Indie fest dedicated to slain film critics

THE BROCKAS (from left): Roberto Nicolas, Norman Wilwayco, Roxlee, Lav Diaz and Khavn de la Cruz.

Asked why he persists in mounting the .Mov International Film, Music and Literature Festival, independent filmmaker and musician Khavn de la Cruz replied in his usual defiant manner: “Wazak!”

De la Cruz quoted poet Dean Young: “It’s a hunger, a revolt, a drive, a mash note, a fright, a tantrum …”

Gertjan Zuilhof, Rotterdam fest programmer, described .Mov as “basically unsubsidized, but it demonstrates the vitality of a small yet unruly and very vivacious group of filmmakers.”

It’s “financially and physically draining,” De la Cruz admitted. Still, he perseveres because “it’s vital to celebrate art that is different and goes against the mainstream.”

In its fourth edition, .Mov is ongoing until September 6 in four venues – The Podium in Ortigas Center, Ayala Museum and Greenbelt 3 Park in Makati, and UP Film Center in Quezon City.

Screenings plus

It’s a virtual feast for the senses as film screenings are to be held alongside concerts, book launches and workshops.

ANGEL Aquino and Bart Guingona in “Babae sa Hangin”

This year’s fest is in honor of slain film critics Alexis Tioseco and Nika Bohinc, said De la Cruz. “I was ready to quit after the third .Mov in 2008. Then Alexis and Nika were killed in 2009.”

According to De la Cruz, among the films being premiered at .Mov are the works of filmmakers championed by Tioseco and Bohinc: Lav Diaz, John Torres, Raya Martin and Sherad Anthony Sanchez.

Tomorrow (Monday), Diaz will be at the premiere of his “Babae ng Hangin,” starring Angel Aquino and Bart Guingona. “A rough cut, it’s one hour and 30 minutes,” said Diaz.

Docu offshoot

On September 6, Torres will debut “Mapangakit,” as the fest’s closing film.

“Babae ng Hangin” is about a nun who leaves the convent; “Mapangakit” is an “off-shoot of a docu made during the Hudas-Hudas festival in Antique.”

De la Cruz himself unveiled “Pahinga,” a tribute to his father who recently succumbed to cancer. “It was supposed to be a gift to my dad. Sept. 3 was his birthday. It’s a very personal docu. Hardcore,” he said.

Until September 6, Nikalexis.Mov, a series of short films made by various filmmakers as homage to the murdered critics, is screening at the UP Film Center Videotheque. “Filmmakers like Raymond Red and Monster Jimenez made one-minute films dedicated to Nikalexis,” said De la Cruz.

During the opening on September 1, the shorts were screened with live scoring by The Brockas, a band composed of Diaz, De la Cruz, Torres, novelist Norman Wilwayco, computer programmer Roberto Nicolas, sound designer Arvie Bartolome and filmmaker Roxlee.

Might as well

“Lav, John, Roberto, Arvie and Norman play the guitars; Roxlee, the harmonica; and I’m on the keyboard,” De la Cruz explained. “We’ve performed in the past, in the Rotterdam and Thessaloniki fests. When we hang out, people often mistake us for a band. We might as well play together.” The Brockas scored for De la Cruz’s film “Squatterpunk” and Diaz’s “Melancholia.”

Foreign films, like Tan Chui Mui’s “Year Without a Summer” (Malaysia) and Roy Andersson’s “Songs from the Second Floor” (Sweden), are in the line-up, too.