disorder where two people share similar delusional beliefs and sometimes, hallucinations. Fittingly in the world of Batman, Harley Quinn is known for her twisted romantic relationship with the Joker.

In 2019, the Joker film found success at the box office after telling an original origin story for the pop culture icon. It follows Arthur Fleck, a failing comedian who suffers from a mental disorder that forces him into fits of uncontrollable laughter. As society neglects and torments Fleck, he spirals into madness pushing him to become the violent Joker. The film garnered 11 nominations at the Oscars in 2020, and won Phoenix the Best Actor Award, and Hildur Guðnadóttir the Best Original Score.

Joker: Folie à Deux is set for a US release on October 4, 2024. More details about the film including its official synopsis and the other cast members, are yet to be revealed.

August 8, 2022
Jordan Peele Rewrites “Nope” Script for Fil-Am Puerto Rican Actor Brandon Perea

At the Nope world premiere, Brandon Perea received rave reviews for his performance as one of the film’s leads, describing him as a breakthrough star and an unexpected scene stealer for his role as Angel Torres, an angsty employee of retail store Fry’s Electronics.

Nope is Jordan’s latest horror thriller that impressively debuted with $44 million on top of the box-office when it opened in the US (July). Considered to be a must-see in cinemas for its spectacle, Nope is about to open in cinemas outside of US and will take the audience in for a ride into the unknown as siblings OJ (Kaluuya) and Emerald (Palmer) inherit their father’s legendary horse ranch. As OJ and Emerald start noticing unexplained phenomena on their vast ranch, they soon start to plot attempts to capture the mystery on camera and enlist the expert help of Fry’s Electronics store employee Angel Torres (Perea). Together, the trio step right into the eye of an irreversible storm with no path guiding them back, further ratcheting the stakes to terrifying consequences.

Brandon Perea, Kaluuya, Palmer in NOPE

Perea, who’s also known for his roles in Netflix’s The OA and the movie American Insurrection is thrilled with the opportunity to play Angel Torres in Nope. His character is crucial to the film’s lore on aliens and the unexplained as an electronics retail store employee who assists OJ and Emerald with installing surveillance equipment at their ranch and gets drawn into their quest for documenting the unexplained phenomenon they’ve encountered. Beneath Angel’s bleach-blonde veneer of post-punk angst and box-store malaise lies a heartbroken young man who is still hopeful and will become an unlikely, but exceedingly valuable ally to OJ and Emerald.

“Angel’s our tech expert, and something of a comic-relief character,” Jordan Peele says. “Angel is a diehard Ancient Aliens fan. Angel also often the one pointing out how batshit crazy the whole situation is. But he also gets quite willingly tangled up in this insane mission.”

Kaluuya, Perea, Palmer in NOPE

Brandon Perea’s role was not exactly how Peele originally envisioned it when he wrote the screenplay, but the young actor clearly made an impression. “Jordan said, ‘You brought something so different to the table that I had to meet you, but you’re really different than what I wrote for the script. If I were to put you in this movie, I’ll have to rewrite my entire movie,’” Perea recalls. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, that sounds tough. I guess that’s probably not going to happen.’ And he’s like, ‘So that’s what I’m going to do — I’m going to rewrite my movie. You got the part!’ I just busted out in tears crying.”

In a bit of serendipity, playing an employee of the famed Fry’s Electronics, which closed its doors in 2021, also brought back some good memories for the actor. “I remember reading the script and seeing that Angel works at Fry’s Electronics and I wigged out because my brothers and I used to go to the Fry’s in Chicago when we were growing up,” Perea says. “It was just a crazy full-circle moment for me.”

Nope opens in Philippine cinemas on August 17 from Universal Pictures. Rated R-13 by the local censors board.

August 8, 2022
Take a Ride on the Crazy Train: a review of ‘Bullet Train’

I’m not exactly sure what I just saw but I sure as hell had a good time watching it. ‘Bullet Train’ is a flippant action comedy that works on a very stylized, hyper-real world of assassins and very self-aware filmmaking. Director David Leitch throws away character development for a zany, ultra-violent madcap caper of five (or was it six? There are so many in this movie!) assassins with different missions aboard one bullet train in Japan, who discover that their missions are all interconnected.

Taking the lead is Brad Pitt as Ladybug, who has just come out of hiatus to do a “simple job” and is trying to find a new approach to life through the help of a therapist. He discusses all of this with his handler, Maria (voiced by Sandra Bullock). It’s interesting that the lead is a mercenary who has come back to the field as he tries to philosophize and rationalize his actions, whether it’s stealing, assaulting, or even killing the various occupants in the train.

