Best of world cinema via Cinephile Nights

CEBU, Philippines - Local cinema lovers, cinephiles, filmmakers, artists and writers are invited to the Cinephile Nights (Program No. 1) at the Tioseco-Bohinc Film Archive.

Launched yesterday, August 12, Cinephile Nights, which will happen every Thursdays until September 30, commenced with the world renowned Czech stop motion animator Jan Svankmajer wickedly surrealistic take on “Alice in Wonderland”. The color film released in 1988 ran for 90 minutes.

Wong Kar Wai borrows a page out of Godard’s French New Wave how-to manual and comes up with a fresh un-Chinese modern film about disenchantment and aimless Chinese youth. Mao must be turning in his grave! The 94-min. color film set in Hong Kong in 1994 entitled “Days of Being Wild” is set for viewing on August 19.

On August 26, “The Passion of Joan of Arc” will be the featured film wherein Danish director Carl Dreyer used the actual Joan of Arc trial transcripts for the making of this “silent” masterpiece. The sublime use of close-ups makes this film an emotional experience not to be missed. Filmed in 1928 in France, the movie is in black and white and has a running time of 92 minutes.

September 2 would be an Imeldific Thursday as Balikbayan director Ramona Diaz was given amazing access to Imelda Marcos for a revealing look at the woman and her beliefs. A surprise hit at the Sundance Film Festival, the 110-min. “Imelda” could have been titled “What Makes Imelda Tick?”. Former Philippine First Lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos was reportedly pissed when she saw it. In color, the film was shot here and the USA in 2003.

Ever fancy a 16mm presentation? “Ivan the Terrible Part 1” (1944) in black and white is for you on September 9. Russian director Sergei Eisenstein made this 99-min. historical epic about the ruthless Russian czar Ivan the Terrible. He made this czar out to be a hero. The ruthless Soviet dictator Stalin saw it and gave Eisenstein the Stalin Prize. But not so for the Part 2 version.

On September 16, “The Killing of a Chinese Bookie” will take its turn. Director/actor/auteur John Cassavettes is credited as being one of the original Indie, self-financed filmmakers. This gem, starring Ben Gazzarra, takes us into the seedy underbelly of New York City. It’s no fun being in debt to mob bosses! Label reads: Color, 1976, USA, 135 min.

Vietnamese director Nguyen Minh tells the story of a boy and his two buffalos in search of fresh grass. Shot entirely during the flood season in Southern Vietnam and overflowing with family drama, the 102-min. movie “Buffalo Boy” (2004) is third world struggle at its extreme. It comes in visually stunning color. September 23 is the playdate.

The 117-min. “The Eel” is set to cap the two-month free film screening on September 30. This Cannes Palm D’Or winning film by director Shohei Imamura chronicles the life of a husband who kills his wife, serves eight years in prison, and befriends an “Eel.” Unusual, strange, and a masterpiece of minimalist filmmaking, this was released in Japan in 1998 in color.

Tioseco-Bohinc is a film archive and library with the most complete foreign film collection in Cebu, and one of the top three archives in the Philippines. It is a resource for working filmmakers and film scholars. It is also open to professionals. The screening every 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays is free. However, there is a nominal fee for private screenings.

Further, curator Lito Tabay mentioned of a warning. The said film archive does not show Hollywood blockbusters or children’s films.

How to get there? Take the GT Express van from SM City Cebu or Ayala Center/Mall to Lapu-Lapu City. Get off at the “crossing” inside the Camella Homes Phase One Subdivision in Barangay Pajac. Walk down half a block from there. It is at 55 Daisy Street.

If lost, call 09128390692.