After five years of hiatus because of the invasion of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, the independent film festival Sinag Maynila is back.
It was a successful comeback.
Better still, Sinag Maynila is back with a vengeance.
Wilson Tieng, producer of Solar Entertainment and internationally acclaimed director Brillante Ma. Mendoza are proud to present again their brainchild that has been producing wortwhile movies.
Eight official entries were lined-up this year, namely "The Gospel of the Beast" by Sheron Dayoc, "Banjo" by Bryan Wong, "Her Locket" by J. E. Tiglao, "Salome" by Gutierrez what Mamgansakan Ii, " Talahib" by Alvin Yapan, "Maple Leaf Dreams" by Benedict Mique and "What You Did" by Joan Lopez Flores.
These were select harvests of the season.
They were promising movies that gave the Philippines another shot in the arm film projects now being boasted as the ones to revive and reshape Philippine cinema.
After an exhibition at the festival, "Maple Leaf Dreams" will be theatrically rescreened for the benefits of the local audience.
Other titles must follow suit.
Last month, some of the outstanding films of the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival have been booked with the UPFI or the University of the Philippines Film Institute (UPFI).
We can do our share of pushing Filipino films by namedropping or campaigning for it.
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