Brad Pitt is in fine form here, oozing with charisma and a dazzling display of physical strength and agility (online, it says he did 95% of his own stunts). He gives the audience someone to root for as each new assassin that is introduced just seems crazier than the last one.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry are a pair who has to deliver the son of a Russian gangster and some stolen cash to the final destination of the train in Kyoto. They are a verbose duo, who are as ruthless as they are unintentionally funny. Their dialogue can get a bit much and slow things down at the start but as the action begins to build momentum, everything gets used in the end.

Photo: Columbia Pictures

Andrew Koji is a forlorn father, who takes the train to find and kill the man who pushed his son off a building but gets entangled with Joey King’s The Prince, a schoolgirl with a dark past of her own. Koji is an arresting actor and feels under-utilised here, considering the film opens with his story. His character’s struggle would seem one that is likely to bring audiences in but it’s too heavy for the light and comedic tone of the film so it takes a step back as Leitch and screenwriter Zak Olkewicz opts to take the gags and the action.

Also in the film are Bad Bunny, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Logan Lerman, Zazie Beetz, and some surprising cameos that are fun and just add to the formalist aesthetic of the film. Everyone seems to be having fun here and it makes the whole thing enjoyable even if the film doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Photo: Columbia Pictures

There’s no real character arc that’s happening in the movie. Much like Ladybug’s musings, ruminating about fate and coincidence, the film plays out like a farce with no real-world associations. It’s not a satire or a social commentary. It’s not a battle between good and bad. It’s just bad people doing bad things and in what could be a really fun way depending on what you consider fun in movies.

It’s clever both visually and in its scripting. The film jumps into flashbacks to deepen the history of these characters but only when needed and not set up methodically so as to create a sense of build-up. The scenes cut to the next moment where the tension can rise or when we can get the most laughs.

There are 16 cars in the bullet train but the only way for these characters to move is forward or backward, which means there are no places to run or hide. In this way, all the five groups of killers are going to collide at some point and it just gets crazier and crazier as it goes along; all the way to a grand finish that feels like they threw everything and the kitchen sink at us for full effect.

Photo: Columbia Pictures

And while ‘Bullet Train’ is narratively thin, it’s a hell of a fun ride. At some point, you realise no one is safe, you can’t take anything seriously, pleasantly surprised by the sudden cameos, and so forth. It’s a kind of irreverence that feels at home in a crazy world where nothing really matters. Maybe five years ago it would have been disappointing as I search for some sort of meaning but now, I’m very much welcome to this sort of insanity on screen.

Now I’m really curious about the novel that the film is based on by Kotaro Isaka.

My Rating:

––

Bullet Train opens in cinemas nationwide on August 10, Wednesday.

ALSO READ:
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry are the Twin Assassins in “Bullet Train”
Former Stunt Double of Brad Pitt Now Directs “Bullet Train”

August 8, 2022
Cinemalaya to Pay Tribute to Outstanding Cinemalaya Artists

Cinemalaya 2022 will honor the legacy of the late artists Benji Garcia, Flor Salanga, Sigfreid Barros-Sanchez, Joseph Israel Laban, and Eduardo Roy Jr. at the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival on August 5-14, 2022.

The works of the filmmakers – BATAD: Sa Paang Palay, JAY, Lasponggols, Cuchera, and Pamilya Ordinaryowill be screened respectively from August 9 to August 13, 2022, at 12:45 p.m. at CCP’s Tanghalang Manuel Conde (TMC) for free.

Benji Garcia was known for traversing the worlds of theater and film – production, on stage, backstage, on camera, and off camera. He completed his Communication Arts degree at Ateneo de Manila University in 1979 and then took a film course at the London International Film School in 1980.

His feature film, BATAD: Sa Paang Palaywon four Cinemalaya awards in 2006 for Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Production Design, and Special Jury Prize. It also won the Golden Screen Awards with Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Production Design, and Best Musical Score.

Flor Salanga, Best Actress in a Supporting Role Golden Screen 2009 awards and nominated for Best Supporting Actress in Gawad Urian 2009, was an audition master of Cinemalaya Film Festival from 2005 to 2019. She completed her Master’s Thesis for her MA degree in Theater Arts at the University of the Philippines.

She played the role of Luzviminda Mercado in the featured film, JAY, which was directed by the late Francis Xavier Pasion. Jay won Best Film, Best Actor, and Best Editing in Cinemalaya and the Special Mention award at Bangkok International Film Festival in 2008. It also received the Audience Award at the 2009 Black Movie Film Festival.

Sigfreid Barros-Sanchez, 2016 Best Director at the Madrid International Film Festival and 2012 FDCP Grand Festival Prize awardee, was known as a pioneer of sorts in local film festivals. He came from a family of writers – both from the father’s and mother’s side. In 1999, he got a slot in the 11th Scriptwriting Workshop given by National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Ricardo Lee, who then became his primary mentor.

