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Category: Movies

  • Jordan Peele’s ‘Nope’ Transcends Sci-Fi Horror Genre

    Filmmaker Jordan Peele, also known for Get Out and Us that disrupted and redefined the horror genre, reinvents the sci-fi horror genre this time in his latest film Nope.  Shot with large-format and IMAX cameras, Peele, along with the film’s director of photography Hoyte Van Hoytema (whose work includes Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk and Tenet) teamed up to capture the impossible on camera. A Universal Pictures release, Nope opens in local cinemas on August 17.

    Jordan Peele was eager to expand his cinematic canvas and embraced a new challenge unlike any in his filmmaking career so far and tackle the granddaddy of genre movies: the summer event film. ‘Nope’ is both a spectacle and an examination of how spectacle shapes cultures and ideas of ourselves. The film puts siblings OJ and Emerald Haywood back together (played by Oscar® winner Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer) when their legendary father dies and leaves them the ranch estate to manage, known for training horses used in big Hollywood productions. As they delve deeper in managing the ranch, both notice something unusual – something is in the sky and it is abducting people and animals, and the Haywood siblings are determined to uncover the mystery behind it.

    poster 4

    A man of few words but noble actions, OJ is the moral center of the film. Although he works in Hollywood, his world is mostly isolated to the Haywood Ranch in Agua Dulce, and he’s most comfortable doing his work and keeping his head down. When his sister Emerald (Keke Palmer) returns to the ranch, some old tensions and wounds begin to surface. “What I love about Jordan’s films is that they’re hard to describe,” Kaluuya says. “They have to be experienced. There’s always a real eternal premise and then a real truth in the middle of it. I always lean in when I don’t know what something is,” Kaluuya continues. “But I can only lean in when I know that the director is passionate about it, that they understand it, that they feel it. And that’s always true of Jordan.” 

    Keke Palmer in NOPE
    Keke Palmer

    An aspiring actor, singer and stuntwoman, Emerald Haywood, played by Keke Palmer, seems, at first, to be the opposite of her brother OJ in fundamental ways. A defining moment from her childhood forever shaped her relationship with OJ and their father. She has a tight bond with OJ, despite her avoidance of her role in the family business.  For Palmer, the experience of making Nope and working with Peele inspired her to reflect on the state of our culture and ourselves. “For me, the film is about chasing something far outside of yourself and chasing it to such an extent that you don’t realize, until it’s too late, what you already had,” Palmer says.

    Daniel Kaluuya in NOPE
    Daniel Kaluuya

    “Nope was written in 2020 during the pandemic,” Peele says. “It was this crazy time. In a lot of ways, the film is a reflection of all the horrors that happened that year and are still happening.” As for the title, he says, “Nope means a lot of things. I always love to get into the head of my audience. I was inspired by the feeling of existential helplessness in us all, then this idea of spectacle, to bring people out to the theatres and help invigorate their love for the cinematic experience, and at the same time I asked myself the reason why we are obsessed with spectacle.”

    A Universal Pictures release, Nope opens in local cinemas on August 17.

  • WATCH: ‘Haikyu!! Final’ Movie Trailer Teases Exciting Ending for the Karasuno Team

    The beloved sports anime Haikyu!! is set to wrap up in the 2-part feature film Haikyu!! Final which has released its first trailer.

    The finale for the anime will feature Karasuno and Nekoma’s volleyball teams going against each other at the Tokyo Nationals Tournament, as well as the final arc for the series as seen in the manga. Watch the trailer for Haikyuu!! Final below:

    The successful anime franchise ended its fourth season in 2020, and while it was not followed by a fifth season, fans will finally see the ending for the beloved anime, not just on their small screens but on the big screen.

    While there is no release window yet for Haikyu!! Final, a kick-off event for the films is scheduled for August 2023. For more details, you can check out the announcement made by Crunchyroll.

    Haikyu!! is a slice-of-life, sports anime series by Haruichi Furudate which begins with Shoyo Hinata joining the volleyball team of Karasuno High. Here, he gets teamed up with the prodigy setter Tobio Kageyama, who he considers a rival. Despite their differences, Shoyo and Kageyama would soon become a promising duo that could help Karasuno redeem its reputation as a powerhouse school for aspiring volleyball players.

