4 PH films at Tallinn fest

Ronwaldo Martin and Hasmine Killip in “Pamilya Ordinaryo”

Four Filipino films will be featured at the 20th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia starting today until Nov. 27.

Derick Cabrido’s “Tuos,” which topbills Nora Aunor and Barbie Forteza, is included in the international competition program.

“Tuos,” which swept the technical awards in this year’s Cinemalaya, will vie for top honors with 11 other films from Iran, Russia, South Korea and Greece, among other countries.

According to the fest website, “for the first time in [its] history, all the films in the main competition are world or international premieres, and all the directors will be present at the [screenings].”

In the fest’s website, critic Giampietro Balia points out: “Cabrido interchanges beautifully shot, live-action sequences with suggestive, symbolic animation bits to evoke the fantastic nature of his film made of ghosts, myths and legends.”

Citations

In the Forum section, Lav Diaz’s “Ang Babaeng Humayo,” which won the Golden Lion at the Venice fest, will be shown along with two other internationally acclaimed Filipino movies, Eduardo Roy Jr.’s “Pamilya Ordinaryo” and Luisito “Louie” Ignacio’s “Area.”

“Pamilya Ordinaryo” recently brought home citations from the London East Asia Film Festival and the Hanoi International Film Festival, while “Area” bagged the special jury prize at the Eurasia International Film Festival (held in Almaty, Kazakhstan).

Balia describes “Humayo” as a “film that demands to be seen…an ode to the Filipinos’ struggle to recover after centuries of colonial rule.”

Throes, tribulations

Meanwhile, Balia commends “Pamilya” for “delving into the throes and tribulations of regular people, disregarded by institutions and often deceived and exploited [by other people] for personal gains.”

Balia notes that “Area” “happens during Holy Week” when the film’s main characters, comprising of prostitutes, pimps and their clients, “perform rituals of penitence to wash away their sins and be ready for another year of business as usual.”

Tallinn is one of the 15 A-list fests accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Association (FIAPF)—along with Berlin, Cannes, Shanghai, Moscow, Karlovy Vary, Locarno, Montreal, Venice, San Sebastian, Warsaw, Tokyo, Cairo, Mar del Plata and Goa.

Its website describes the Tallinn fest as “a unique event…[that] aims to present a comprehensive selection of world cinema in all its diversity, providing a friendly atmosphere for interaction between the audience and filmmakers from all around the world.”

Past editions presented 650 films—with a total of 914 screenings.