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Sinag Maynila: Pelikulang Pinoy. Pusong Pinoy.

Sinag Maynila is a new film festival, although not as big of an event as Cinemalaya (yet);in its first year, it proved to be quite a film festival that is a must-go for cinephiles.

(Shown in Selected SM Cinemas from March 18 to 24, 2015)

Solar Entertainment Corporation, together with renowned director Brillante Mendoza, launches a film festival that aims to support local independent cinema. Sinag Maynila will showcase works from notable directors in local indie cinema. (Facebook Page: fb.com/sinagmaynila)

With Brillante Mendoza as the head of the film festival, being responsible for the screening of films, this alone is a guarantee that this new film festival is an avenue for avant-garde creations. Moreover, he is also one of the executive producers and creative consultant for all five films which means in the pre-production, production itself, and post-production he makes sure the filmmakers do not lose sight of what is to be achieved, which is an authentic Filipino film making; the five films chosen are reminiscent of Lino Brocka’s approach - creative and thought-provoking. Each director wants to highlight different kinds of spectre of social reality, and combined with their own style or identity of film making, Sinag Maynila then presents a diversity under a general theme of making the audience see the social and political reality that is behind the facade of the social imaginary that is itself illusory, provoking each viewers to be involved in not only reflecting about what is the social reality but to be challenged by the films to create spaces for pockets of emancipatory elements.

Sinag Maynila is very much different from Cinemalaya, although both is an avenue for indie film makers, personally, I think the former is a film festival that is authentic in itself, the latter may have had its golden years of producing the same wave of films, however today, it has welcomed in its home films that do not attempt anything other than to be branded an ‘indie’ film. It has tarnished the name of “Independent film”, the pre-requisite now to be declared and shown in film fests is to have a camera, a low budget, and an indie artist. What has independent films become today? Are we supposed to celebrate the creation of these so-called indie films? Moreover, Cinemalaya presents diversity through its many categories, a fabrication which makes itself appear to be the true banner of Filipino cinematic work. Cinemalaya has become too commercialized, contrary to its name, it is not ‘malaya’ anymore, it has been tied in chains to creations that are part of the trivialities of everyday existence. It has added to the list of films that bear no essential meaning. Most film makers today do not even know Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag (Brocka, 1975). It is significant to know the history of cinema, nonetheless, the history of Philippine cinema to have a metacriticism of films in every era or epoch, to be aware of both magnificence (of screenplay, techniques, and so on) and the inadequacies (due to the limits of the time) of cinematography. Although it is good to know that more and more people yearly watch entries in Cinemalaya, but let us be wary, that is, to screen the right films, for Cinemalaya is at the forefront of the banner of the Filipino new wave. This is not to make an attack on Cinemalaya, but this distinction helps us remind that Cinema is also an art that needs to be guarded. Is it not enough that the masses yearly adhere to some useless commercialized films? Nevertheless, let us celebrate the new coming of Sinag Maynila, a film festival that illumines film makers, viewers, and film buffs to a right orientation of what is to be seen (to be watched).

For its first year, Sinag Maynila has presented itself well, and has lived up to its name. It bears hope for the scene of Philippine cinema. For the next years to come, we can only hope it maintains the authenticity it presented for 2015; for the directors together with the production staff bear a new banner for a post-new wave.

Short Film Review:

BALUT COUNTRY

Jun, an heir to the duck farm left to him by his late father, must decide between selling the property to secure a future with his partner and sparing the family of the land’s loyal caretakers of inevitable displacement.

Writer-Director: PAUL STA. ANA

Cast: Rocco Nacino, Ronnie Quizon, Angela Cortez, Nannete Inventor and Vincent Magbanua

Balut Country presents the journey of Jun as he goes back to his home province of Pampanga for a simple affair of selling the land his family owns to a cathartic experience of first-hand seeing the toils of a family in struggling to survive a life that he is very much detached from. The film has defined the lines of real struggle, it has presented reality in a way that is believable even to the extent of having objectionable chance occurences one after another. Moreover, the main actors have captured the essence of their respective characters, Rocco Nacino as a young man who is torn between two different kinds of responsibilities and Ronnie Quizon as he depicts the emotions of a father who does with all his might to financially survive without compromising and setting aside his moral and legal duties. The cinematography is also to be commended, it gave a picturesque view of a farm, a hard thing to do in small-scale images; however, it is also the minor setback of the film. Very few films capture the beauty of having a minimalist set, although the film does not have a minimalist set, its attempt to return to the main setting of the film after each periodical frame structures has not encapsulated the power such as what is present in the film My dinner with Andre (Malle, 1981) as an example.

