Pinoy indie film shines at Locarno Filmfest

As the local movie industry continues to struggle out of a lingering slump (also occurring in other parts of the world including Hong Kong and Hollywood), a ray of hope shines through every now and then in international film festivals where Filipino films draw positive and encouraging attention, bolstering our not-impossible dream of truly penetrating the international market.

One such good sign was the inclusion of four Filipino films (Milan, Dekada ‘70, Bagong Buwan and Panaghoy sa Suba) in the new category called Films of the World at the recent Cannes International Film Festival.

Not many people know that some Filipino indie (low-budget) films have lately been making cineastes (and, hopefully, producers and distributors) abroad sit up and take notice.

Find out from the following exclusive report by Funfare’s Toronto-based "international correspondent" Ferdinand Lapuz:

Here is something good for the film industry especially for indie filmmakers. Brilliante Mendoza’s Masahista (The Masseur) will have its world premiere at the very prestigious Locarno International Film Festival in its 58th edition from Aug. 3 to 13 in Locarno, Switzerland. The film will compete for the Golden Leopard Video C.P. Company award which comes with 30,000 Swiss Francs. A jury of five to seven members from the world cinema and culture will award the film which best exploits the possibilities of expression offered by the video medium among 10 competing films.

Masahista is the first effort of Mendoza, an award- winning production designer. It is also the first production of Gee Films International with Fedelyn Geling as producer, Ihman Esturco and Coco Simmo serving as line producer and supervising producer respectively.

Masahista launches the career of young actor Coco Martin. He is supported by award-winning actors Jaclyn Jose, Alan Paule and Katherine Luna. Portraying the roles of his fellow masseurs are Paolo Rivero, Kristoffer King, Jayson Collis and a bunch of newcomers. Comedian and former councilor Lou Veloso appears in a brief but unforgettable and hilarious scene. The film, partly shot in San Fernando, Pampanga has Tagalog and Kapampangan dialogues. Martin, Mendoza, Collis and myself are all Kapampangans.

When the film was submitted to Locarno, we wanted to present it as an official selection in the feature film category. However, when the festival organizers learned the film was shot in digital format, they asked me if they could present it in the competition program of their video section which is getting a good reputation in the festival circuit. I think it is the only A list festival to have an official competition for films in video format.

Masahista is the first Filipino digital film in competition and Mendoza the first Filipino digital filmmaker to compete with his first film in a major film festival. I am not sure if this is the first Filipino film to be shown at Locarno in its more than 50-year history.

Gee Films is still planning when to open the film in Manila – for sure after Locarno. The film is being transferred to 35mm so it will be seen in film format and will be submitted to future festivals in the feature film category.

Engelbert Humperdinck’s World-Class Entourage

Some performers leave the outcome of their shows to chance. They don’t bother with who they’re performing with, or other facets of their show, thinking they should focus on their act alone. They don’t realize their show is as good as the people who back them up and make it more worthwhile.

Not Engelbert Humperdinck, who is as active as ever at a time when other performers are already planning retirement. The Filipino audience will see for themselves how highly Humperdinck values them when he performs at the PICC as part of his world tour on June 24.

The balladeer has left nothing to chance to make sure Filipino fans will see the same show he mounts in world-class venues around the globe. He will bring a mini-orchestra-band with him to back him out as he goes down memory lane song after song after song. This entourage combines sax, percussion, drums, bass, trumpet, trombone, guitar and piano and synth players in one heady musical brew. Back-up vocals come courtesy of Humperdinck, too.

The visuals are also well accounted for. Humperdinck’s lightmen will flood PICC with an interplay of light and shadows reminiscent of Las Vegas of the ’60s. Yes, it will be yesterday once more as Humperdinck will serenade the audience with hits like Release Me, Love Me With All Your Heart, Quando, Quando, Quando, After the Lovin’, The Last Waltz, Winter World of Love, etc.

He will also perform new songs from his latest album.

So close your eyes, forget the present and let the music flow. Let this blast from the past take you back in time when life was slower, simpler and sigh, less of the rat race that it is now.

(Tickets to Humperdinck’s show are available at TicketWorld, tel. nos. 374-2222, 374-9999 and 891-9999).

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