Never too late for this indie film

RODRIGO Santikan as Angkadang in “Busong” Ian Felix Alquiros

It’s never too late. After being shown all over the world last year, “Busong,” by indie filmmaker Auraeus Solito, will finally be seen by Philippine audiences this month.

The film that weaves Palawan myths with ecological concerns premiered at Shangri-La Plaza mall’s Cinema 4 yesterday and starts its run today until April 24. “We might extend the number of screenings if we have the public’s support,” said Solito.

He thinks it is important for his film to be shown in the Philippines, especially since it has already been screened in 20 international film festivals.

“I attended seven of them in the last quarter of 2011: Warsaw, Brussels, ImagineNative in Toronto, Tallinn in Estonia, and Goa, Bangalore, and Kerala in India,” Solito told Inquirer Entertainment.

In Brussels, “Busong” won the Cinema of Tomorrow award. The film was likewise a Cinemalaya winner, and had its world premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes film festival last year.

Last month, “Busong’s” distributor, Promenade, screened it commercially in France. “It’s still showing,” Solito said, adding that it opened in Paris and has now moved to other cities in France.

Sharing his message

Solito feels strongly about sharing his film’s environmental message with Manila audiences. “I come from the theater. I value the audience. I want my films to be seen by Filipino viewers,” he said.

He hopes that Filipinos will appreciate his film as much as the viewers in Kerala, India—where the audience’s hearty applause, he said, moved him to tears.

“Indie filmmakers need an audience so that we can continue making the films we want to make,” he explained. “Films like ‘Busong,’ in particular, can be especially tricky.”

He conceded that “Busong” could be too culturally specific and esoteric for city dwellers. “But Manila audiences should be more open to films on other cultures,” he said.

Future projects

He said that he is willing to try out mainstream cinema, and has signed up with manager Manny Valera.

“I’ve realized that I need to work in mainstream cinema to sustain my indie film ventures,” Solito said.

He has won a grant from gay website Planet Romeo to make a film on the struggle against hate crimes. “The name of the organization is the Philippine LGBT [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender] Hate Crime Watch. I got the idea for the film from [the late filmmaker] Ishmael Bernal. It was his dream movie and it will be entitled ‘Boy, Girl, Bakla, Tomboy.’”

Solito is also raising funds for the second part of his Palawan trilogy, tentatively titled “Delubyo.” (“Busong” is the first.)

There’s a large divide between “the speed of ideas and the pace of financing.” Raising money is “the hardest part,” he said ruefully.