If you’re still on a high from Cinemalaya, here are more films to catch online. The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), in celebration of the Philippine Film Industry Month, will be screening eight restored classics for the whole month of September.
The chosen restored films are among the classics that “greatly influenced Philippine Cinema to what it is today.” The films will be screened on the FDCP channel from September 1 to 30 for free.
This also marks the first celebration of the Philippine Film Industry Month.
Check out the eight films on view below:
“Brutal” (1980)
Dir. Marilou Diaz-Abaya
As what may be surmised from the title, the film runs on the darker side of the spectrum. It focuses on the story of a woman who, after murdering her husband and his friends, experiences post-traumatic shock. The story is picked up by a feminist journalist, who then tries to uncover the truth of the incident.
“Insiang” (1976)
Dir. Lino Brocka
“Insiang” was the first Filipino film to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival. Lino Brocka was quoted to have said that the film “is basically a character study of a young girl growing up in the slums,” and that he made the film to “show the violence of the overcrowded neighborhoods; the loss of human dignity caused by the social environment and the ensuing need for change.”
“Manila By Night” (1980)
Dir. Ishmael Bernal
Touted as a queer classic, “Manila By Night” depicts—as the title suggests—city life in the nation’s capital. Following the lives of several characters, it shows conflicts among lovers and families, drugs, prostitution, unemployment, and other realities within the “vibrant” city of Manila. The realities of life in the city were so vividly portrayed that it was actually banned for export during its release amid Martial Law.
“Pagdating sa Dulo” (1971)
Dir. Ishmael Bernal
Also written by Ishmael Bernal, this film features a dancer and a driver who, after being scouted by a film director, find themselves finally out of poverty. Their success, however, proves to be more detrimental to their relationship and to themselves.
“The Sex Warriors and the Samurai” (1995)
Dir. Nick Deocampo
The 26-minute documentary follows a Filipino transvestite, Joan, who works as an impersonator in Manila’s gay bars, while also training to work as an entertainer in Japan. The documentary also shows the difficulties that Filipino entertainers face.
“Turumba” (1981)
Dir. Kidlat Tahimik
Set in Pakil, Laguna, the film revolves around a family whose main source of livelihood is producing paper mache figurines, which they sell during the annual Turumba festival. The family is “well-off… with their cheerfulness, they have time to dance and play music; they are secure in their traditions—until one fine day a figure like the goose that lays golden eggs walks into their lives,” reads its commentary in the press report of ZDF, the German broadcaster that commissioned the work for its teleplay series.
“White Slavery” (1985)
Dir. Lino Brocka
The second Lino Brocka offering in the list tells another all-too-familiar tale. “White Slavery” is a drama following three girls lured from their provinces to work in Manila. However, they are tricked into working in the sex trade.
“Sinong Lumikha ng Yoyo? Sinong Lumikha ng Moon Buggy?” (1982)
Dir. Kidlat Tahimik
This 94-minute feature stars the director Kidlat Tahimik himself, in a story in which he teams up with a group of children to build a spaceship to go to the moon. This film was completed after “Turumba.”
