Philippine rainbow cinema has come a long way since “Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros.” These days, our filmmakers are diversifying queer narratives on the silver screen. And film students are pushing it further with their craft.
In this year’s CineMapúa, we’re excited about student filmmaker Lester Cristal’s entry. He welcomes us to “Plus.Minus,”a convo on LGBTQ+ experiences and our local drag culture.
Premiering on July 20, Cristal’s “Plus.Minus” tells the story of a baby drag queen named Mark who falls in love with Alex through online circles. They take us into the world of drag and how it impacts young queer people as well as following their stories in motel rooms they share. It’s an interesting queer coming-of-age short film filled with promise.
“They find comfort in each other and create their own world out of desolated motel rooms,” states the film description. “It tells the story of what it means to love and be gay and live in this country during this wired world.”
They intend to transcend gender stereotypes and open the convo on queer experiences more through this film. “The LGBTQI+ experience has mostly been confined in the four corners of a motel room, kept underground with the local drag scene, and that can only be accessed through incognito on the internet,” states the film description. “The film is a portrayal of collective and shared LGBTQI+ experiences and is a presentation of an ecosystem of our community.”
You can catch “Plus.Minus” and other short films on CineMapúa’s YouTube channel. The festival is happening from July 20 to 25.
Read more:
Samantha Lee’s new film answers how hard LDRs are during COVID-19
Here are 8 sappy films if life is just too damn much
Watch 10 LGBTQ+ films where nobody dies
Still from “Plus.Minus.”