    ALSO READ
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  • Nathalie Emmanuel Attends the Wedding of Her Nightmares in “The Invitation”

    (Courtesy of Columbia Pictures)

    Emmy-nominated actress Nathalie Emmanuel is best known for her remarkable performance in the role of Missandei in the critically acclaimed HBO series Game of Thrones.  She also made a mark as Ramsey in the seventh and eighth installments of the blockbuster film series Fast and the Furious. Now, Emmanuel stars in the lead role of Evie in Columbia Pictures’ new horror thriller The Invitation.

    After the death of her mother and having no other known relatives, Evie (Emmanuel) 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.

    INVTN 06 NEmmanuel
    Nathalie Emmanuel in Screen Gems THE INVITATION (Courtesy of Columbia Pictures)

    Emmanuel was attracted by Evie’s story being given a modern point of view. “Marriage can be a beautiful thing, but if you think about it, a long time ago, marriages were made so that two families could further their prosperity, in money or land,” says Emmanuel. “We’re making that modern. Times have changed and Evie has real power and agency. When things take a  turn, she is going to fight back.”

    Emmanuel’s portrayal of Evie is as a very compassionate person, in a way that doesn’t fit in with her newfound family. “When she gets to the castle, she introduces herself to the maids, she gets to know their names and who they are as people – to the horror of her aristocratic English family,” says director Jessica M. Thompson. “She sees humans as humans, and not as a class or status. And she maintains that throughout the film – if she’s going to go down, she’s going to go down fighting for these women, to save them from her fate.”

    INVTN 07
    Nathalie Emmanuel in Screen Gems THE INVITATION (Courtesy of Columbia Pictures)

    For producer Emile Gladstone, part of the key was setting up Evie as a character yearning for something. “There really isn’t a nightmare unless there’s a dream first,” he says. “It starts off Gatsby-esque and inspirational: Evie goes to this incredible wedding and finds this incredible guy, and finally thinks the worm has turned for her.  And then the penny drops, and the dream turns to nightmare.”

    “Nathalie has a beautiful presence,” shares Thompson.  “She’s the most empathetic person – she really feels deeply for her characters and finds the humanity in them. All of the nuances – from the way she wears her clothes, to the way she creates her art, to the way she honors her mother… all of those little details give Evie so much breath and life.”

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

  • Film Facts: 5 Things to Know About Jordan Peele’s ‘Nope’

    Despite being a comedian, Jordan Peele has been under the radar of horror movie fans ever since his successful directorial debut with Get Out which won him multiple Oscars. Now, Peele’s third horror film Nope is finally coming to Philippine theaters this week!

    Nope follows siblings OJ and Em who inherit a ranch of horses in Hollywood that are being used for film and television productions. Meanwhile, the former child star Jupe who is running a nearby theme park called Jupiter’s Claim, plans to buy the ranch from OJ. Things get bizarre when an unknown flying object begins to appear in the sky, but the siblings and Jupe find this as an opportunity to profit off of the flying saucer and the mysteries surrounding it. Watch Nope‘s trailer below:

    Before you see Nope on the big screen this week, here are some fun facts about the movie you might want to know about!

    1. Daniel Kaluuya and Jordan Peele are back.

    Daniel Kaluuya won an Oscar for Best Actor in Peele’s first film Get Out, and now the two are back together for the director’s new movie. In an interview with Vanity Fair, the director shared that Kaluuya is his “favorite actor in the world.”

    “I couldn’t wait longer to work with him again. One of the things I admire most about him is his powerful stillness. Nobody else has it. He doesn’t need words to communicate his thoughts or emotions. In the scariest and quietest moments, you know exactly what he’s feeling and experiencing just by looking at him, and that’s so powerful. His big eyes, his body language—he brings so much emotion,” the director explained.

    Nope 1
    Photo: ‘Nope: It Takes a Village’ trailer

    2. Jupiter’s Claim has become a real Hollywood attraction.

    Jupiter’s Claim, the theme park that Jupe has built to earn from his childhood tragedy, was rebuilt in real life to become part of the iconic Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood. In an interview with Forbes, Universal Creative’s Vice President Jon Corfino shared that they were given access to Peele’s set for Nope to further understand how the set works.

