Good mix of cineastes turns up at Indie Bravo! festival in Fully Booked

After the four-hour screening of Lav Diaz’s “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan” on November 21, the audience at U-View in Fully Booked High Street, Bonifacio Global City, remained seated—riveted, seemingly entranced.

Vincent Nebrida, CineFilipino festival director, told the Inquirer: “They stayed to read the end credits and, when the house lights were turned back on, they applauded.”

CRIS Concepcion, businessman

It was a rousing opening for the “Inquirer Indie Bravo!-Fully Booked Film Festival: The Best of Filipino Films 2013 Plus,” ongoing until December 12.

After the marathon screening, several audience members signed up for the fest’s official directory.

“A good [audience] mix,” Angel Yulo, Fully Booked events manager, declared. “There were young people, college students and yuppies. On the other hand, there were senior citizens, too. There was also a handful of foreigners.”

Online buzz

The fest generated quite a buzz in cyberspace, Yulo added.

“Netizens were excited,” she remarked. “News of the fest opening and lineup got more than 2,200 shares, likes and comments and 5,200 clicks. In terms of engagement, the first poster posted on Facebook on November 12 reached at least 29,900 people.”

FROM LEFT: Fully Booked ad and promo manager Aimee Diego, Inquirer Entertainment editor Emmie Velarde, Fully Booked events manager Angel Yulo and Cine Filipino festival director Vincent Nebrida. INQSnap this page for additional content! JILSON SECKLER TIU

The schedule, posted on Nov. 17, has now reached 41,000 viewers and generated 1,700 clicks and 1,100 likes, comments and shares.

Actors like Agot Isidro (“Mga Anino ng Kahapon”) and filmmakers like Adolfo Alix Jr. (“Death March,” “Ang Alamat ni China Doll”) posted messages about the event on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

“After the stories came out in the Inquirer, we got lots of calls and walk-in customers,” Yulo recounted. “Most of the ticket buyers were interested in several films. That means some of them will be here at the store almost every day.”

THE U-VIEW audience applauded at the end of Lav Diaz’s four-hour film. JILSON SECKLER TIU

Diaz and the “Norte” team (producer Moira Lang and actors Hazel Orencio and Liryc de la Cruz) were around to introduce the movie, the country’s entry in the Best Foreign Language Film category of next year’s Oscars.

Recently, “Norte” scored a nomination in the Best International Film category of the Indie Spirit Awards, considered a bellwether of the Oscars.

Yulo said it was important to highlight noteworthy, independently produced films like “Norte” and the more than 35 movies included in the fest. “There is a market for indies,” she said. “There are a lot of people who may not have seen these films yet, who may want to see these films again or who may not have access to these films. We are providing a venue for them.”

Viewers approve

MAXENE Cadacio, law student

Businessman Cris Concepcion, an audience member in the “Norte” screening, noted that indie films often fail to land distribution deals in local theaters. “There is a renaissance in Philippine cinema,” he said. “We should support intelligent films.”

Law student Maxene Cadacio, a Diaz fan, brought a friend who was celebrating a birth anniversary.

Nebrida regarded this “umbrella” festival that gathered the best films of 2013 from various local festivals as “a rare event.”

“We may not get to put together such an extensive lineup in the future, especially since there was no CineFilipino this year and Cinemalaya is reportedly having funding issues,” Nebrida said. As seen in the fest’s roster, “2013 yielded a rich harvest of acclaimed movies.”

True stories

Emmie G. Velarde, Inquirer Entertainment editor, pointed out: “Five years ago, the Inquirer launched the Indie Bravo! Awards, by way of supporting this struggling community of brilliant indie filmmakers. Now more than ever, we need them to tell our true stories, stories that show our true character, all over the country, all over the world. ”

The Inquirer has received requests to tour the fest in places as near as Mindanao and as far as Norway.

For tickets, call (02) 8587000 or visit fullybookedonline.com and facebook.com/fullybooked. With a report from Cathy Miranda, Inquirer.net