Screenplay: 4 out of 5

Cinematography: 4 out of 5

Bambanti

On the course of the search for the golden watch, Belyn gets involved; for the same prophecy also revealed that her son too is a culprit. These suspicions and heated blames are brought up to the authorities only to put them to worse entanglements.

Writer-Director: Zig Dulay

Cast: Alessandra de Rossi, Micko Laurente, Julio Diaz, Sharmaine Buencamino, Lui Manansala.

Bambanti is a personal favorite of mine, the cinematography is perfectly aligned with the provincial setting of Isabela, highlighting the fields from different perspectives along with different states of emotions of characters. (e.g. Kids in the field from a horizontal and small scale view, Belyn in the field from an aerial view) The frame selection is also a part of the cinematography that was done justice, as with the previous commentary, it syncs well with the editing. The storyline from the plot seems as if it's a dull film that revolves around a small story, however, the narrative widens and opens up spaces for a screenplay apt for the storyline and setting.

Screenplay: 5 out of 5

Cinematography: 4.5 out of 5

IMBISIBOL

Imbisibol presents a narrative of daily challenges faced by Filipino migrant workers in Japan during a period when thousands of undocumented workers and overstayers were being deported in response to strict Japanese laws.

Director: Lawrence Fajardo

Cast: Jm De Guzman, Ces Quesada, Bernardo Bernardo, Allen Dizon, and Ricky Davao.

Imbisibol bagged most of the awards of the film fest, aside from best picture,:

The film has a simple yet clear cinematography, opting for boxed panning shots which is a basic yet hard to master camera technique. The screenplay is balanced from introduction up to the fall of the conclusion, even with different protagonists it has achieved a balanced and pertinent exposure of each immigrant, showing their different individual introductory stories shifting to a singular denoument.

Screenplay: 4 out of 5

Cinematography: 4 out of 5

Ninja Party

Top female students of an elite Catholic high school discover their identities and sexualities amidst clashing values. Conflicts between themselves, heir families, and heir school force them to grow in friendship.

Director: Jim Libiran

Cast: Annicka Dolonius, Julz Savard, Bea Galvez, Elora Espano, Mariz Reyes

It is clear what Jim Libiran wants parents and the youth to see, that there are some truths part of our social reality today that are hidden and dismissed among those who know. The screenplay and cinematography however do not comply to the quality that the theme sets forth. For the cinematography, there are unclear cuts, poor transitions of frames, and inconsistent sound structures. As for the screenplay, simultaneity between the radical elements of the theme, the language it seems is not radical enough and does not comply to the high level radically maintained plot, it could not go out of the chains of an inadequate narrative. However, it remains to be thought-provoking in its form of radical presetting.

Screenplay: 3 out of 5

Cinematography: 2.5 out of 5

SWAP

A young father is torn between solving a crime and committing another crime when one day his only son is kidnapped and the criminals demand him to steal another kind in exchange for the life of his son.

Director: Rempton Zuasola

Cast:Dionne Monsanto, Matt Daclan, Mon Confiado

It is clear that the cinematography of SWAP opts for creative and experimental camera shots, and it does not disappoint, it worked well with the mysterious vibe of the film. The transitional frames without period editing,of a continuous flow in shift of production frames is a technique that fared well for the overall view of the sequences of events. I consider SWAP to be at the very core of the heart of indie films, as it effortlessly shows without telling (Heideggerian notion) moreover, this is based on actual events, from the experience of the director himself.

Screenplay: 3.5 out of 5

Cinematography: 4 out of 5

*All photos are from Sinag Maynila Facebook page

#sinagmaynila #filipinofilm #filipinocinema

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