Two PH films in Amsterdam

Rob Rownd (center) and Bela Padilla (right) in “I America”

Two Filipino films are featured in the 10th edition of the CinemAsia film festival, to be held from March 7 to 12, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Baby Ruth Villarama’s “Sunday Beauty Queen” and Ivan Andrew Payawal’s “I America” are included in the fest’s Official Selection lineup.

According to the fest’s web site, the Official Selection showcases “exciting new films that are critically acclaimed or massively popular with audiences, to enable the presentation of a fuller picture of contemporary Asian cinema.”

In the site, fest programmer Ari Purnama says that Villarama’s award-winning documentary “manages to cast a new light on Filipino overseas workers through its multilayered, heartwarming exposure of their lives, revolving around an activity that is anything but domestic: beauty pageants.”

Screenings of “Sunday Beauty Queen” are on March 11 and 12.

Meanwhile, fest programmer Samuel Hubner Casado describes Payawal’s Cinemalaya film as “well-produced yet palpably raw … occasionally comedic drama [that] explores the concept of self-identity with memorable Filipino flourish.”

“I America” will be shown on March 10 and 11.

Organizers note that the fest’s program “aims to provide access to the latest commercial hits, as well as independent, art-house and socially conscious films, in order to reach the widest audience possible.” —BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR.

“Sunday Beauty Queen”