    “It’s unique to go out to a set and be there while it’s filming, to partner with Jordan and the production team, and get into the filmmaking process,” said Corfino. “We were allowed excellent access to help understand the film and figure out how we could do it. Usually, the movie is out, and you can tailor what you want to add from an attraction or backlot basis. Being there in real time was very different and very exciting. Jordan was so welcoming, and when I first went out there and saw him, he got very excited. That got me even more excited. It was one of those times when you think, ‘Oh boy. Don’t we have the coolest jobs in the world?’”

    3. The film tackles the “wrong spectacle”

    Peele is known for injecting commentaries in his films, like racism in Get Out and America’s fear of “outsiders” in Us. This time, Peele is inspired the “dark time” we find ourselves in.

    “I wrote this movie in a dark time that still exists. We are obsessed with the wrong spectacle, and it distracts us from what we really need to focus on,” said Peele in the same interview. “The movie is a reflection of all the awfulness and the spectacular horrors that we’ve been living through.”

    Nope 2
    Photo: ‘Nope’ trailer

    In an interview with CBC News, Peele also revealed that he was partly inspired by Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind and M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs.

    4. Peele made an intro for the fictional sitcom ‘Gordy’s Home’.

    In the film, the child star Jupe is introduced as part of the fictitious sitcom Gordy’s Home. The sitcom ended tragically, however, when the show’s chimpanzee murdered its cast members, leaving Jupe as the lone survivor. Peele has released the intro clip for the sitcom within the movie, which you could watch below:

    Here’s another bonus fact about the tragedy that transpired on the set of the fictional show. Peele tweeted back in 2014 a dream that he had which is very similar to the young Jupe’s experience in the film. This most likely inspired Jupe’s subplot in Nope.

    5. Gordy is made with CGI and acted by a “The Planet of the Apes” actor.

    The chimpanzee that made the opening of Nope nightmarish is actually CGI created with motion capture used in The Planet of the Apes trilogy. The chimp was even played by one of the trilogy’s actors, Terry Notary, who starred as Rocket.

    Nope opens in cinemas nationwide this Wednesday, August 17, 2022. Book your seats in advance and buy your tickets here.

  • Cinemalaya 18 Reviews: ‘Bakit ‘Di Mo Sabihin?’ and ‘Kaluskos’

    Bakit ‘Di Mo Sabihin?

    Directed by Real Florido
    Cast: JC De Vera and Janine Gutierrez
    My Rating: stars 2 5
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    Cinemalaya 18 Reviews: 'Bakit 'Di Mo Sabihin?' and 'Kaluskos'

    This is the fourth movie I’ve seen Janine Gutierrez in and I’m now convinced she can nail any role that is thrown at her. She brings so much honesty into her performances that you forget she just played a different character in her last movie. There’s a very lived-in, natural way about her portrayals that makes her characters seem so real. In ‘Bakit ‘Di Mo Sabihin?’ she expands her range even further by playing the deaf and mute artist Nat with such bravura that I was absolutely transfixed.

    Unfortunately, the film’s narrative structure takes on a non-linear form, which conflates the movie’s story and makes it feel incohesive. There’s the story of the challenges of a deaf-mute person, the toxic relationship she has with her husband Migs (a solid performance by JC De Vera), and the feminist undertones that come from having such an oppressive husband. The narrative jumps in and out of flashbacks and certain narrative points come at a much later time than when they are needed.

    Because certain backstory elements aren’t revealed until much later, what we experience in this film is the drama, the after effects, and these don’t grip us or hold on to us because they feel unmotivated. Why are the couple breaking up? How did they get to this point? Was Migs always this controlling? The answers come so much later that by the time that they do, I have already made judgments on certain characters that weren’t warranted or I’m totally disconnected from other characters completely.

    The non-linear structure (which is very reminiscent of the film ‘Blue Valentine’ to me) feels more cosmetic than functional. And there are certain storylines that I feel could have been explored (the world and struggles of the deaf and mute community) and a subplot with a farmer’s son, who is also deaf and mute, that Migs wants to teach sign language. While it shows Migs’ savior complex at work, it never really goes anywhere narratively and never really completes that it feels out of place. 

    There’s a lot of promise in this film but it needs to be able to take all the story elements and bring it back to what seems like the main point of the film, which is to fully explore the deterioration of this couple’s marriage. The film is a great showcase for its two lead actors, though, of how much they can convey without speaking one line of dialogue. If anything, watch it for their performances.

