May 15, 2018 marked the last screening day for the films on the CineFilipino 2018 line-up, according to the official CineFilipino Facebook page.
According to its website, the CineFilipino Film Festival “aims to support and develop new cinematic, audience-friendly works of artistic merit by up-and-coming and established filmmakers to help define the human experience through a Filipino perspective.” The festival’s official hashtag, #KwentoAngHari, also hammers in its raison d’être: finding compelling new stories to tell — as well as new ways to tell old stories — in the cinematic medium.
This year’s crème de la crème were awarded on May 12, 2018 at the Kia Theatre.
The TJ Trinidad and Yeng Constantino-starrer, “The Eternity Between Seconds,” went home with the ceremony’s big prize, Best Film. The film, about two strangers — an author (Trinidad) and a nurse (Constantino) — bonding over their shared loneliness during a layover in South Korea, also bagged the awards for Best Direction (Alec Figuracion), Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Sound Design.
The festival’s 2nd Best Film, “Gusto Kita with All My Hypothalamus,” depicts four very different men (Nicco Manalo, Anthony Falcon, Soliman Cruz, and Dylan Ray Talon) whose desires intersect at exactly one point: the alluringly mysterious Aileen (Iana Bernardez). Besides 2nd Best Film, the film also scored Best Ensemble, Best Production Design, and Best Musical Score.
Meanwhile, “Delia & Sammy,” which depicts the misadventures of an elderly couple after the wife finds out she is dying, won 3rd Best Film, and swept the acting categories to boot. All three of its lead actors, Rosemarie Gil (Delia), Jaime Fabregas (Sammy), and Nico Antonio (a caring security guard), won in the Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor categories respectively.
The rest of CineFilipino 2018’s entries are as varied as they are interesting, featuring stories that paint a fascinating image of what’s happening around the Philippines, and what it means to be a Filipino in 2018.
“Mga Mister Ni Rosario,” which won Best Screenplay, is about a housewife (Kate Alejandrino), whose method-acting husband (Joross Gamboa) takes his roles dead serious. When her husband takes the part of a serial killer, the wife finds herself living on the edge of a knife, caught in a struggle to survive her husband’s latest role.
Speaking of actors taking their jobs to the next level, “Excuse Me Po” is the story of a former film extra (Elizabeth Oropesa) who works as a con woman to provide for her ailing husband. A young writer, who picks up her story, gives her a chance at redemption.
“Mata Tapang” revolves around Sergeant Hardrock (EA Guzman), who loses three fellow soldiers and his left eye in combat. He begins to see the spirits of his former comrades, who ask him to redeem them in death. For her performance in this film, Ritz Azul bagged the Best Supporting Actress award.
Encounters with the paranormal are also tackled — albeit a little differently — in “Poon.” After some prodding, a woman (Glydel Mercado) purchases a statue of Santa Vargas, patron saint of true believers, at their barrio’s fiesta. When a string of unfortunate events occurs within their parish community, she finds her life taking a dark, irreversible turn.
And finally, “Hit Boy” is an action-filled romp about a 15-year-old boy (Adrian Cabido) who works as a gun-for-hire. Upon discovering that he is about to be a father, he attempts to leave the criminal underground — that is, if the criminal underground lets him.
This year’s CineFilipino Film Festival gives audiences a much-needed break from the series of romantic comedies and international popcorn flicks that usually dominate cinema screens at this time of the year. Whether dark or light, realistic or fantastical, these films provide vivid images of themes that run through the contemporary Filipino experience. Onscreen, we see diverse manifestations of love, devotion, desire that reflect where Philippine society is in the present.
What other uniquely Filipino experiences do you think would make great films?
