CEBU, Philippines - Wanting to address the long-time criticism of the Philippine film industry as being too Manila-centric, Cinema One Originals finally brings over their big-screen productions --- including award-winning work from our own Bisdak filmmakers --- for Cebuanos to view and appreciate. After seven years and 47 indies produced, the highly-celebrated digital film festival finally sets foot in our shores.
“Hinog na hinog na. The right time is here. Why did it take this long to bring the movies to Cebu? It’s difficult because it’s expensive, and we have a limited budget to put up a film festival outside of Manila. We are hoping this will be successful, so we can possibly hold another one for the next year,” said Cinema One Channel Head Ronald Arguelles during a grand press conference at the Radisson Blu Hotel, which gathered some of the featured Cebuano filmmakers and actors in the film festival.
Sitting in the presscon panel with Arguelles were Publio Briones III, Phoebe Kaye Fernandez, Paul Jake Castillo, Victor Villanueva, Ivan Zaldarriaga, Brandon Relucio, Remton Zuasola and Eden Villarba.
A total of twelve films will be shown this February 11 to 16 at the SM City Cebu Cinema 8. Each film has a ticket price of P100. The powerful line-up is a mix of 2011 entries and notable works from previous years. Expected to attend the opening night this Saturday are stars of the 7th Cinema One Originals films such as 2011’s Best Actress Lilia Cuntapay, Mercedes Cabral, Franco Reyes, Van Roxas and our local talents.
Kicking off this rare cinematic showcase is Zuasola’s internationally-acclaimed work Ang Damgo Ni Eleuteria, shot in Olango Island and noted for its no-cuts, one-take approach.
Ang Damgo Ni Eleuteria recently took home two awards at the Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival in Indonesia such as Golden Hanoman (for best Asian feature film) and Geber (given by the Indonesian film communities). It also won the Special Jury prize in the 12th Jeonju International Film Festival in South Korea. In the Philippines, it was also a big winner in the 34th Gawad Urian—bagging the most coveted Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography (by Christian Linaban) and Best Music (by Jerrold Tarog)—and was hailed Best Picture in the Cinemanila 2010 (Southeast Asian Category).
Zuasola had many in the venue cheering for him when he explained why, despite his harvest of awards and having been cited in the capital as the filmmaker to watch, he chooses to nurture his talent here in Cebu and not pack up for greener pastures in Manila. The University of San Carlos Advertising graduate remarked, “As much as possible, I would like to make all my movies here. After so many years, it’s just been recently that we have a wave of Cebuano films being produced. We have been dreaming for this day to come. If I work in Manila, I would have to start from scratch. I hope what has been started here in Cebu will continue.”
The other Cebuano-made films listed for showing are ‘Di Ingon ‘Nato, My Paranormal Romance and Confessional, plus the Mindanaoan film Imburnal, which is also in Visayan dialect.
The rest of the broad fare are titles that recently bagged awards in the 2011 Cinema One Originals Festival such as Ka Oryang, Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay, Mga Anino Sa Tanghaling Tapat, Cartas de la Soledad, Sa Kanto Ng Ulap at Lupa, Sa Ilalim ng Tulay, and Big Boy.
Cinema One Originals has been, according to Arguelles, “giving breaks to filmmakers who have not only garnered acclaim for their work but have gone on to build real careers in the cinema. It has not just become a venue for artistic expression, but a springboard to a professional career.”
Some of their alumni include Jerrold Tarog, Richard Somes, Veronica Velasco and Topel Lee. Arguelles expressed certainty that many of the artists from the current batch will soon be joining their ranks.
As for filmmakers who plan to try their luck in the next Cinema One Originals installments, Arguelles stated some pointers that might let their jury choose one’s film for a grant among the hundreds of entries they receive each year. “Learn how to write a good script. Impress us with a visually exciting film. We also look at the credibility and voice of the filmmaker,” he briefly advised. (FREEMAN)