And just like that, it’s August once again.
It’s that time of year when, in spite of the inclement weather and traffic snarls, film lovers troop to the CCP grounds. Are you ready for the Cinemalaya Film Festival 2015?
Now on its 11th year, the prospects should be exciting. After a decade worth of game-changing products (but much controversy in the back-offices), the weeklong event is now under the helm of newly-appointed festival directors. Worth mentioning too are new festival rules, according to an official press release.
Long story short? There will be no feature-length films in competition this year, only short films.
But come on, let’s look at the bright side: The more home-brewed the productions there are, the freer the storytelling becomes, right? Plus, there’s genius in brevity.
Now, how do we turn the excitement up to eleven? By watching the lovely trailers, of course. (And if you’re the type, by mauling the replay button, too.)
Here are the four films we’re especially looking out for.
Papetir
From the mind of Darwin Novicio comes Papetir. (The quicker you forgive the crudely Taga-lized title, the less the film would seem like a Russian spy thriller.)
The logline sounds freakish enough to pique our interests: “A ventriloquist at a children’s party starts unraveling and finds himself talking to his past self.”
Sounds to me like a mind-fuck movie with bits of Rod Serling and Birdman thrown in the stew.
At times, the film seems to have been churned by a mom-and-pop production. It’s no small feat thanks to its crude choices in fonts. Not to mention, that outdated DSLR look prevalent in the late aughts.
But that final shot where a puppet plummets to the ground could give viewers much nightmare fuel.
Apasol (Chasing Sun)
A dream catcher ornament dances in the breeze. A sylvan landscape. Two lonely silhouettes.
Atmospheric, painterly, and pastoral—that pretty much sums it up.
There’s not much plot details to catch from the montage of Apasol (Chasing Sun)—a gay drama by Ryanne Murcia (who also acts in the film).
But judging by the logline, “An afternoon of love and farewell as Mark and El, a gay couple, spend their last afternoon together wishing on a tree and waiting to fade with the sun,” this seems like a mumblecore film inspired by the likes of That Thing Called Tadhana.
We’ll see. There’s still much elbow-room for experimentation when it comes to local LGBT cinema.
Kyel
What’s this?
A topless man doing things with a hammer for 50 seconds. A locked cam set-up that results in Scorsese jump cuts. A sound collage so lysergic it would make Yoko Ono blush.
File this one under “Experimental”— films that don’t ask much from the left-hemisphere of the brain, only from the five senses.
Expect post-modern video poetry. Or if not, a video installation loop perfect for those ninja parties.
Gatilyo Ng Baril
Betamax footage sure does look creepy.
With Gatilyo Ng Baril, the filmmakers investigate Carlito Dimahilig and his 1972 assassination attempt on Imelda Marcos— with only the benefits of found footage and bad tracking effects.
What twists the knife further? A pet theory on how this relates to the Ninoy Aquino assassination in 1983.
Bring out the cork board, the thumbtacks, and the strings. This one looks like a conspiracy theorist’s wet dream.
Art by Dorothy Guya
