By Matthew Escosia · Photos courtesy of Cinemalaya / CCP
For many years, the term Philippine independent cinema has been synonymous with local film festivals like Cinemalaya, providing spotlights to young cinematic voices like Giancarlo Abrahan, Treb Montreras II, Mikhail Red, Hannah Espia, and more.
More than just an institution that has bred stories of the Filipino, it has also paved the way to further nurture the moviegoing culture in the country. It is usually during August when the halls of Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) get to be filled up with film lovers braving the long lines (and since we’re talking about storm season, the hard rains too) to catch a screening.
With in-theater screenings in the Philippines still being restricted due to strict health protocols, the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival will once again bring the festival online.
The theme for the 2021 edition of Cinemalaya is “Navigating Currents” as a response to its continued sailing amidst the strong waves brought by the pandemic. It will run from August 6 to September 5, 2021 on the online experience platform KTX.ph.
Main Competition
Thirteen (13) short films will comprise the Main Competition category due to the delay of productions of supposed full-length entries for the year. Similar to previous editions, this year’s main selections are diverse in terms of their respective genres and perspectives. The pandemic has proven to be both a challenge and opportunity for the participating filmmakers to produce their work, opting to re-angle their film’s narrative to fit in with new film production limitations.
“Our [Main Competition] filmmakers have brought a certain degree of passion and determination to come up with something good. Despite the fact that they are presenting productions of enclosed screenplays using limited locations, the narrative is what truly matters,” said Jose Javier Reyes, award-winning filmmaker and the new Main Competition and Monitoring Chair of Cinemalaya.
Among the films included in the Main Competition line-up include: “The Dust in Your Place” by David Olson, about a comic strip artist’s relationship with his writer; “Namnama En Lolang” by Jonnie Lyn Dasalla, a pandemic-set story about a grandmother living in isolation with her baby grandson; “Maski Papano” by Che Tagyamon and Glenn Barit, a quirky tale of a facemask who slowly turns into a humanoid figure; “Crossing” by Marc Misa, about a robber who unlikely becomes the victim of another crime; and “Looking for Rafflesias and Other Fleeting Things” by James Fajardo, which follows a tikbalang (horse demon) living in the shadows of a teenage boy searching for the truth.
Meanwhile, Kyle Nieva’s “Kids on Fire” merges the apocalypse with the coming-of-age tale of a boy and his sexual fantasies; “Kawatan Sa Salog” by Alphie Velasco follows an ill-behaved child who learns his lesson after stealing a toy; Arjanmar Rebeta directs and stars in “An Sadit Na Planeta”, about a man exploring his “little planet”; “Ang Mga Nawawalang Pag-asa at Panlasa” by Kevin Jay Ayson is a documentary about the micro food establishments that have been gravely affected by the pandemic.
Also on the list are Enrico Po’s “Out of Body”, about a young model forced in an unusual and macabre commercial shoot; “Beauty Queen” by Myra Aquino, a World War II-set drama about a woman finding herself amidst the chaos; “Ang Pagdadalaga ni Lola Mayumi” by Shiri De Leon, which sees a virginal old woman hiring a callboy; and finally, “Ate O.G.” by Kevin Mayuga, which follows a struggling aging house helper going through an unexpected and uplifting experience.
Aside from film screenings, after-show talkbacks will also be conducted featuring the filmmakers behind the Main Competition entries to discuss their works with the audience.
Exhibition Titles
Beyond the Main Competition category, this year’s Cinemalaya boasts of film gems for its exhibition screenings.
A Cinemalaya Retrospective will be held featuring the acclaimed shorts from last year’s edition, such as 2020 Best Picture “Tokwifi” by Carla Pulido Ocampo, “Living Things” by Martika Ramirez Escobar, “Excuse Me, Miss, Miss, Miss” by Sonny Calvento, “Pabasa Kan Pasyon” by Hubert Tibi, “Ang Pagpakalma Sa Unos” by Joanna Vasquez Arong, and “Quing Lalam Ning Aldo” by Reeden Fajardo.
A Cinemalaya Retrospective will be held featuring the acclaimed shorts from last year’s edition, such as 2020 Best Picture “Tokwifi” by Carla Pulido Ocampo, “Living Things” by Martika Ramirez Escobar, “Excuse Me, Miss, Miss, Miss” by Sonny Calvento, “Pabasa Kan Pasyon” by Hubert Tibi, “Ang Pagpakalma Sa Unos” by Joanna Vasquez Arong, and “Quing Lalam Ning Aldo” by Reeden Fajardo.
Visions of Asia, a long-running section of the festival that highlights some of the exemplary films from Asia, is set to screen “Mosul My Home” by Adalet Garmiany, “A Dark, Dark Man” by Adilkhan Yerzhanov, “Jazz Kissa Basie: Swifty’s Ballad” by Tetsuya Hoshino, “Chronicle of Space” by Akshay Indikar, and “Bandar Band” by Manijeh Hekmat.
Dokyu, a curated section for new Filipino documentaries, will have “A House in Pieces” by Jean Claire Dy and Manuel Domes; “Yugto” by Joanna Reyes, Cristy Linga, and Jay Turia; “Last Days at Sea” by Venice Atienza; “Masterpiece” by Januar Yap and Kristoffer Villarino; and “Paraisong Bacao” by Adrian Manaois.
And to complete the exhibition line-up, Cinemalaya is presenting Indie Nation, a category focused on new full-length independent films from the country. The films that will be part of this section are “Lockdown” by Joel Lamangan, “Kintsugi” by Lawrence Fajardo, “Don Filipo” by Tim Munoz, and “ECQ Diary (Bawal Lumabas)” by Arlyn Dela Cruz Bernal.
Restored prints of “Karma” (1981) and “Langis at Tubig” (1980), two films starred by Vilma Santos, will also be screened in the Digital Classics section.
To honor the late Mel Chionglo’s legacy and service to Philippine cinema, this year’s Cinemalaya is screening his directorial debut “Playgirl” (1981), “Lagarista” (2000), and “Lauriana” (2013).
Cinemalaya Institute
As a way to provide Filipino filmmakers a platform to hone their skills in key aspects of film production, Cinemalaya also continues the Cinemalaya Institute, the training arm of the Cinemalaya Foundation, Inc. (CFI).
The Institute, a program used for various film-related workshops and activities since 2015, is currently offering five (5) masterclasses: Basic Filmmaking, The Silent Film, Screenwriting, Production Management, Film Editing, and Cinematography.
This year’s instructors, headed by film director Carlos Suguion-Reyna, will be comprised of esteemed film professionals such as Ricky Lee, Jose Javier Reyes, Jay Abello, and John Paul Su. Classes will be done in the “new normal way”, as all lectures will be implemented virtually for safety purposes.
How to watch Cinemalaya 2021?
Cinemalaya 2021 will be available for viewing starting August 6 until September 5, 2021 on KTX.ph.
Viewers may simply look for KTX’s featured section on Cinemalaya and choose their preferred screening. Main Competition films will be bundled at Php 150, while exhibition titles can be accessed for Php 150 to Php 250 per title.
ArtPlus Magazine is a media partner of 2021 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival.