    Kaluskos

    Directed by Roman S. Perez Jr.
    Cast: Coleen Garcia, Queenzy Calma, Karl Medina
    My Rating: stars 1 0
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    Cinemalaya 18 Reviews: 'Bakit 'Di Mo Sabihin?' and 'Kaluskos'

    ‘Kaluskos’ is a horror film about a separated couple fighting over custody of their daughter. Career woman Rebecca (Coleen Garcia) has sole custody of her daughter Amaya (Queenzy Calma), which her ex-husband (played by Karl Medina) is fighting to overturn. Rebecca, who is dedicated to her job, is not at all connected to Amaya but will fight tooth and nail to keep her out of spite as her ex-husband cheated on her. But Amaya has begun to exhibit violent tendencies and strange behaviour and Rebecca is discovering that being a mother is a lot harder to do alone.

    Director Roman Perez Jr. is in quite a rush to get to the horror that he never really settles down to establish the setting, the characters, and the rules of this world.

    We never really get to know Rebecca’s job or how hard she works (it’s always mentioned but we never really get to see it) and because Rebecca never seems to really connect with her daughter, it’s hard for us to believe she really loves her when things start to go awry. We have no idea what Amaya was like before so when she starts acting strange or violent, we don’t know if this is due to the custody battle or if the child had always this issue growing under her, or if this is the effect of some supernatural element that is hinted upon in the film.

    In fact, the film is in such a rush to get to it that there are scenes when foreboding music is already at play in some normal, mundane scenes. In other moments, the camera is already angled in a peculiar way to suggest someone is watching, hidden, but the scene doesn’t really call for it.

    Without grounding the film in its setting and its world, Rebecca’s descent into madness feels rushed and not properly motivated. There are also quite a number of imagery and narrative elements that seem arbitrary. There’s a dream sequence of Rebecca on a boat, floating near the shore and she sees her daughter under the water but this image has no real connection to the story or the supernatural element that is uncovered as the story unfolds.

    The world seems small, operating only within the mechanics needed for the film to move forward and this is what makes ‘Kaluskos’ struggle to find its fear factor. I don’t see this happening to me or anyone around me. Detached from the real world, ‘Kaluskos’ seems to be an isolated story that is just there for Rebecca and Amaya. It never really turns their custody battle or Rebecca’s maternal issues as something universal and it makes the film feel small.

    —

    Cinemalaya 18 runs until August 14, 2022. at the CCP, and will hold screenings at select Ayala Malls Cinemas and SM Cinemas until August 16, 2022. Online streaming is scheduled for October 2022.

    ALSO READ:
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    ‘Riding the Waves: 15 Years of Cinemalaya’ and More Books to Be Launched During the Film Festival
    Award-Winning Documentaries to Close This Year’s Cinemalaya 18

  • Found Footage Horror: A Brief History & 10 Films to Get You Started

    Jump scares and compelling plots may be crucial to making effective horror movies, but what makes these films really stick even after you’ve finished watching is the idea that they are more than just fiction put together for the screen.

    The more the film blurs the line between fact and fiction, the scarier it becomes when you think about it. This is why exorcism movies or films about curses are extra creepy when they overlap your religious and cultural beliefs. It’s even creepier when these movies actually pull their stories from real-life events.

    But it’s not always just in the idea, as a horror movie can also suspend your disbelief through the way that it is presented. This is where found footage horror comes in, the subgenre that ditches cinematography for shaky shots and blurry imagery to trick our minds into thinking that what we’re seeing is real.


    A short history of found footage films

    The first film considered to bring birth to the subgenre is the 1980 cult classic Cannibal Holocaust. The disturbing and gory flick by Italian director Ruggero Deodato depicted a group of documentary filmmakers who tried to film cannibal tribes in the Amazon rainforest but became food themselves.

    Was it effective in pushing realism? Well, Deodato was actually charged with the murder of his actors in the film, and had to prove in court that everything was made with practical effects.

    While it is the pioneer of the found footage technique in filmmaking, Cannibal Holocaust really gained its notoriety mostly because of the graphic violence and the controversies that came with it. But in 1999, there was an independent film that really emphasized the effectiveness of found footage in the horror genre: The Blair Witch Project.

