Rafe Bartholomew's triumphant return
If there’s one thing we Filipinos love without reservation, it’s foreigners speaking Tagalog. This was evident during Rafe Bartholomew’s get-together with fans at Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street.
Every time the charming author of Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin’ in Flip-Flops and the Philippine’s Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball would utter words or phrases in our native tongue (usually for storytelling emphasis), I’d catch smiles beaming from peoples’ faces and choruses of appreciative laughter.
It was the last stop of his promotional bookstore appearances in Manila; he was headed next for Cebu. This was his first trip back to the country since the publication of the book, which has boosted him to semi-celebrity status.
The author, a New York resident and assistant editor at Harper’s Magazine, spent roughly three years in the Philippines on a US Fulbright grant doing research for the book.
During that time, he shadowed the Alaska Aces for a whole season; met with various personalities, celebrities, and politicians related to the sport; even toured the countryside to see how it’s done when there aren’t proper courts and rings. Or even shoes.
Asked if a Filipino player will ever play a prominent role on an NBA team, Bartholomew said that while our players have the skills, they are at a disadvantage because of sheer size, and it will be a “once in a generation” kind of player who will get the honor, if ever.
After the Q&A, fans got to get their books signed and have their photo taken with the author, who was genial and eager to talk hoops with fellow enthusiasts.
When our turn came, a friend asked who he would choose for his dream team of PBA players. Bartholomew replied, “Let’s start with Willie Miller and James Yap and go from there.”
* * *
Cine Europa begins this Friday with a fresh batch of films from the European Union to our shores. Free admission as always, but be early because tickets go fast. Shang Cineplex is the venue as usual (and I really hope they do something about the smell of smoke; it was still there when I caught the Silent Film Festival last week).
This Saturday is a real treat for us film fans. The Society of Filipino Archivists for Film (SOFIA) continue their “Overlooked Films, Underrated Filmmakers” series with a screening of Danny Zialcita’s 1967 film Masquerade at the Tanghalang Manuel Conde at the CCP at 2 p.m.
Beginning Sept. 15 is the Kurosawa Film Festival, a project of the Japan Foundation, that will see an excellent sampling of Akira Kurosawa’s films shown on the big screen (via 35mm prints!).
Included are classics like Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Yojimbo, High & Low The Hidden Fortress (which Lucas raided for Star Wars), plus some of his lesser-known work, including his first few films.
* * *
Ramon De Veyra blogs irregularly at http://www.thesecuriousdays.com, but is more active on Twitter.
