Four PH films in Busan, three in competition
MILO Sogueco’s “Mariquina,” which stars Ricky Davao, competes in New Currents section.
Filipino films will be shown at the 19th Busan (South Korea) International Film Festival, to be held Oct. 2 to 11.
Two of the films are products of last month’s Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival.
KARL Medina portrays a Manobo fisherman in “Bwaya.”
Milo Sogueco’s “Mariquina” has been fielded in the main competition, the New Currents section.
Top-billed by Ricky Davao, Mylene Dizon and Bing Pimentel, “Mariquina” won Best Supporting Actress for teen star Barbie Forteza in the New Breed section of the Cinemalaya fest.
Forteza and Dizon play the same character—as a teenager and as an adult, respectively—a daughter who must come to terms with a strained relationship with her late shoemaker father (Davao).
Greatest happiness
Sogueco told the Inquirer: “It’s overwhelming and humbling. The shoot was fraught with challenges that never seemed to end. It was through a lot of inspiration, dedication and commitment that our team prevailed. Representing the country in Busan fills me with so much pride and joy. All the hard work has paid off. A filmmaker’s greatest happiness is to touch people’s lives. Hopefully in Busan, where the audience is bigger (and international at that), we can make this happen.”
Francis Xavier Pasion’s “Bwaya” will be shown in the exhibition section, Windows on Asian Cinema. “Bwaya” won Best Film, Best Cinematography and Musical Score in Cinemalaya’s New Breed section. The movie stars Angeli Bayani, Karl Medina, Jolina España and RS Franciso.
Bayani and Medina play parents to a school girl (España) who is killed in Agusan’s only recorded crocodile attack.
ANGELINA Kanapi plays a has-been actress in “Stone Heart.”
Said Pasion: “I feel like a suki (regular customer) of Busan. My two previous films (‘Jay’ and ‘Sampaguita’) were screened there, too. This is a big honor for my cast and crew. We are reaping the fruits of our hard work. Joining an international film festival is a precious opportunity, not just to showcase our cinema before a global audience, but also to keep abreast with the latest [trends in the industry].”
A docu and a short
Cha Escala and Wena Sanchez’s “Nick and Chai,” a docu on the destruction caused by Supertyphoon “Yolanda,” is vying in the Documentary section.
The docu follows Nick and Chai Quieta, parents of four children who perished in the tragedy.
Martika Ramirez Escobar’s “Stone Heart” is competing in the Asian Short Film section. The 20-minute movie revolves around a 1970s actress who is stuck in the past, reliving her lost glory by watching her old movies.
“NICK and Chai,” a documentary, tells the story of parents who lost their children in a calamity.
Region’s stars
Italian filmmaker Leonardo Cinieri Lombroso’s documentary “Southeast Asian Cinema: When the Rooster Crows,” is featured in the section called Documentary Showcase.
The Italian-Singaporean docu spotlights four leading filmmakers in the region: Singapore’s Eric Khoo, Indonesia’s Garin Nugroho, Thailand’s Pen-Ek Ratanaruang and the Philippines’ Brillante Ma. Mendoza.
The docu also features interviews with Filipino actors Eddie Garcia, Rustica Carpio and Cherry Pie Picache, among others, and excerpts from Mendoza’s past movies.
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