    The Blair Witch Project
    Photo: ‘The Blair Witch Project’ trailer

    The film followed three filmmaking students as they take a hike into a forest in the hopes of documenting a local legend known as the Blair Witch. What ensues is a nightmarish experience with something sinister waiting for them in the shadows.

    After the success of The Blair Witch Project, the found footage subgenre was soon saturated with titles. After all, the technique allows for the films to be cheaper and easier to make. But while there are lots of bad films that piggybacked on the success of the subgenre, there are also some nice gems that are worth checking out post-Blair Witch Project.

    If you want to dive deeper into found footage horror, we’ve listed down ten movies you need to watch to get you started.

    10 Found Footage Horror Movies You Need to Watch

    1. Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

    After a film crew goes missing while documenting the cannibal tribes of the Amazon rainforest, a rescue team had been sent to investigate. What they find are footage of what happened to the filmmakers– mutilated and devoured by the cannibals in gut-wrenching and gruesome ways. Needless to say, if you’re weak in the stomach, you should skip this flick.

    Cannibal Holocaust
    Photo: ‘Cannibal Holocaust’ trailer

    2. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

    Filmmakers Heather, Mike, and Josh brave the woods of Burkittesville, Maryland to find the truth behind the local legend of the Blair Witch. After being lost in the forest, the group’s journey gets more dangerous by the second, with an unseen evil stalking them at every turn. The film may lack in horror spectacle, but the actors’ performances really made this a spine-chilling experience to watch.

    3. Noroi: The Curse (2005)

    Noroi: The Curse is the found footage film to check out if you’re a fan of that classic Asian horror. The film tells the story of a paranormal researcher who disappeared after his house burned down and killed his wife. Through the recordings of his cameraman, the scary story behind the tragedy begins to unfold.

    4. REC (2007)

    This Spanish movie which had an American remake titled Quarantine, fuses found footage horror with a zombie thriller. It follows the reporter Angela Vidal who is making a report about the fire department when they were called in to attend to an emergency at an apartment building. What should have been a rescue operation becomes a nightmare when an old woman starts attacking and biting people, infecting them with her violent fits.

    5. Lake Mungo (2008)

    Presented in a mockumentary style, Lake Mungo blends a ghost story and a true crime tale. After the death of Alice who drowned while swimming, her family begins to experience unexplainable things. As they investigate Alice’s secret double life, the answers lead them to Lake Mungo.

    6. Paranormal Activity (2009)

    Paranormal Activity is another successful film from the subgenre that spawned six sequels. The story follows the couple Katie and Micah who are being terrorized by a demon in their home. Micah then sets up cameras around the house, capturing the violent attacks from their tormentor.

    7. Creep (2014)

    Another must-watch found footage film, Creep succeeds as a psychological horror rather than just resorting to visual terrors. It follows the struggling videographer Aaron who accepts a job to film a man with an inoperable brain tumor for his unborn child. But as he spends more time with this man in a remote cabin, Aaron soon realizes that something is very wrong with his client.

    8. Hell House LLC (2015)

    Five years ago, a malfunction at a horror house attraction led to the death of 15 people. This movie follows a crew of filmmakers as they try to uncover the truth behind the tragedy through its only survivor and the remaining footage from inside the house.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ40kOmOgEI

    9. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018)

    This Korean film is one of the more modern horror titles to rise from the subgenre. In Gonjiam, a group that runs a horror web series decides to make their next episode inside an abandoned asylum, but they would soon discover that the evil they would encounter would be far more than what they bargained for.

    10. Incantation (2022)

    Incantation is the latest found footage horror film to make a buzz among the international audience. Hailing from Taiwan, this title tells the story of a mother who is trying to save her daughter from a curse that she and her friends had unleashed years ago. Aside from thriving through the technique, Incantation also takes it a step further by making viewers feel that the film could also curse them.

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  • “Seoul Vibe” Trailer Unveils this August’s Coolest Crew

    A fresh new trailer and poster for Seoul Vibe were released showcasing the ensemble cast of Sanggye-dong Supreme Team –  a crew of stylish drivers and mechanics to uncover some fishy business involving a VIP slush fund. Here is what to expect in the coolest drive this summer!  

