Archive for May, 2009
THE LONG LIFE OF SHORTS
| May 6, 2009
Our first and second short films produced about four years ago have recently been selected to film festivals halfway across the world from each other.
Joel Ruiz’s Mansyon was selected for the 2009 Busan Asian Short Film Festival in Busan, South Korea. The festival runs from May 13-17, 2009.
Jeck Cogama’s Putot makes its continental US premiere at the Indio Bravo Film Festival in New York City, USA; running from June 11 to 14, 2009.
Screening details to follow.
LOOKING BACK: CANNES 2008 CHRONICLES
| May 6, 2009
Pinoy pride at Cannes! And this year, TIMES THREE!!
2008 snapshot: Myself with this year’s Cannes finalist Dante Mendoza and producer Ferdie Lapuz
My first trip to the biggest film festival in the world, THE Cannes Film Festival, was frightening, intimidating, exciting, invigorating, educational, inspirational, stimulating, challenging and nothing short of extraordinary 
As a joke, a friend of mine took a picture of my stuffed Pong Pagong on the red carpeted steps of Le Palais des Festivals et des Congres some years back. Who’d have thought I’d actually make it, much much earlier than I’d thought?
I was invited to present our upcoming project, “Akyat-Baba, Paikot-Ikot” at Le Pavilion Les Cinemas Du Sud (”Cinemas of the South”) and as a result was given the opportunity to come in contact with the big boys at the Producers Network. I gained so much from the experience! (More about this on Antspeak)
At the same time, Dante Mendoza’s film, “Serbis” was in competition and Raya Martin’s film “Now Showing” was part of the Director’s Fortnight. This year, Dante is back with “Chop Chop,” Raya with the much awaited “Independencia” and Adolfo Alix with “Manila” (twin billed with Raya). Arleen Cuevas, who quietly engineers everything for the two younger filmmakers, is attending as well.
I wish I could go. But then of course it would be much more satisfying to be there with a film – Joel’s, Coreen’s, Mario’s or even mine 
But all our prayers are with our friends, our fellow indies, who have earned every right to be in Cannes. Make us proud, Pinoys! Make us proud!
JOEL RECOMMENDS
| May 6, 2009
The TV series Battlestar Galactica just ended its critically-acclaimed, wildly popular four-season run in the US, but there’s still time for us to catch up.
In BSG, a “reimagined” series based on the campy original from the 70s, all of humanity lives on twelve colonies. Years ago they created robots, called Cylons. who in turn rebelled against their masters. A bloody war ensued and just as abruptly, stopped. Forty years later, the Cylons returned, nuking all of the twelve colonies, with only 50,000 human survivors left. This ragtag fleet of survivors is led by the only military vessel to survive: the aging Battlestar Galactica. They begin to search for the legendary planet Earth, their new home. But along the way, the Cylons chase them. And, some of them look exactly human.
If you think this is your basic science fiction, you are wrong. Battlestar Galactica is as much about our Earth today as it is about these fictional characters. Everyone from Time Magazine to Tracy, our Executive Producer, has been calling it one of the most important TV series this century.
Battlestar Galactica is available on DVD on most video stores. Pick up the miniseries first before watching the regular series.
THE FIRST PHILIPPINE FILM CATALOGUE RELEASED
| May 6, 2009
The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) is pleased to announce the release of the PHILIPPINE FILM CATALOGUE that the FDCP has published at no cost to the filmmakers and that will be given for free.
This is a landmark effort since this is the first time Filipino films (this edition features 2007 and 2008 films) are compiled in one publication. Included in this catalogue are one hundred twenty-four films: 102 mainstream and independent feature films, 4 short films and 18 projects in development or in progress.
This PHILIPPINE FILM CATALOGUE is an important step in FDCP’s objective to reach an international audience for our films. This will be brought to the different international film festivals, film markets, conventions and trade missions. The catalogue was first introduced in the recently concluded 2009 Hong Kong Filmart. It is FDCP’s intent to reach worldwide buyers and distributors and festival directors and programmers.
Recent Filipino films have been called “some of the most exciting in Southeast Asia.” This catalogue demonstrates why this is so and why the diversity and dynamism of Philippine cinema deserve to be at the forefront of world cinema.
We intend to update this catalogue every year and thus the next “volume” will feature the films of 2008-2009.
Finally, this project is one of the new endeavours of 2009 that will further enrich the menu of services the FDCP provides to the local film industry.
- FDCP PRESS RELEASE