Cinemalaya continues the dream of 2004

In comparing then with now, those who were already around at the time still have that feeling of disbelief. That included Cinemalaya Foundation president Nestor Jardin, competition chairperson Laurice Guillen and chairman Tony Boy Cojuangco who provided not only the necessary funds, but the business know-how and that all-important heart for every thing to which he attached his name.

Indeed, things have changed through the years, all for the better, give or take some dissenting voices who tried all they could to bring down the dream that was Cinemalaya. Today, Nestor proudly admits that their objectives were clear from the very start. They were to develop a new breed of Filipino filmmakers whose works spoke of the Filipino experience, his aches and pains, his dreams and ambitions, he said in an interview. These would be found in the action films ala FPJ, dramas in the lingo of mainstream where the leads live happily ever after, horror that leaves the viewer afraid to sleep without company after watching the film, and those celebrating our cultural communities up in the mountains. But these are no different from the stuff churned out by the networks, many would possibly protest.

Yes and no, Nestor would surely reply in return. The difference will be found in the treatment, as many Cinemalaya devotees will agree. In The Janitor, an action drama topbilled by Dennis Trillo with a host of others, and directed by Mike Tuviera who had always been attracted to filmmaking, the story tells of Dennis as Crisanto Espina, a cop on suspension who has been promised quick reinstatement by his superior Richard Gomez. He follows every order given by Richard, even when the job entailed killing without mercy that would make anyone puke. Those in the audience were warned that blood would practically splatter the screen so they should be prepared. Apart from Dennis and Richard, the film stars Ricky Davao, Irma Adlawan, LJ Reyes, Derek Ramsay, Raymond Bagatsing, Alex Medina, Jerald Napoles, Nico Manalo and Dante Rivero in supporting roles.

Dennis has always been a favorite of ours from the time we watched him in Aishite Imasu 1941: Mahal Kita, a period film set during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. Dennis as Ignacio Basa played the difficult role of a bisexual lover to Japanese leader Ichiru Yamaguchi. For his portrayal, Dennis won a total of eight Best Actor awards as well as Best Supporting Actor awards from the many film award-giving bodies at the time in 2004. For his acting in The Janitor, we expect Dennis to garner no less.

The achievements of Cinemalaya over the past 10 years are summed up in the festival’s theme: A Decade of Connecting Dimensions.  The theme highlights Cinemalaya X as a flourishing network of individuals, groups and institutions with a common goal of developing and promoting Filipino independent filmmaking. The Cinemalaya X book chronicling its history and contributions to Philippine cinema was launched last Aug. 9 at the CCP.

The Cinemalaya Forum Series, which replaced the yearly Cinemalaya Congress, was held Aug. 5 to 6 at the CCP Little Theater.  Speakers at the forum examined the state of digital filmmaking in the Philippines and the impact of Cinemalaya on the industry. 

Cinemalaya X premiered 25 new digital films in the three competition categories — New Breed Full Length Feature, Directors Showcase and Short Feature. Through the annual festival, Cinemalaya has exhibited over 1,000 works by independent filmmakers.

After the riveting theme of The Janitor, we sought succour in the entertaining love drama of Ist ko si 3rd which proved to all that Nova Villa still has what it takes to make people laugh and cry simultaneously. She has a devoted husband, played by Dante Rivero, but still dreams of a past love, played by Freddie Webb.

We then moved on to the Ai-Ai delas Alas starrer Ronda where she plays a policewoman worried about her teenage son who has been constantly disappearing. A side-story tackles Ai-Ai and a long-time lover. Then we were served the surprise ending that should serve as a lesson to every mother. This Cinemalaya entry could very well be a mainstream offering which is actually one of the aims of Cinemalaya — to erase the gap previously existing between indie and mainstream. Next issue, we will tackle Hustisya starring Nora Aunor.

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