“Be Brave, Be Proud, Be Original.”

That’s the theme of the upcoming Cinema One virtual film festival which serves as a special gift to the LGBTQ+ community this Pride Month. Directing the spotlight to the community’s colorful stories, the channel will be featuring numerous local LGBTQ+-themed films online through iWant and Cinema One YouTube channel. Various hit films perfect for Pride Month will also be aired on television via Cinema One channel and SKY Pay-Per-View.

iWant

Set to make waves online from June 19 to July 20 are the films “Ang Paglalakbay Ng Mga Bituin Sa Gabing Madilim,” “Pang MMK” and “Esprit De Corps,” which contain stories that young members of the LGBTQ+ community may find themselves easily relating to.

Those looking for films that either give a sense of adventure or contain modern and metro vibes may also find themselves adding the films “Shift,” “Metlogs,” “Seoul Mates” and “Miss Bulalacao” to their binge-watch list. The animated musical dramedy “Paglisan” may also pique the interest of those yearning for an unconventional take on presenting LGBTQ+ stories.

Older members of the community may also find themselves drawn to the stories of “Si Chedeng at Si Apple,” “Paki” and “Mamu; And A Mother Too,” which tackle topics like embracing your sexuality at a later age and fulfilling the roles of parenthood.

Pay-Per-View

Various multi-awarded movies will also be available on iWant Pay-Per-View for P50 and SKY Pay-Per-View for only P99 from June 25 to July 1.

This includes the modern gay rom-com “Sila-Sila,” which won Best Picture in the 2019 Cinema One Originals awards.

Another victor from that ceremony is the coming-of-age drama “Metamorphosis,” which bagged numerous awards including Best Director, Best Actor for Gold Aceron, Best Supporting Actress for Iana Bernardez, Best Sound and Best Cinematography. The film also made buzz prior to its premiere after initially being the subject of controversy pre-screening thanks to the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). Initially, the board gave it an X rating due to “sexually explicit scenes,” which its director J.E. Tiglao defended by saying that those scenes were included to properly represent the intersex community.

Thanks to the public’s clamor, its rating was reclassified to R-16, and none of its scenes were either cut or edited.

[READ: ‘Metamorphosis’ almost gets an X rating from MTRCB, but has been reclassified]

The film “Never Tear Us Apart” by Whammy Alcazaren from 2018 which won the Jury Prize and Best Director award as well as four other technical awards are also included in the film fest’s lineup. Featuring a star-studded cast which includes Ricky Davao, Meryll Soriano, and Jasmin Curtis-Smith, “Never Tear Us Apart” presents the enigmatic stories of an aging spy, his delusional wife, and a promiscuous son.

Cinema One’s YouTube and television channels

Making its way to Cinema One’s YouTube channel is the coming-of-age movie “Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros,” which has become a classic when it comes to LGBTQ+-themed films.

Available from June 26 to 29, it will be joined by “Esprit de Corps” and the docudrama “Jay” as well.

Lastly, Cinema One will also air “Mamu; and a Mother Too” on June 21 and 24 and “Paglisan” on June 28 and July 1 on television. The film “In My Life” will also feature on the channel’s Restored Section on June 28.

The celebration does not end this June either, as “Miss Bulalacao” and “Paki” air in the channel next month as well, together with “Quick Change” and “Kasal.” Viewers should also watch out for the upcoming Black Sheep boys love series “Hello Stranger”, which stars JC Alcantara and Tony Labrusca, making its way to the film festival as a bonus treat.

Aside from the film festival, the directors and some cast members of the featured films will also be sharing their thoughts with the community through the virtual chat “E-numan Live Q & A Session.”

Header photo from Inquirer.net

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