Cinemalaya X: Indie filmfest celebrates 10th edition with 10 innovations

The annual Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival celebrates its 10th edition this year by launching 10 innovations as it unveiled on Wednesday 25 original digital independent films for its 2014 competition.

 

Billed as Cinemalaya X, festival director Chris Millado said this year's theme is "a decade of connecting dimensions."

 

Millado, who is also the Cultural Center of the Philippines vice president and artistic director, said in a news conference that connections made in the 10 years of the festival link "communities of independent Filipino filmmakers, Filipino audience of independent films, and the international independent filmmakers and international film industry."

 

The theme highlights Cinemalaya as "a flourishing network" of individuals, groups, and institutions with a common goal of developing and promoting Filipino independent filmmaking, he said.

 

Millado listed the 10 innovations to watch out for this year:

The festival runs from Aug. 1 to Aug. 10, 2014 at the CCP as its main venue, with satellite venues at the Ayala Theaters in Greenbelt Makati, Alabang Town Center, TriNoma, and Fairview Terraces.

 

Millado said films featured in the 2014 Cinemalaya are diverse in themes and subject matter covering coming-of-age stories, romance, epic, comedy, and action.

 

Laurice Guillen, Cinemalaya Competition chairperson, announced the films competing in the New Breed Full-length Feature category:

In the Directors Showcase, Guillen said the entries are:

GuilIen said the Short Feature Category entries are:

'Not smooth but rewarding'

 

With the festival in its 10th year, Cinemalaya Foundation president Nestor Jardin couldn't help but look back at how the festival has grown.

 

“The road to Cinemalaya X has not been smooth but definitely rewarding,” he said.

 

“We can't help but be proud of what our filmmakers have achieved, the outstanding films they produced, the unique subject matters and stories they revealed to us, and the awards and recognition they garnered.

 

“This year's batch of filmmakers will undoubtedly rise up to the challenge of the previous years with new stories to tell us and new lessons to be learned from their films,” Jardin said.

 

Jardin added the upcoming Cinemalaya X book will be “a tribute to the Filipino indie filmmakers and a commemorative publication chronicling the history of Cinemalaya and its contributions to Philippine cinema.”

 

The success of Cinemalaya is undoubtedly due to the 164 filmmakers who for the past 10 editions of the competition and festival produced quality films that have broken the boundaries of filmmaking in the country, Jardin added.

 

The Cinemalaya Achievement Award will recognize a filmmaker or an organization for outstanding and distinguished work in Philippine independent cinema, Millado said. This will be the first time the award will be given.

 

Other events

 

Other Cinemalaya 2014 events and activities include posters and archival materials exhibition narrating the story of Cinemalaya’s first decade in “Cinemalaya@ 10: In Retrospect” at the CCP Bulwagang Juan Luna.

 

At the Pasilyo Vicente Manansala, the posters of all of Cinemalaya competition films from 2005 to 2014 will be showcased.

 

The Cinemalaya 2014 Exhibit at the Bulwagang Carlos V. Francisco will feature posters and memorabilia from the films selected for the yearly competition.

 

The CCP Main Theater Lobby will serve as an exhibition area for special portraits of the competing filmmakers. This year’s guest photographers are renowned Jun de Leon and Timothy de Leon.

 

The Cinemalaya Forum Series, which replaces the yearly Cinemalaya Congress, will be held on Aug. 5-6 at the CCP Little Theater. Speakers at the Forum will examine the state of digital filmmaking in the Philippines and the impact of Cinemalaya on the industry.

 

The Forum series offers seven sessions on the various aspects of digital filmmaking.

 

Cinemalaya X offers festival-goers the unique opportunity to view all Cinemalaya films produced in the past 10 years of the festival in the special “Cinemalaya Retrospective.” — JST, GMA News

 

For more information about Cinemalaya X, please visit www.cinemalaya.org, www.culturalcenter.gov.ph, and the Cinemalaya Facebook page, or call the CCP at tel. no. 832-1125 local 1704-1705.