Meeting the indie challengers, listening to the jurors, sounded familiar when seven years ago, a group of dreamers put up the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival. But now the segment dubbed The New Wave has become part of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2012, just about as mainstream as you could get.
How did it come about? Undoubtedly, it is inspired by the astounding success of Cinemalaya, changes in technology, youngsters exposed to the new cinema and the quick keen mind of a Francis Tolentino, heading the MMFF since 2010.
We attended the press gathering for the MMFF showing Dec. 25 to Jan. 8, 2013. Its yearly climb in gross receipts (last year P636M-plus, this year hopefully P700M) has made possible a New Wave addition from 2010 of Full Length to Student Short to Student Cinephone categories this year. They will be screened Dec. 21 to 24 at the Glorietta, a sort of pre-programming of the main event. All winners will receive cash awards.
While mainstream entries with expected big winners represented by Nora Aunor, Vice Ganda and Ai-Ai de las Alas joined the gathering, it was clearly from The New Wave that we felt the energy, the angst and the pride at being selected finalists and winners.
As we continued correspondence after the presscon with those in the New Wave particularly those in Cinephone, not a day or afternoon would pass that we didn’t get follow-up calls. Did you receive my photos? I could send more. It got to the point that they began discussing their plans and ambitions. Have we heard of the Sining Pambansang competition? Their group had an entry there, too. When would our column come out? No wonder chairman Tolentino is encouraged to push changes yearly to improve the MMFF’s capability of improving while earning more. He talks of adding the animation category next year!
There are 10 finalists in the Short Film category. Four come from Mowelfund which can only mean they must be doing something right. We can add that the first Filipino winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes came from Mowelfund — Raymond Red with his short Anino in year 2000.
The short film Manibela speaks of taxi driver Henry’s dilemma involving generous customer Philip who has made him an unwilling ally in his lust for Sister Marcel. Last Manny tells of unemployed Manny who spends his last P20 on a lotto ticket then awakens with a hangover, finding he had won the lottery but lost the winning ticket. Tsansa speaks of frustrated filmmaker Tristan who seeks advice from a local filmmaker when he can’t seem to come out with a film entry worthy of winning. A boy follows his eccentric uncle’s advice in Ritwal on how to win a girl’s heart resulting in chaos. Kinse is a race against time where three assassins are pitted against each other to win a single target.
Totoy’s son Kiko is ill and wishes to eat some Lugaw. Will Totoy find luck or misfortune? Sonata tells of a mother and daughter and their passion for music, and how this serves as balm to cure whatever has been dislodged by time. Obsesyon is an exploration of the human mind, and how a psychological disorder can bring about dangerous obsession to man. Roldyo offers a glimpse of the inner strength of mothers, on how they continue to move on as a family, drawing strength from one another. Tagad documents skateboarding in Cebu.
Finally, the new category Cinephone, with entries limited to three minutes based on the theme, Road Traffic Respect, has Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao represented in high school and college. Cinephone head Paul Soriano reports of having attracted 500 entries. “It is inspiring. I am amazed and excited at what the young filmmakers have shown possible through the cellphone. I have learned so much from them,” he says. The winners have already been announced.
From Luzon is Promdi by Lea Villasper where three guys from the province learn ignorance of the traffic law is no excuse; and Monthsary by Roni Benaid shows a jaywalker rushing to meet his girl for their “monthsary.”
From the Visayas, winner is License to Drive by Bea Mocorro where a guy realizes he doesn’t have his driver’s license; and Andrei Hernandez’s Two Minutes where a tragedy occurs as a student texts while driving.
From Mindanao, Bulgaran sa Daan from Jodelyn Nayre shows a guy and his secrets; and Anju de Vera’s The Boy.The Girl.The Traffic Man is about a traffic man helping a girl and a boy start their love story.
(Watch out for a report on the MMFF Full Length films on our Nov. 26 Live Feed column. E-mail us at bibsymcar@yahoo.com.)