While Philippine cinema is not exactly flourishing commercially on its own shores, Filipino filmmakers have been making a splash elsewhere. Not only do they enjoy screenings and awards at international film festivals, they're also making it into international coffee table books. Four filmmakers with homegrown talent are featured in the latest offering from London-based Phaidon Press. The book, Take 100, is "an unparalleled survey featuring 100 of the most exceptional emerging film directors from around the world" and "a unique sourcebook introducing the best in upcoming film talent directing in every film genre." The filmmakers were selected by internationally prominent film festival directors including Olivier Père, a former director of the Cannes Directors Fortnight; Kim Dong-Ho, director of the Pusan International Film Festival in South Korea; Sergio Wolf, director of the Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente; Piers Handling and Cameron Bailey, co-directors of the Toronto International Film Festival; Trevor Groth, director of the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah; and Christopher Terhechte, director of the International Forum of New Cinema at the Berlin International Film Festival. Take 100 features directors and films from countries as diverse as China, Israel, Mexico, Canada, India, Romania, Algeria, Russia, France, and the U.S. From the Philippines, the expert panel chose Pepe Diokno, Raya Martin, Brillante Mendoza, and Aureaus Solito.
Pepe Diokno and Engkwentro Pepe Diokno knew about his inclusion in the book since late last year, when the publishers contacted him through e-mail requesting photo materials. But he only found out that there were four of them when fellow film maker Aureaus Solito posted the info on Facebook. "I thought it was really cool to have four Filipinos in there. It raises the profile of the Philippines as a great place to shoot movies. People like to shoot in New Zealand and Australia, but filmmakers here as well as the Film Development Council have been promoting the Philippines as a place to shoot since last year," said Diokno. "We have everything - technique, technology, and most of all, talent," he added. “I hope this means there will be more movies shot here. Come here because we have the best film craftsmen and women. Also, we speak English well. We're proficient, hardworking, and professional." Diokno, the youngest among the four film directors, was born on August 13, 1987. In 2009, he won the Best Picture award in the Orizzonti (New Horizons) program of the 66th Venice International Film Festival as well as the “Lion of the Future" prize, formally known as the Luigi de Laurentiis award, for his debut film, Engkwentro, which is featured in Take 100. The 22-year-old Diokno is one of the youngest winners in the Venice Biennale, the world’s oldest film competition. Engwentro is a tale of two brothers who find themselves on opposing sides in the dark, gritty world of gang rivalry. The story of Richard and Raymond unfolds against the backdrop of unexplained killings – many of the victims are teen gangsters – widely blamed on a shadowy urban death squad allegedly supported by the city mayor. Two separate international juries in Venice conferred the awards unanimously to the film Engkwentro “for its bravery, novel storytelling, and technical achievement." Ironically, it did not receive any awards in the 2009 Cinemalaya film festival, where it originally competed. Businessman Antonio O. Cojuangco, chairman of the Cinemalaya Foundation, belatedly recognized Diokno with a plaque of "special mention" a couple of months after the festival.
Raya Martin and Indio Nacional Raya Martin recalls that he was staying with a friend in New York who was one of the editors when he learned about the book, but she didn't tell him that he was included in the selection. "I knew about the other people, but they weren't telling me until towards the end," he says. "The book is amazing," said Martin, who finds it overwhelming to be in the company of big directors such as Jason Reitman, who directed 'Juno.' Martin describes Take 100 as a very well-curated "film festival in a book" that showcases new directors in a collection of essays written by the programmers. The essay on Martin talks about his concept of recreating or imagining a national archive, which is not strict history, as in textbooks. "It's more emotional. My imagination of history is more melancholic than nostalgia," Martin says. What Raya's work does is, in the words of the late critic Alexis Tioseco, "encourage thoughts of what can be by appealing to the imagination." Martin's debut film Indio Nacional is the first installment of a planned trilogy. The concept of the trilogy has two basic premises: first, that each film will be set in (not necessarily about) a particular period of struggle in Philippine history (the Spanish, American, and Japanese occupations); and second, that each will be made in an aesthetic prevalent to the period in question. Their narratives aren’t causally linked, only thematically. The idea itself is unusual here, where movies spawn up to five sequels, depending, of course, on how well the previous movie does in the box office. Even more unusual, Indio Nacional uses elements that are a throwback to the pre-20th century. The silent film is shot on black and white 35mm stock, using title cards instead of dialogue. It is worlds away from the movies that fill the theaters these days, most trying to outdo each other in terms of special effects. The way Martin tells a story is through emotions; in his films movement is more figurative than literal. While Martin, 26, is considerably young - the subject of his age is inevitably mentioned - his films feel old. The complete title of Indio Nacional is Maicling Pelicula Nang Ysang Indio Nacional (O Ang Mahabang Kalungkutan ng Katagalugan). Of course, the film isn't young, either, given its scope of our 300-year history as a Spanish colony. It is ambitious, considering he was only 21 when he started making the film, and yet Martin succeeds. He has since established himself with an impressive and complex body of work. Mark Peranson of Cinema Scope writes that "Indio fills in an historical gap. It does so with constant invention and poetic beauty." Indio Nacional won the Lino Micciche Award at Pesaro Film Festival, Italy in 2006. Martin is the first Filipino filmmaker to be accepted in Cinéfondation Résidence of the Cannes Film Festival, which helps a dozen young directors annually with their first or second fictional feature film project.