    • With a rhythmic beat from a tape titled ‘Seoul Vibe mixtape 1988’, the trailer kicks off
    • The stylish Sanggye-dong Supreme Team receives an irresistible offer from Prosecutor Ahn, jumping into an unofficial case revolving around the VIP slush fund. 
    • On fully customized hip vehicles the crew in disguise starts to deliver President Kang’s slush funds – unofficially the second most influential person in 1988 Korea.
    • Numerous obstacles stand in their way, including the threat from Director Lee, who finds the crew’s actions to be fishy.
    • With hip music and exhilarating car action on track, Seoul Vibe will deliver the coolest ride this August. 
    • The poster reveals the crew’s (aka “Bbagkku fam”) hip hideout. 
    • The poster lines up all five members along with the star ensemble cast – Yoo Ah-in (as Dong-wook, the supreme driver with perfect drifting skills), Ko Kyung-Pyo (as John Woo, the Club DJ), Lee Kyoo-hyung (as Bok-nam, the human navigator), Park Ju-hyun (as Yoon-hee, the talented motorcyclist) and Ong Seong-wu (as Joon-gi, the mechanic) will uncover the truth behind a massive money laundering ring. 
    • The stylish old-school props underscore the hip retro (Hip-tro) vibe – bold gold chains, retro boombox, chic bike, navy jumpsuits and more. 
    • Director Moon Hyun-sung said, “The first step of Seoul Vibe was hip hop,” attributing hip hop music and culture from the 80s as one of the movie’s motif. The stylish Sanggye-dong Supreme Team will reflect a combination of retro and hip hop (“hip-tro”) vibe.
    • Cast Yoo Ah-in (from Hellbound), who will transform into a new image in Seoul Vibe said, “From start to finish, it was like being and hanging out with friends my age”, highlighting the chemistry within the crew. 
    • Cast Ong Seong-wu added, “The vibe on set was spectacular! It was as though ‘Bbangkku Fam’ was united in real life.”
    poster 3

    With popping visuals and music to excite viewers’ eyes and ears, Seoul Vibe will release globally on August 26th only on Netflix. 

  • CCP to Conduct the Cinemalaya 2022 Konek

    The Cultural Center of the Philippines, Cinemalaya Foundation Inc. and the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), present Cinemalaya Konek, a three-day event slated on August 10 and 12-13, at CCP.

    Cinemalaya Konek provides a venue for filmmakers to interact, network and connect with film industry players.

    Cinemalaya Konek has three (3) activities which are: Interaction/Panel Discussion, Networking + Filmmakers Night, and Business Matching.

    The first activity, Interaction/Panel Discussion is divided into two (2) parts, Konek 1: Film Producing in Cinema and Streaming Platform wherein film producers – Alemberg Ang, Ida Del Mundo, and Daphne Chiu will do a discussion about their process, inspirations, and motivations in producing films, and Konek 2: Filmmaking and Film Programming for International Festivals where Cinemalaya Film Juries – Frederic Auburtin, Makiko Wakai, and Madonna Tarrayo will share their experiences in filmmaking, programming, and participation to international festivals.

    Konek 1 and Konek 2 will be held on August 10, 2022, from 4:00 pm to 4:45 pm and 5:00 pm to 5:45 pm respectively at the CCP Cinemalaya Tent.

    The second activity, Networking & Filmmakers Night will help different filmmakers and directors in networking with film producers, post-production companies, embassies, industry players, and stakeholders on August 10, 2022, from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm at the CCP Cinemalaya Tent.

    The last activity, Business Matching will take place on August 12, 2022, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and on August 13, 2022, from 10:00 am – 1:30 pm at CCP Cinemalaya Tent.

    Cinemalaya Konek is a fringe activity of the Cinemalaya Film Festival that opened on August 5 at the CCP.

    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.

  • WATCH: Smart Home Slasher ‘Margaux’ Reveals Trailer

    After the release of their prequel film Orphan: First Kill in theaters, Paramount just dropped the trailer for their new horror film Margaux.

    The new movie puts a horror spin on technology, specifically smart homes and the AI assistant it comes with. After getting to stay at a very advanced smart home, a group of teens would soon realize that the building’s AI has sinister plans for them. Watch the trailer for Margaux below:

    The movie follows a group of seniors dead set to celebrate their final college days partying inside a smart home. But soon, the house’s highly advanced AI system, Margaux, begins to show her true colors, eliminating the tenants one by one through her deadly high-tech tools.

