Philippine cinema has substantially evolved since it first arrived on our shores in 1897. Despite going through a turbulent political past, digital technology paved way for local filmmakers to create independent films that present a fresh perspective from the cookie-cutter stories we’ve all grown accustomed to.
To celebrate 100 years of Philippine cinema, Cinema Centenario (READ: Watch indie films past midnight at this new Maginhawa cinema) brings back Maginhawa Film Festival (MFF) for its second run until Dec. 30. The MFF features eight full-length films and 12 short films. Digitally restored and remastered versions of classic films like Kakabakaba Ka Ba?, Karnal, and Nunal sa Tubig will be shown to boot. Like the other films, tickets are priced at P200 and P150 for students.
Without further ado, here are some of the films that you can catch until the end of the year.
Yield
Yield is an award-winning documentary about the lives of nine children living in dire Third World conditions completed in a five-year period. The documentary by Victor Tagaro and Toshihiko Urui won Best Picture, Best Director, and Best in Cinematography at the MFF competition.
Kakabakaba Ka Ba?
This Mike de Leon classic is a rom-com musical about two couples who found themselves in conflict with the foreign commercial giants that control the Philippine economy, the Japanese and the Chinese.
Gusto Kita With All My Hypothalamus
Directed by Dwein Baltazar, the film follows four different men from Avenida who all fall for a mysterious college girl.
Liway
Liway by Kip Oebanda is Cinemalaya’s all-time highest grossing film to date and it’s made its way to MFF’s screens. Based on true events, a mother uses songs and storytelling to raise her child as normal as possible in a makeshift prison camp for both rebels and criminals during the Marcos dictatorship.
Jepoy
This short animation film by Avid Liongoren, the same director of Saving Sally, is about a boy who likes superheroes. At the wake of Japan’s Fukishima nuclear power plant disaster, he realizes that the answer to his problems is the incoming radiation.
Never Tear Us Apart
The film by Whammy Alcazaren follows an aging spy, his delusional wife, and their promiscuous son and their confrontation with a monster called “The Shadow.” Originally titled as Fisting, the film was met with controversy when it was originally introduced at the Cinema One Originals Festival a few months ago.
For the full list of lineups and schedules, check out MFF’s Facebook page here. You can catch MFF at Cinema Centenario, 95 Maginhawa St., Quezon City until Dec. 30.
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Writer: JILL CHUA
