Cebu holds Brillante Mendoza Film Festival

MANILA, Philippines - Mallgoers recently had the rare opportunity to view four of the award-winning films of the first Asian director to win in the Cannes Film Festival, as well as interact with him during the Brillante Mendoza Film Festival at SM City Cebu.

The two-day event, which featured four of Brillante’s groundbreaking films, namely, Manoro, Kaleldo, Foster Child and Lola, gathered prominent Cebuanos from the government, academe and business sectors, as well as the prime movers of the local filmmaking community.

Brillante, who was honored last year in the My City, My SM campaign, took time out from his busy schedule to talk about his films and answer questions from a new generation of film enthusiasts, who were delighted not only to view his films, but also learn about their nuances from the director himself.

The film festival unreeled with a gala event that had all the glitz and glamour of an awards night — from the red carpet to the klieg lights. Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama graced the occasion together with Cebu Arts Council president Petite Garcia, Miss Cebu 2010 Reena Elena Malinao, Sinulog Foundation executive director Ricky Ballersteros and trustee Dolly Suzara, among others. The SM officials present were led by SM Prime Holdings VP Marissa Fernan, SM VP for marketing Millie Dizon and assistant mall manager Tata Mempin.

The program was held inside the mall’s Cinema 2, with four prominent members of Cebu’s film and advertising industry reading the synopsis of the four featured films: Cebu’s Outdoor Advertising Association chairman Mary Anne Alcordo-Solomon for Manoro; indie film actresses Jennilyn Bajo and Donna Gimeno for Foster Child and Kaleldo, respectively; and indie film director Remton Zuasola for Lola.

The event also recreated the director’s winning moments during the film festivals abroad, this time with Cebuano personalities receiving the awards on his behalf. Miss Cebu 2011 Mia Zeeba Faridoon received the CinemAvenir Award for Manoro; while Joseph Espina, dean of the College of Fine Arts and Architecture at the University of San Carlos did the honors for Kaleldo’s Netpac Award in the Jeonju International Film Festival. Sinulog Foundation’s Ballesteros received Foster Child’s Special Jury Award in the Eurasia Film Festival, while Bill Gardner of Cebu’s International Academy of Film and TV got the trophy awarded to Lola as the Best Film in the eighth edition of the Rome International Film Fest.

The highlight of the event was the awarding of a special trophy of appreciation by Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and SM VP for marketing Millie Dizon. Brillante then thanked the Cebuanos and SM for the warm welcome.

After Cebu, the Brillante Mendoza Film Festival made a stop at SM City North EDSA. It will then proceed to SM City Baguio in September and SM City Bacolod in October.

The Brillante Mendoza Film Festival is one of the many exciting events at the SM Supermalls.