    Directed by Steven C. Miller, Margaux stars Madison Pettis, Vanessa Morgan, Richard Harmon, Lochlyn Munro, Jedidiah Goodacre, Phoebe Miu, Jordan Buhat, Brittany Mitchell, and Louis Lay. It is set for release on digital and on-demand this September 9.

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  • Cinemalaya 2022 Main Jury & NETPAC Jurors Unveiled

    A distinguished jury of prominent personalities comprises this year’s jury panel for Cinemalaya 2022. They will determine who among the competing films—11 full-length films and 12 short films—will top the 2022 Cinemalaya lineup.

    Main Jury

    On its 18th edition, Cinemalaya’s main jury panel is composed of renowned directors Frédéric Auburtin and Jeffrey Jeturian, actor and film producer Piolo Pascual, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UXS Inc. (Unitel/StraightShooters) Maria Madonna Tarrayo, and coordinator of New Asian Currents Makiko Wakai.

    Frédéric Auburtin leads the main competition jury.  His participation as a Jury Chairman at the festival is part of the celebration of the 75th Philippines-France diplomatic relations.

    Auburtin initially studied music and literature before pursuing a career in film. He made his debut as an assistant director with renowned directors—Claude Berri, Francis Veber, Maurice Pialat, Luigi Comencini, Bertrand Blier, Jean-Jacques Annaud, Jean-Paul Rappeneau, and Randall Wallace for The Man in the Iron Mask.

    In 1998, he co-directed and composed the score for his first feature film, The Bridge, alongside Gérard Depardieu.

    From then on, he was able to demonstrate his versatility as a film director for cinema and television, including Special Correspondents, The Worst Week of My Life, Volpone, as well as singular projects such as the collective film Paris, Je t’aime, for which he also supervised transitions and editing, and United Passions, a complex and adventurous film whose international cast retraces the sulfurous FIFA’s 100-year history.

    Currently, Auburtin is working on two feature films and a mini-series and is interested in discovering new works by Filipino filmmakers.

    Jeffrey Jeturian joins Auburtin on the jury panel. He has directed feature films that foreshadowed a thriving independent cinema in the Philippines.  He succeeded in attracting viewers outside of the arthouse aficionados by making timely social topics and concerns appealing.

    Three of his films, Pila Balde (1999), Tuhog (2001), and Kubrador (2006), were listed among the top 20 Filipino films of the previous 20 years by The Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino.  Pila Balde won various accolades overseas, while Tuhog participated in the 58th Venice International Film Festival in 2001.  Kubrador—with over 40 national and international honors—is often regarded as Jeturian’s most successful film—was screened at over a hundred international cinema festivals, including a U.S. debut at the New York Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

    Locally, Tuhog and Kubrador won the Urian Best Picture award, while the Young Critics Circle and the Golden Screen Awards picked Minsan Pa (2004) as the best picture of the year.  The Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival awarded Bisperas (Best Film, 2011) and Ekstra (Jury Prize and Audience Award, 2013) with awards.

    Jeturian has also done several TV series, particularly the popular Be Careful with My Heart (2012) and his most recent works Encounter (2021) and What We Could Be (2022).  For a docu-drama, he collaborated with Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil, and co-produced and co-directed footage for Ang Pagbabalik Ni Gregoria de Jesus (2022) which tells the story of de Jesus, the wife of Andres Bonifacio. The aforementioned is Jeturian’s first attempt in the historical genre.

    Piolo Pascual is also part of the jury.  Pascual is regarded as the “Philippines’ Ultimate Heartthrob” in the showbiz industry.

    Pascual has starred in arthouse films such as Lav Diaz’s Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis (A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery) in 2016, which won The Alfred Bauer Prize at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival, and Ang Hupa (The Halt) that had its debut premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival Directors’ Fortnight.  He also appeared as one of the main characters in Erik Matti’s On The Job which received a standing ovation at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

    Pascual also produced award-winning films such as Kita Kita and the hit Kimmy Dora franchise through Spring Films, a production company he founded alongside Joyce Bernal and Erickson Raymundo.  Kuya Wes, which competed in the full-length film category at the 2018 Cinemalaya, was also created by Spring Films.

