Illuminating Cinemalaya

One of the reasons why a film is screened is for its watchers to learn from — to challenge their cognitive faculties and to purge emotions like joy, pity, sadness, fear etc.

It is because Cinemalaya isn’t only fun and entertainment just because it is all about movies. Cinemalaya is more than the movies.

Cinemalaya is illuminating — true to its theme and blurb this as “IllumiNasyon.”

Illumination is translated into “IllumiNasyon” with emphasis on the visual renderings to the public and the nation that radiates or illumines to its people the purposes of the sounds and images onscreen.

Genius is the one who had thought of the overall essence of what the festival of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and Cinemalaya Foundation is geared on.

From the start, Cinemalaya has kept up with its parameters in choosing the entries—both in the short film and full-length feature—that make it more credible and exciting. “Fresh insight and artistic integrity” are two salient points Cinemalaya gauges their choices.

Cinemalaya has set the pace in visual storytelling on an innovative scale unlike the trite and commonplace movies and other visual treats that stick to formula and simply money making adventures. No doubt, Cinemalaya aims to earn and profit. What else is new?

But its products are atypical of the commercial fares crowded in the market that lend and thereby earn ennui and disinterest to and from the audience. Cinemalaya looks for alternatives.

The country lacks technological breakthroughs in filmmaking--a situation being enjoyed by foreign filmmakers who have the monopoly of advanced filming gadgets that makes local films suffer in comparison.

What to do is to deviate from the norms of the mushy and ordinary and adapt extraordinariness in terms of content and making the most of the imagination and innovation in using available technical support.

The 19th Cinemalaya which commences on August 4, 2023 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) boost of non-traditional and non-conventional viewing fares from the short to the full-length features.

Notice the line-up of names of filmmakers or directors of the full-lengths and one concludes that they are all fresh talents like Dustin Celestino who directed “Ang Duyan ng Magiting (The Cradle of the Brave)” about a university student who leaves the academe to find out why there is insurgency; Kenneth de la Cruz who megged “As If It’s True” about lovers who are tested of their loyalty or exploitation of each other; Jopy Arnaldo who did “Gitling” about a special kind of friendship of two people they never knew existed;

Ryan Espinosa Machado who helmed “Huling Palabas” about the search of a young boy on his real father while lured in the charm of the movies on VCD; Carl Joseph E. Papa who made “Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing)” an animation about a man’s search for a missing person; She Andes who created “Maria,” a documentary film on three Filipino women during Duterte’s war on drugs; Natts Jadaone who translated to moving visuals “Rookie” about gender sensitivity and sensibility of two female volleyball players; Gian Arre who directed “Tether” about the symbiosis of a relationship between a boy and a girl, and Kevin Mayuga who helmed “When This Is All Over” about a escape of a guy from the Philippines at the height of COVID-19 pandemic.

In the short film category, new names as directors are obvious like Kent John D. Desamparado (“Ang Kining Binalaybay kag Ambahanon ko para sa Imo—These Rhymes and Rhythms meant for you”—about grandpa and granddaughter bond); Kurst Soberano (“Golden Belles” about challenges in entrepreneurship); Arin Belarmino (“Hinakdal—Condemned”—about zombie family in the Philippines); Sam Villa-Real and Kim Timan (“HM HM HM”—about life in a doll house); Diokko Manuel Dionisio (“Kokuryo: The Untold Story of Bb. Undas 2019”—about the test of friendship between two transgender);

Mike Carbales (“Makoko sa Baybay—I am Going to the Beach”—about young brothers who wait for some supernatural being from the sea); Daniel Magayon (“Maudi nga Arapaap—Last Dream”—about a young girl’s nightmare); Januar Yap (“Sibuyas ni Perfecto—Perfecto’s Onion”—about an onion dealer); Mae Tanagon (“Sota—Horse Caretaker—a doc film on horse race life), and Joshua Caesar Medroso (“Tong Adlaw nga Nag-Snow sa Pinas—The Day it Snowed in the Philippines”—about friendship in a coastal barrio of two boys who count on each other).

These filmmakers are the hope of showbizlandia.

Shorts: Lea Salonga has maintained her stand that boundaries must be observed by fans and performers especially on privacy. Lea was pissed off when a fan just barged in her dressing room and took video of her so she was annoyed but kept her cool although she naturally expressed her sentiments on the matter. “The money you pay for a theater [or] concert ticket does not mean all-access. You pay for that performer’s art, and that’s where it stops,” Lea reminded the online user. "I’m not the type to cuss people out, but I will protect my territory and my boundaries. If I lose fans as a result, so be it," said Salonga...According to a GMA Network executive, Bea Alonzo’s appearance at the recently concluded GMA Gala—a party for artists of Kapuso Network—interestingly to the tune of P13.7M. It was the costliest package an actress could wear. Bea’s gown from AZ factory made exclusively by designer Norman Rene de Vera and pieces of jewelry especially Bulgari. No wonder it was millions of pesos which Alonzo had worked for in her entire showbiz career from ABS-CBN to GMA Network. What made Bea extra special during the event was the presence of her fiance Dominic Roque…The so-called “Legit Dabarkads” of the famed Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon’s trio on national television gave Maine Mendoza a bridal shower during one of the episodes of the controversial “E.A.T.” on TV5…Action superstar Rhene Imperial is set to wow his audience with a string of action capers from his RAC Productions to bring back the glory of action movies. Meanwhile, Rhene’s initial offering during his film producing comeback is “Bubot sa Kagubatan,” a film about the mystery and euphoria caused by sniffing or eating “bubot,” a type of mushroom.

'Bulawan nga Usa' still photo (Photo Credit: Cinemalaya)

'Gitling' still photo (Photo Credit: Cinemalaya)

“Ang Duyan ng Magiting” still photo (Photo Credit: Cinemalaya)

Bea Alonzo and Dominic Roque (Photo Credit: Bea Alonzo’s IG)

Lea Salonga (Photo Credit: Lea Salonga’s IG)

#Imagery #Cinemalaya #LeaSalonga #BulawanNgaUsa #Gitling #AngDuyanNgMagiting #BeaAlonzo #DominiqueRoque #CCP #OpinYon