GMA Brandtalk
Tracking
Archives
ADVERTISEMENT
Filtered By: Lifestyle
Lifestyle
Cinemanila opens with plenty of surprises
+
Make this your preferred source to get more updates from this publisher on Google.
Indonesia's acclaimed documentary 'The Act of Killing' will be screened at Cinemanila International Film Festival. Cinemanila FB
The 15th Cinemanila International Film Festival opened Wednesday evening in a low-key ceremony at the SM Aura mall in Taguig City.
The festival, founded by director Tikoy Aguiluz, aims to bring the best of world cinema to the local stage. In remarks made at opening, he noted that one of the festival’s aims was “to make the Philippines a hub for cinema in the Southeast Asian region.”
His choice of opening film, the 2013 thriller "The Terror Live" by young South Korean director Kim Byung-Woo, was meant, he said, to inspire other young filmmakers to explore material that could appeal to wider audiences. His remarks were followed by a performance by local rock singer Joey “Pepe” Smith, who appears in Pepe Diokno’s 2014 film "Above the Clouds".
Kim was brought in for the festival’s opening and spoke with some members of the press. Through a translator, he expressed his delight at being in the Philippines for the first time, though he admitted that he would not get much of a chance to see Manila as he was flying back the next day. As he was known for making art-house films prior to this decidedly commercial summer blockbuster (it is one of Korean cinema’s top-grossing films for 2013), he said that going in this direction after graduating from film school was not surprising. “One has to change, and change is good,” he said.
Among the highlights of this year’s festival are screenings of yet another national nominee to the Academy Awards foreign-language film category, Mexico’s "Heli", a film which also won Amat Escalante a best director nod at Cannes. Two other national entries to the Oscars will be screened: "Ilo Ilo" (Singapore) and "Transit" (Philippines).
Also screening is the Indonesian film "What They Don’t Talk About When They Talk About Love", which was screened at the Sundance Film Festival last January. Another film set in Indonesia is the critically acclaimed "The Act of Killing", a documentary by Joshua Oppenheimer about Suharto-era anti-communist death squads, which will be receiving a local screening for the first time. Raya Martin’s latest film "How To Disappear Completely" will premiere at the festival, and the festival also has a program of new and recent short features including an adaptation of the indie comic artist Macoy’s "Maskot", about the travails of a fast food restaurant employee. The closing film will be Lav Diaz’s "Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan", which at four hours is one of Diaz’s shorter epic films.
As with past years, the schedule itself is a big surprise, and the only available schedules for the festival cover this afternoon. Readers are urged to visit the festival's Facebook page for more information and updates. — BM, GMA News
The festival, founded by director Tikoy Aguiluz, aims to bring the best of world cinema to the local stage. In remarks made at opening, he noted that one of the festival’s aims was “to make the Philippines a hub for cinema in the Southeast Asian region.”
His choice of opening film, the 2013 thriller "The Terror Live" by young South Korean director Kim Byung-Woo, was meant, he said, to inspire other young filmmakers to explore material that could appeal to wider audiences. His remarks were followed by a performance by local rock singer Joey “Pepe” Smith, who appears in Pepe Diokno’s 2014 film "Above the Clouds".
Kim was brought in for the festival’s opening and spoke with some members of the press. Through a translator, he expressed his delight at being in the Philippines for the first time, though he admitted that he would not get much of a chance to see Manila as he was flying back the next day. As he was known for making art-house films prior to this decidedly commercial summer blockbuster (it is one of Korean cinema’s top-grossing films for 2013), he said that going in this direction after graduating from film school was not surprising. “One has to change, and change is good,” he said.
Among the highlights of this year’s festival are screenings of yet another national nominee to the Academy Awards foreign-language film category, Mexico’s "Heli", a film which also won Amat Escalante a best director nod at Cannes. Two other national entries to the Oscars will be screened: "Ilo Ilo" (Singapore) and "Transit" (Philippines).
Also screening is the Indonesian film "What They Don’t Talk About When They Talk About Love", which was screened at the Sundance Film Festival last January. Another film set in Indonesia is the critically acclaimed "The Act of Killing", a documentary by Joshua Oppenheimer about Suharto-era anti-communist death squads, which will be receiving a local screening for the first time. Raya Martin’s latest film "How To Disappear Completely" will premiere at the festival, and the festival also has a program of new and recent short features including an adaptation of the indie comic artist Macoy’s "Maskot", about the travails of a fast food restaurant employee. The closing film will be Lav Diaz’s "Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan", which at four hours is one of Diaz’s shorter epic films.
As with past years, the schedule itself is a big surprise, and the only available schedules for the festival cover this afternoon. Readers are urged to visit the festival's Facebook page for more information and updates. — BM, GMA News