    Another member of the jury is Maria Madonna Tarrayo, the head of Commercial Production Houses Group (CPHG) and is the Chairman of the Advertising Suppliers Association of the Philippines (ASAP).

    Whilst managing several teams in ads and entertainment projects, she has created award-winning advertisements, films, and television programs.  For Cinemalaya, she worked on Chris Martinez’s 100 and Marlon Rivera’s The Woman in The Septic Tank; for Unitel, she worked on Chris Martinez’s I Do Bidoo Bidoo, Yam Laranas’ Abomination, and Adolf Alix’s Whistleblower. Tarrayo also served as the Executive Producer for the Coke Studio series, Batang Poz for IWant and Dreamscape, Adventure Your Way for AXN, Hot Ones for IFlix, Trese for Base Entertainment, and other TV5/Cignal shows. She is presently in charge of film and television series development and production.

    Completing the jury is Makiko Wakai, who works as the coordinator/programmer of the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, which strives to highlight and bring together young filmmakers from East Asia to the Middle East.  She also organizes the Feminist Active Documentary Video Festa, where she distributes and screens independent films.  Currently, Wakai is in the New Asian Currents program that showcases and promotes the work of emerging Asian documentaries, regardless of format or duration.

    NETPAC Jury

    Cinemalaya is among the film festivals where The Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema (NETPAC) prize is awarded.  The award is meant to promote Asian cinema and recognize the works of young Asian filmmakers.

    For this year’s Cinemalaya, the NETPAC Award jury members are cinema scholar Patrick F. Campos, director Ida Anita del Mundo, and film critic and historian Max Tessier. 

    Patrick F. Campos is the author of several essays and books on Philippine and Southeast Asian cinema, including The End of National Cinema (2016).  He curated the exhibit Scenes Reclaimed: CCP 50 x Cinemalaya 15 (2019) and co-wrote the subsequent book (2020), as well as editing Pelikula: A Journal of Philippine Cinema.  He has also programmed, juried, or served on the selection committee for the Guanajuato International Film Festival, Singapore International Film Festival, QCinema International Film Festival, Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival, Cinema One Originals, Image Forum, Minikino, Asian Film Archive, SeaShorts, Cinema Rehiyon, and Gawad Urian, and he curates the annual TINGIN Southeast Asian Film Festival in Manila.

    Another juror is Ida Anita del Mundo, an active NETPAC member, and screenwriting and directing instructor at De La Salle-College of St. Benilde in Manila, Philippines.  Her first film K’na, the Dreamweaver, premiered at the 2014 Cinemalaya Film Festival where it received the Special Jury Prize.  It was named Best of Show at the 2015 Female Eye Film Festival in Toronto, Canada, and was honored with an Ani ng Dangal (Harvest of Winners) award by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in 2015.  K’na, the Dreamweaver is the first feature film about the T’boli people of South Cotabato, Mindanao, and the first film in the T’boli language. She went on to direct documentaries and music videos after that.

    Founding member of NETPAC France, Max Tessier, is the third on the jury panel.  He has been a film critic for several newspapers and magazines since 1963, particularly Jeune Cinéma (1965 to 1971), Ecran (1972 to 1979), La Revue du Cinéma, and other publications including Le Monde and Le Mondec diplomatique.  He also contributed to magazines abroad, notably Cinemaya in New Delhi and Les Voix in Kyoto and Paris.

    Tessier served as an artistic consultant for several festivals, primarily for the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival (1980–2000), and has served on juries in European and Asian festivals in San Sebastian, Vesoul, Cairo, Tokyo, Pusan, Gwanju, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Delhi, Trivandrum, Colombo, Vladivostok, and CineManila, Cinemalaya, CineFilipino, QCinema, among others.

    Cinemalaya 2022 will take place at the various venues of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) from August 5 to 14, 2022.  Aside from CCP, there will also be nationwide screenings in select partner Ayala cinemas and SM Cinemas from August 10 to 16, 2022.

    For more information, visit the CCP (www.culturalcenter.gov.ph) and Cinemalaya (https://cinemalaya.org/) websites.  Follow the official CCP social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest updates.