‘Changing Partners’ goes to Amsterdam

Anna Luna (left) and Jojit Lorenzo in “Changing Partners”

Apart from Giancarlo Abrahan’s “Paki (Please/Care),” another Cinema One product is included in the Philippine program of the CinemAsia Film Festival, ongoing in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, until March 11.

Dan Villegas’ musical drama “Changing Partners” will be shown at the CinemAsia fest tomorrow and on March 11. Villegas told the Inquirer that he is “super happy” for his film’s inclusion in the fest. “I just hope for the Amsterdam audience to enjoy the film.”

Lead actor Jojit Lorenzo said of the film’s international screenings: “I am glad that they are bringing the film to Amsterdam. I hope our fellow Filipinos get to watch it there, too. I’m very proud of the film, so the wider audience it gets, the better.”

“Changing Partners” also has screenings in North America this month.

The CinemAsia fest website describes the “May-December romance shared by four couples of different sexual orientations” as “heart-tugging.”

The cast members, the site says, “all sing their hearts out.” Villegas’ film, which features songs by Vincent de Jesus, “examines the anatomy of a breakup from all gender landscapes, using a wholly original concept that keeps changing your assumptions about affairs of the heart.”

According to its site, this Amsterdam fest has become “a popular event for Asian communities in the Netherlands” for “exploring LGBTQ issues with an Asian focus.” “The goals were to dispel stereotypes and open up a dialogue among diverse social communities.”

After 15 years, the fest has evolved, along with the continent’s film markets. Apart from presenting movies on Asian diaspora and LGBTQ concerns, the fest also showcases “a tasteful mix of arthouse masterpieces, entertaining blockbusters, stylish genre films and edgy documentaries that mirror the captivating faces of Asia.” —BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR.

Sandino Martin