Filipino indie to compete in US fest
THE TRILOGY “Ganap na Babae” (Garden of Eve) will compete in the 2011 Soho International Film Festival in New York.
The festival, which “celebrates the cutting edge of digital technology while honoring traditional forms of storytelling,” runs April 15-20.
In a statement, SIFF cofounders Luis Pedron and Jorge Ballos said leading figures of the film industry and local film enthusiasts are expected to attend the event.
“Ganap na Babae” relates the plight of Filipino women in contemporary times via three stories directed by three women directors—Rica Arevalo, Ellen Ramos and Sarah Roxas: 1) a prostitute (Mercedes Cabral) recounts her harsh life since childhood; 2) Farmer siblings Milagros (Sue Prado) and Elena (Jam Pérez) dare dream of better things, with Elena migrating to Japan as a mail-order bride; 3) Eos (Boots Anson Roa), a widow, falls in love with a younger man, Rodrigo (Rome Mallari).
“Ganap na Babae” was screened yesterday at the UP Film Center in Diliman, Quezon City. Two more screenings are scheduled tomorrow, 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Umali Theater in UP Los Baños for the benefit of Women’s Day Off, an organization that trains women for livelihood programs.
The trilogy, produced by Hubo Productions Inc., was the opening film of the 2010 Cinemalaya independent film festival.
4 awards for ‘Tarima’
Neal Tan’s “Tarima” recently bagged four awards, including best picture, from the Tagapuring mga Akademik ng Aninong Gumagalaw (Tanglaw).
The story of a homosexual torn between the excitement of romance and religious obligation, “Tarima” also won best director for Tan. Lead star Fanny Serrano received the best actor award.
Serrano plays Roselo who is raised by a cruel grandmother (Gloria Romero). While visiting a friend (Chokoleit) in jail, Roselo falls in love with a reclusive inmate (Rocky Salumbides).
Romero shared the best supporting actress award with costar Rustica Carpio, who plays her loyal friend.
“I thought it was just a nomination, ” Serrano told the Inquirer. “I was surprised when I received a congratulatory e-mail saying I was unanimously chosen for the award. I had to call Direk Neal to confirm.”
The 9th Gawad Tanglaw ceremony will be held on March 17 at the Don Gregorio Adaman Sr. Hall of the St. Dominic College of Asia in Bacoor, Cavite.
“Love Letter,” by Japanese director Shunji Iwai, is the featured film in “Club.Mov: The Idiot’s Guide to Heartbreak,” scheduled from March 14 to 16, 9 p.m. at the Mogwai Cinematheque, Cubao Expo, Quezon City.
The film is about two women who, while exchanging letters, discover new things about a man they both knew once. Starring Miho Nakayama, “Love Letter” was a box-office hit in Japan in 1995 and later in South Korea. It was shot almost entirely on the island of Hokkaido.
Also at the Mogwai Cinematheque, Khavn dela Cruz’s “Kommander Kulas” will be screened March 17 at 9 p.m. The film is about Kulas, who along with his only friend, a carabao, embarks on a journey to look for his “missing heart.” He meets several interesting characters along the way. The film is a part of the Hubert Bals Fund Spring Collection of 2009.
Admission is free.
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