Cinemalaya 2017: Anchors Away
The SS Cinemalaya 2017 just set sail last Friday, August 4, and it was a sight to behold.
JUST AFTER BIRDHOT. This was the scene just outside Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo, or the CCP Main Theater. A packed house on opening night!
Photos won’t be the name of the game this time around since there was little to take photos of. What we will tell you is how much this year’s Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival will set the bar for future editions of the August special.
OMNIBUS TRAILER. We advise you to catch all these movies at CCP and participating Ayala Malls because this omnibus trailer isn’t enough./VIDEO Cinemalaya Foundation
Cinemalaya President Laurice Guillen said it best during her message: “Frankly, I don’t expect. I have learned not to. This is not out of reluctance to endorse the films; it is simply that every year is a slightly different harvest.” And we’re doing the same thing. Every Cinemalaya since 2005 has had its own, shall we say, flavor to it.
BIRDSHOT. Cinemalaya’s opening film proved to be one of the “loopier” films we’ve seen in a long time./VIDEO Pelikula Red
It is true that every year is different. There have been changes to the festival format that have either made it better or worse, but it has been a learning experience. The films being shown have become better throughout the years, whether it’s the shorts or the competition films. Heck, even those not competing (like the opening film Birdshot) are worthy of a spot in the competition.
SHORTS OMNIBUS TRAILER. Even the shorts have stepped up./VIDEO Cinemalaya Foundation
Cinemalaya’s reach has also grown throughout the years. From being exclusively screened at CCP, it has branched out to Ayala Malls in Makati (Glorietta and Greenbelt) and Quezon City (TriNoma, UP Town Center, Fairview Terraces). This year promises to be bigger, with the addition of Pampanga’s Marquee Mall as one of the places to catch Cinemalaya films.
With six malls plus CCP, festival director Chris Millado’s 100,000 viewership target doesn’t seem all that far-fetched. In fact, you can say it’s going to be an easy mark to hit, even with the festival lasting only 10 days (August 4 to 13).
Loopy opening film
This year’s opening film Birdshot will throw you for a loop if you’re not the type to indulge yourself in a “thinking movie”.
CAST AND CREW. Birdshot’s cast and crew pose for a photo just after the cocktails. Here they are from left to right: Ku Aquino (Diego), Mary Joy Apostol (Maya), director Mikhail Red, John Arcilla (Mendoza), producer Pamela Reyes, and Arnold Reyes (Domingo).
Yes, we’ve all had our fair share of detective films over the years, but the way Mikhail Red wrote the screenplay and how it progressed from minute one for the books. There was no clear villain or hero in Birdshot, which was based on a true story about how a man shot and ate an endangered Philippine Eagle.
SELFIE. An obligatory selfie orchestrated by Red (far left), the film’s director, just before their film was shown to audiences at the CCP Main Theater.
Director Mikhail Red puts it best in an interview with Rappler: “There’s no clear line between protagonist and antagonist; it’s just people who are victims of circumstance trying to survive the food chain of society.”
The film’s pacing was good, even if some might say it’s a bit too slow for Filipinos. It reels you in bit by bit, with mini-climaxes here and there that all lead up to what can be said as the most unexpected of all endings — that is, of course, unless you analyze the storyline itself. Mikhail Red executes this story very well, and though one of the scenes still has us baffled (not going to tell because that would spoil the film), it works in the context of the film.
The young and talented Mary Joy Apostol shined in her role as Maya. The daughter of Diego (Ku Aquino), her performance in the film was incredible. We’d like to her subtle way of acting was what carried her throughout the film, but she wasn’t that subtle. You can clearly feel the emotions that Maya was going through as the film progressed, which we will not reveal because we want you to see the film for yourself.
Birdshot will be shown at theaters during the first Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino, a film festival created by the Film Development Council of the Philippines. Pista happens from August 16 – 22, 2017 and will be shown in all theaters nationwide.
As for Cinemalaya 2017, all we can say is this: ALL ABOARD!
Written by Andronico Del Rosario