Brillante Mendoza and Masahista Perhaps the most awarded among the four, Mendoza was also featured as one of the 15 directors of the century in Cahiers du Cinema, an influential French film magazine. He is the oldest among the featured directors, recently having turned 50, so it is surprising to learn that Mendoza only began making films in 2005. Today, he has ten films to his credit, and numerous awards all over the world. "My films are small compared to the other big filmmakers," said Mendoza, who said he was happy when he found out about the book. He says he is proud of all his films, big and small. "Just to finish an independent film is not that easy," he said. Among the constraints are the budget and asking people to work for free. "You may have the passion, but others might not be as passionate about it. After all, you're the filmmaker," said Mendoza. His film Masahista focuses on Iliac, a young man who services gay men in Manila for a living. Mendoza won the Golden Leopard (Best Film) Award for Masahista at the 58th Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland over Spanish director Pedro Almodovar, infamous “shock" directors Gaspar Noe and Lars Von Trier, Academy Award winner Ang Lee, and perennial Cannes favorite Quentin Tarantino. Masahista was the first of a string of films that dealt with the darker side of life in the Philippines. Mendoza believes that filmmaking is moving people in a way that they don't simply cry in the theater, but carry the effect with them long after. This could be another problem in the Philippines, where people like to watch movies to escape reality. Mendoza's cinéma vérité style probably makes a lot of people uncomfortable; after all, sets and popular actors are comfortably familiar, very different from his preference for shooting in natural settings, and penchant for zooming in on the unpleasant realities of Philippine society. Perhaps because of his style, Mendoza seems to prefer limited exposure for his films. He is partial to screening his films in schools, where there is a better chance for the film to be appreciated as they provide a venue for Q & A after the movie is shown.
Auraeus Solito and Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros For Solito, who learned about the good news through e-mail, the recognition gave his spirits a much-needed lift. At the time, he was at a screenwriting fellowship at Amsterdam and was feeling pretty low, as his neighborhood had recently been torn to the ground. "It was great timing. I was a little bit burnt out, because before I left for Amsterdam, they demolished my place of inspiration - where I shot Maximo. Nawala lang isang iglap. I couldn't write," he said. Solito was surprised when he got the news but it also made him very happy, which he says often happens to him. "When I'm down, something good happens. Something suddenly balances. It's like the universe gave me a pat on the back." Although it was a bit difficult for him to come up with the materials that Phaidon Press needed, things fell into place. "I didn't have a photo of me on the set," he said. Fortunately, one of the editors suggested that one of the staff members might have the needed photo, and she did. "It was even high-res! There were a few, and there was exactly one really good one," Solito said. Solito was pleased with the blurb about him written by Kim Dong-Ho, who had struck him as a quiet fellow. "I love what he wrote. It encompasses everything ever written about me on the net." He is also happy that the current generation of Filipino directors is getting international attention. "It's a good time for Philippine cinema. It's really our time. For us filmmakers, sarap gumawa ng films, kasi you get recognized in the world, and your own country." Solito's "Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros" is one of the occasional Cinemalaya films that have made it big in terms of commercial success. It is perhaps the most successful Filipino film in recent years, in terms of buzz and awards both at niche festivals as well as mainstream ones. The charming film, which tells the story of an adolescent homosexual boy and his first love, won 15 international awards including three awards at the Berlinale (The Teddy award, International Jury Prize at the Kinderfest and Special Mention from the Children's Jury of the Kinderfest). It is also the first Philippine film nominated for Best Foreign film at the Independents' Spirit Awards in the US. It has been shown in more than 50 film festivals around the world. While still an independent film, it is significant to note that the way the story unfolds is in a familiar format, nothing that will make the audience uncomfortable. Maximo's beauty lies in its subtlety – a script where every line is necessary, picturesque cinematography that makes even poverty look attractive, a score that makes your heart listen. These quiet elements blend together to form a moving coming-of-age story that is most definitely Filipino, without shoving the fact in the viewer's face.
Micro-industry of indie films Even if Take 100 does indeed put the Philippines on the map, as Diokno says, it is uncertain that this will increase the audience for Filipino films locally. The state of Philippine cinema today is such that despite the sudden burst of talent facilitated by the relatively easy access to digital film technology, most Filipinos remain unaware of the existence of our own local talent. In his essay Cinemalaya: At What Cost Freedom? film critic Philbert Dy wrote that the local film industry is comatose if not dead, "a veritable cinematic vegetable." He believes Cinemalaya is flawed, and describes it as a low-budget version of the Metro Manila Film Festival. "Instead of creating the means for supplanting the current industry, it has created its own micro-industry; one where every film just happens to be made with a lower budget, where everyone works for scale, and where most projects are never seen by the greater Philippine public," Dy writes. Budget is a major factor that contributes to the general lack of awareness and appreciation for art. Grants are few and far between, and while there is certainly no lack of talent, only a handful are able to create films due to financial constraints. For those who manage to come up with a finished work, there is still the problem of promotion and distribution. And of course, it follows that lack of exposure to independent cinema means that most people will not appreciate such films. Dy proposes that Cinemalaya give fewer but larger grants to filmmakers with something to say, who do not have the means to say it. Perhaps this would result in "really audacious films... the whole plethora of cinematic avenues left unexplored by the limitations of the current environment," he says. If this happens, then maybe people would develop a taste for cinema outside the mainstream. Better yet, maybe then the alternative could truly supplant the local industry instead of being a distinct micro-industry. Take 100 was released on June 30 in London and New York, but it is not yet available here. The cover features filmstrip images from the movies of the different filmmakers. While acquiring a copy of the book is still difficult, the next best thing would be to watch the films of our local directors who are featured in the publication, if you haven't yet. If the rest of the world is recognizing Filipino talent, there's no reason we should be left behind. –
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