He was among the 1st batch of filmmakers in the first Cinemalaya in 2005 wherein he submitted Lasponggols, the featured film. It was his directorial film debut, a black comedy that showcases the oft-ignored people in a mainstream movie set. Lasponggols was screened at the 2005 Fribourg International Film Festival in Switzerland and in the 2006 New York Imaginasian Film Festival.

Joseph Israel Laban was a filmmaker, documentarist, and Creative Consultant for GMA Network’s Front Row and Reporter’s Notebook. He finished his Creative Writing degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman and studied at New York University (NYU) under a Fullbright Scholarship for his master’s in Journalism with a focus on News and Documentary.

His feature film, Cuchera won Best Film in the New Breed category in Cinemalaya 2011. It was screened in international film festivals in Toronto, Stockholm, Belgrade, and Cleveland in 2011 and 2012.

Eduardo Roy Jr. started as a soap opera writer in ABS-CBN until his persistence paid off as a director with his film, Bahay Bata being named as Best Film in the New Breed category in Cinemalaya 2011. He was a mass communication student from New Era University in Quezon City.

Eduardo’s featured film, Pamilya Ordinaryowon Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Editing, and NETPAC Award in Cinemalaya 2016. It received the Asia Pacific Screen Award, Special Mention award in New Asian Cinema at the Five Flavours Asian Film Festival, and Best Director award from the Hanoi festival. The film was then added on Netflix to its Filipino Movies & TV list in 2020 which garnered the number 1 spot for weeks.

Since 2005, Cinemalaya has supported and promoted the production of Filipino full feature independent films and short films. Many of these films have won awards in local and international competitions and festivals. Through the annual festival, Cinemalaya has showcased over 1,000 works by independent filmmakers including full feature films, shorts, documentaries, Filipino film classics, and art films.

For more information on the 18th Cinemalaya Film Festival screening schedules and other offerings, check out the CCP website www.culturalcenter.gov.ph and Cinemalaya social media sites on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

August 6, 2022
Award-winning Environmental Documentary Comes Home To Close Cinemalaya 2022

The award-winning documentary feature, “Delikado,” which draws focus on environmental crusaders who risk their lives protecting the rainforests of Palawan will finally have its Philippine premiere.

The 96-minute enviro-thriller docu directed by journalist Karl Malakunas will be screened at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ (CCP) Main Theater (Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo) on Aug. 13 at 3:30 p.m. It will be among the closing films of the 18th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.

Nieves Rosento on the campaign trail in the May 2019 elections

In “Delikado,” Malakunas takes viewers to one of the Philippines’ top tourist destinations—Palawan. But the former Manila bureau chief of Agence France Presse shies away from the tropical paradise angle and instead shines the light on environmental defenders who are fighting to preserve their natural resources from big developers, politicians, illegal loggers and others who threaten the Philippines’ “last ecological frontier.”

The film follows Robert “Bobby” Chan, lawyer and executive director of the Palawan NGO Network Inc. (PNNI), former El Nido mayor Nieves Rosento and land defender Efren “Tata” Balladares.

Tata Balladares rests on a fallen tree while searching for illegal loggers in forests of southern Palawan, Rizal, Palawan – April, 2018. Photo by Karl Malakunas

Another film participant was “Kap” Ruben Arzaga, one of the volunteer leaders, who was shot dead in an anti-logging operation in 2017.

The film gets up close and personal with some of the environmental crusaders in a country that has been named one of the most dangerous places in Asia for land defenders. Environmental group Global Witness has named the Philippines as such for eight years, with a record of 29 killings of people who were protecting their lands and ecosystems in 2021 alone.

Bobby Chan stands in front of chainsaws at PNNI HQ

“These land defenders are on the frontlines of mankind’s efforts to save the planet from the worst impacts of climate change. I felt the strength and courage of Bobby, Nieves, Tata and other land defenders featured in ‘Delikado’ could be a source of inspiration as we search for hope in our fight to restrain climate change,” Malakunas said in a statement.

He added: “I filmed ‘Delikado’ with the intention of it being an intimate thriller about the lives of the land defenders, to ensure that audiences feel an emotional connection with the characters while learning about extremely compelling social and environmental issues.”

Malakunas and the rest of the team want “Delikado” to leave viewers with lasting impact—the kind that would propel them to take meaningful action against those who threaten the environment and fight for climate change. They also aim to help communities and organizations fighting for their lands raise funds.

“Delikado” is a collaboration of award-winning filmmakers, among them two-time Emmy-nominated filmmaker Marty Syjuco (producer), “Give Up Tomorrow” director Michael Collins (producer, editor and writer), broadcast journalist and Storytellers International Inc. cofounder Kara Magsano-Alikpala (producer) and award-winning cinematographer Tom Bannigan ACS (director of photography).

