At a time when the world is on the verge of collapse, when news reports demonstrate the regressive directions to which many countries are turning, the necessity of creating critical spaces becomes more urgent. The latest decision of the UK Supreme Court defining women as purely biological is just one of the cultural, political and...
Category: Film/TV
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Viola Davis packs a mean punch as a crime-busting US president
Long before Hollywood actress Viola Davis turned the quasihistorical 2022 film “The Woman King” into a No. 1 blockbuster, she was already looking for “Die Hard”-channeling action heroines to portray onscreen. In a statement released last week, Davis recalled meeting with the filmmakers behind “G20” for the first time in 2016. Helmed by Patricia Riggen,...
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No sophomore slump for CinePanalo film festival
Indie productions have always been a source of pride and storytelling innovation for Philippine cinema. When the mainstream industry was having a hard time keeping its head above water in the early aughts, it was indie filmmaking that lifted it out of the creative doldrums, especially after Cinemalaya was launched in 2005. Without the indies,...
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Golden haul: Strong lineup boosts 50th edition of MMFF
The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) has been fielding better-than-usual lineups since the Covid-19 pandemic began turning moviemaking tradition on its head in 2020. It kept counterproductive scandals at bay by awarding the coveted best picture prize to worthy winners (“Fan Girl,” “Big Night,” “Deleter” and last year’s “Firefly”) and runners-up (“The Boy Foretold by...
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‘Isang Himala’: adapting an adaptation
Let’s be clear about this. “Isang Himala,” an entry in this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival, is not a remake of the original film in 1982. It is a film reimagination of the theater musical first staged in 2003 which was based on the film. An adaptation of an adaptation. If there are crossover artists, Ricky...
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The business of the Metro Manila Film Festival
The Metro Manila Film Festival is now 50 years old, and my memories rush in. When I was a young movie fan in grade school, I considered its precursor, the Manila Film Festival (MFF), a grand fiesta of Filipino films. I anticipated the event, reading about it in the weekly Manila publications Philippines Free Press,...
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How are seniors in show biz coping?
When journalist Lolly Rivera Acosta invited me to guest on her daily radio show “Sulong na, Bayan” over dwIZ, I quickly said yes. I was ready to talk about senior citizens in show biz precisely because I am one of them. I marked the milestone in 2014, in time for my presidency of the Lopez...
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‘Batang Quiapo’: Behind the ‘teleserye’ scenes
Apo Manuel and his fake gold bars will haunt me for a little more time. If you don’t get the reference, that only means you are busy with life, and that’s fine, too. Apo Manuel is the name of the character I played in the phenomenal teleserye, “Batang Quiapo,” now on its third year. The action-drama...
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Cultural group Tribu in the glitz of showbiz
Show business isn’t only about Kathryn Bernardo and Dingdong Dantes, or about Nora Aunor and Vilma Santos. Nor is it only about ABS-CBN, GMA7, TV5, Viva Entertainment, UNTV, Star Cinema, Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), The Company, Gary Valenciano, Sarah Geronimo, etc. Show business is also about tenors Nazer Salcedo and Terence Gil Guillermo,...
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Why the local film industry isn’t dying (or the return of the Sinag Maynila Film Festival)
Who says Philippine cinema is dying, or in fact has died? On the contrary, many films were produced in 2023 and more are being made this year. In my Philippine cinema report of 2023 for the 2024 “Made in Asia” book of the 28th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in Bucheon City, South Korea, it...