MANILA, Philippines - The Rotary Club of Makati Paseo de Roxas holds a special screening of the Cinemalaya film entry titled Sigwa. The movie is directed by Joel Lamangan and tackles the historic First Quarter Storm of 1970. The period was marked by protest movements that eventually led to the declaration of martial law in 1972. Sigwa pays tribute to the first wave of dissent in the ‘70s.
Sigwa, meaning storm, relives the tumultuous social and political upheaval that enveloped the country in the ‘70s. The film, Lamangan’s first foray into independent movies, is part of the 2010 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival. It was also a finalist in the festival’s Director’s Showcase category. The critically-acclaimed and multi-talented director takes great pride in the film. He participated in the First Quarter Storm and was jailed in 1973 and 1977.
Sigwa boasts of a stellar line-up that includes Dawn Zulueta, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Tirso Cruz III, Gina Alajar, Jaime Pebanco, Marvin Agustin, Allen Dizon, Pauleen Luna, Lovi Poe, Megan Young, Jay Aquitania, Rico Barrera, and Ayen Laurel.
Sponsoring the special screening is the Rotary Club of Makati Paseo de Roxas. It is a fund-raising event for the club’s projects on providing clean water for communities, incubators for public hospitals and child protection units for abused women and children.
Dolly (Megan) is a Fil-Am who returns to the Philippines to look for her daughter. In 1970, she was a junior correspondent of a US magazine assigned to cover the student activism scene in Manila. In her work, she met a group of social activists, forming a bond with them before she was apprehended and deported back to the US. Now, almost 40 years later, Dolly returns to the Philippines to look for the daughter she thought was dead. While searching for her daughter, Dolly is also reunited with her former comrades and finds that like her, all of them are still grappling for a different kind of freedom that eluded them for nearly four decades.
Sigwa is produced by Cinemalaya, Beginnings at Twenty Plus, Inc. and Sine Totoo Production.
The premiere is scheduled on Aug. 20, 6 p.m. at the AFP Theatre, Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. Tickets cost P500 each. For details, call Jezza Carandang at 0915-5237888 or e-mail at rcmpaseo@yahoo.com.