The docu premiered in April this year at the Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival, and has since made rounds in festivals abroad, including Human Rights Watch Film Festival in New York, CAAMFest in San Francisco, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and Take One Action in Scotland.

A review from CineEuropa.Org read that “the documentary has an intense feeling of urgency and immediacy” while showing how the idyllic groups of islands are not just property, but also a home to the communities.

“Delikado” has also received various recognitions, like Sustainable Future Award and Audience Award: Best Documentary #2 at the Sydney Film Festival; Special Jury Prize: Best Documentary Feature at Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival; and Special Mention: Best International Feature at Doc Edge, New Zealand. The film was also featured at Sheffield Docfest, Human Rights Watch Film Festival, and MountainFilm.

It will also be screened from August 11 to 13 at the Melbourne International Film Festival.

Visit delikadofilm.com or https://www.facebook.com/DelikadoFilm for details. For advance ticket purchase, go to https://culturalcenter.gov.ph/event/cinemalaya-18-philippine-independent-film-festival-2022

August 5, 2022
Cinemalaya’s Retrospective Shorts to Showcase Films from 2020 and 2021

After two (2) consecutive years of online streaming, Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival returns to onsite screenings and offers the Retrospective Shorts section on August 7, 9, 10, and 12 at the Tanghalang Manuel Conde.

The Retrospective Shorts section gives a chance for audiences to rewatch and relive the stories of the 16th (2020) and 17th (2021) edition Cinemalaya entries at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Award winners Tokwifi (Star) by Carla Pulido Ocampo, Pabasa Kan Pasyon by Hubert Tibi, and Quing Lalam Ning Aldo (Under The Sun) by Reeden Fajardo are slated on August 7 at 9:00 pm, and August 9 at 3:00 pm; along with the finalists Ang Gasgas na Plaka ni Lolo Bert (The Broken Vinyl Record) by Janina Gacosta and Cheska Marfori, and Fatigued by James Robin Mayo.

Tokwifi was hailed as the Best Short Film of the 16th edition of Cinemalaya, as well as the most honored film for bagging two (2) awards, including the Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema (NETPAC) Jury Prize. Delving into the world of a Bontok Igorot man and a trapped 1950s showbiz star in television, Tokwifi explored love amidst glaring contrast between the traditional and modern beliefs of the characters.

Living Things by Martika Ramirez Escobar, and Ang Pagpakalma Sa Unos (To Calm the Pig Inside) by Joanna Vasquez Arong which were awarded Best Direction, and Special Jury Prize, respectively in 2020, will be showing on August 9 at 6:15 pm, and August 10 at 9:00 PM; along with Excuse Me, Miss, Miss, Miss by Sonny Calvento, The Slums by Jan Andrei Cobey, Utwas (Arise) by Richard Salvadico and Arlie Sweet Sumagaysay.

Bagging Audience Choice Award, Special Jury Prize, NETPAC Jury Prize during Cinemalaya 2021, An Sadit na Planeta (The Little Planet) by Arjanmar H. Rebeta is among the films showing on August 9 at 9:00 pm, and August 10 at 3:30 pm; along with Maski Papano (I Mask Go On) by Che Tagyamon and Glenn Barit, Crossing by Marc Misa, Kawatan sa Salog (A Toy in the River) by Alphie Velasco, Looking for Rafflesias And Other Fleeting Things by James Fajardo, Out of Body by Enrico Po, and Ang Pagdadalaga Ni Lola Mayumi by Shiri De Leon.

Cinemalaya 2021 Best Short Film, Beauty Queen by Myra Aquino, will be showing on August 10 at 6:15 pm, and August 12 at 9:00 pm, along with Namnama En Lolang (Grandmother’s Hope) by Jonnie Lyn P. Dasalla, Kids on Fire by Kyle Nieva, Ate OG by Kevin Mayuga, The Dust In Your Place by David Olson, and Ang Mga Nawalang Pag-asa at Panlasa (The Lost Hopes and Flavors) by Kevin Jay Ayson and Mark Moneda.

Directed by Myra Aquino, Beauty Queen delved into the life of a beauty queen-turned soldier during World War II. It bagged the coveted balanghai trophy “for its overall technical and artistic excellence, its fine ensemble acting, and its bold storytelling into an eclectic chapter in Philippine history.”

The Retrospective Shorts is part of the 18th edition of Cinemalaya which will happen from August 5 to August 14, 2022.

For more information about Retrospective Shorts sets, visit the CCP and Cinemalaya websites. Follow the CCP and Cinemalaya official social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

August 4, 2022