MEXICAN director Jack Zagha Kababie’s “En El Ultimo Trago”
The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), in partnership with various embassies and their cultural arms in the country, will be hosting the first World Premieres Film Festival (WPFF) next month.
Set from June 29 to July 8, the WPFF was created “to show that the country’s film industry has further developed over the years and continued to make its mark in the international film community,” FDCP chair Briccio Santos said in a statement.
The council recently released a partial list of films included in the festival’s Main Competition category.
From Spain are: “Autopsy Love” by Arturo Prins, “Crustaceos” by Vicente Perez Herrero and “New York Shadows” by Juan Pinzas. There are two features from Mexico, so far—“En El Ultimo Trago” by Jack Zagha Kababie and “Seguir Viviendo” by Alejandra Sanchez—and one from Brazil, “The Sharks of Copacabana” by Rosario Boyer.
Main Competition films have not been screened anywhere else prior to the festival.
At stake are trophies for Grand Festival Prize, Grand Jury Prize and Special Jury Prize. Also in contention are awards for Best Performance by an Actor and Actress, Best Artistic Contribution, Technical Grand Prize and Best Ensemble Performance.
The complete list for the Parallel Section (noncompetition) will be released in early June, the FDCP announced.
Included in the partial lineup for “Cine Verde,” a Parallel Section subcategory, are: “A Flash in the Tropics” by Iara Cardoso (Brazil), “Le Noel de Walter et Tandoori” by Sylvian Viau
(Canada), “The Green Umbrella” by Nasser Refaie (Iran), “The White Slopes” by Mohammad Ebrahim (Iran), “Agua Bendita” by Octavio Guerra (Spain) and “Costa da Morte” by Lois Patino (Spain). Films under this subcategory carry environmental themes and tackle climate change issues.
IRANIAN director Nasser Refaie’s “The Green Umbrella”
Weeklong event
The “Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Skies” subcategory features films from the 10 Asean member countries. The “Ibero-America” subcategory showcases works from Latin-American countries; “Euroview,” from European countries.
Coinciding with the weeklong event is another FDCP-organized event, the 2014 International Film Expo or IFX.
Meanwhile, the FDCP recently teamed up with People’s Television Network (PTV 4) for a show titled “Sineng Pambansa Ngayon,” which starts airing next month.
To be hosted by Isabel Roces and Marco Lobregat, the show will focus on local and international film and filmmaking topics, an FDCP statement stated.
The statement elaborated: “It will target the general audience. It aims to promote a better understanding and appreciation of the art of making films. It will feature the various aspects of filmmaking, from its inception to promotion, with emphasis on the responsibilities of every member of the production team.”
(mcruz@inquirer.com.ph)