The 2024 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival isn’t over yet. It concluded its official annual run last Aug. 11 at Ayala Malls Manila Bay and other cinemas, but there are still screenings reserved for some post-event schedules.
And there are still thoughts left unsaid.
Classified by a film buff as “The Best of Cinemalaya at UP Film Center,” the festival’s award-winning full-length entries like Best Film “Tumandok” (directed by Arlie Sweet Sumagaysay and Richard Jeroui Salvadico), Special Jury Prize “Alipato at Muog” (directed by JL Burgos), and Audience Choice Award “Gulay Lang, Manong” (directed by BC Amparado) will be shown on Aug. 24 and 31 at Cine Adarna, a venue hardly used anymore.
The other seven feature films are Kip Oebanda’s “Balota,” Lawrence Fajardo’s “The Hearing,” Julius Lumiqued’s “The Wedding Dance,” Joshua Caesar Medroso’s “Kantil,” Jaime Pacena II’s “Kono Bosho,” Jonathan Jurilla’s “Love Child” and Sarge Lacuesta’s “An Errand.”
The 10 shorts are P.R. Monencillo Patindol’s “Abigbaybay,” Cris Bringas’ “All This Wasted Space,” Mariel Ritchie Jolejole and Ronino Dolim’s “An Baga sa Dalan (The Red Trails),” Sonny Calventos’ “Primetime Mother” (awarded Audience Choice and Best Screenplay), Sam Manacsa’s “Cross my Heart and Hope to Die” (awarded Best Film), Ryan Capili’s “I was Walking on the Streets of Chinatown,” Breech Asher Harani’s “Palamandong sa Danow” (awarded the Special Jury Prize), Alexandra Brizuela’s “Mama,” Rey Anthony Villaverde’s “Ambot Wa Ko Kabalo Unsay I-Title Ini” and Melanie Faye’s “Mariposa.”
These films will still presumably find their respective audiences, in one way or another, and hit various screens around the country and internationally.
The other awards for the full-lengths are: Best Director, Jaime Pacena II (“Kono Bosho”); Best Actress, Marian Rivera (“Balota”) and Gabby Padilla (‘Kono Bosho”); Best Actor, Enzo Osorio (“the Hearing”); Best Supporting Actress, Sue Prado (“Kantil”); Best Supporting Actor, Felipe Ganancial (“Tumandok); Special Jury Prize (“Alipato at Muog”); Netpac (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) Prize (“Tumandok)”; Best Sound Design (“An Errand”); Best Original Musical Score, (“Tumandok”); Best Production Design (“Kono Basho”); Best Editing (“An Errand”); and Best Cinematography (“Kono Basho”).
‘The Gospel of the Beast’
Unfortunately, I didn’t have the luxury of time to watch the entire official lineup of the 20th Cinemalaya. I hope I can still catch most of the movies that were lauded by the fest as some kind of rare harvest.
I have seen only this year’s opening film, “The Gospel of the Beast” directed by Sheron Dayoc, who returned to helming after a seven-year hiatus. The masterpiece on the “making/molding” of a young criminal gave its viewers goosebumps.
In the movie, the boy Mateo, portrayed by the award-winning Ilonggo Jansen Magpusao (the 2019 Cinemalaya Best Actor for Rod Arden Condez’s “John Denver Trending,” and now 17 years old), is an innocent-looking, loving brother. He is a short-tempered butcher in a slaughterhouse by night and a student by day, who runs away after hitting a classmate on the head with a stone and accidentally killing him in a bully discussion by the river.
Mateo clings to surrogate uncle Berto (played by Ronnie Lazaro), who introduces him to the underworld of hitmen and killers for hire. Slowly, the boy is transformed into a man of violence and extremism.
Despite some loopholes in the presentation of the narrative, “The Gospel of the Beast” won accolades at the 2024 Ho Chi Minh International Film Festival in Vietnam and was screened at the Tokyo international Film Festival last year. As the opener of the 20th Cinemalaya, one of the remaining film festivals in the country, it foreshadowed exciting viewing experiences in the days to come.
‘Lost Sabungeros’
It’s a shame for an entertainment journalist like myself to have missed much of the festival’s creme de la crème, especially considering that one had a media pass. Among the reasons for my absence was my teaching film and its related disciplines every Saturday and Sunday at Leon Guinto Memorial College in Atimonan, Quezon. My movie reporting—showbiz news writing and documentary filmmaking (shooting and chronicling the life of the Dumagat, the indigenous people of Real, Infanta and General Nakar, all in Quezon, and their protest actions against the construction of Kaliwa Dam)—also got in the way of my watching the Cinemalaya films.
But would I have made time to watch the documentary “Lost Sabungeros,” a foray into the disappearance of online cockfighters? Well, yes. Out of curiosity, I might have consciously and passionately pushed myself to view Babyruth Villarama’s latest work.
“Lost Sabungeros” was a joint project of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Cinemalaya Foundation with Laurice Guillen as president and Tonyboy Cojuangco as chair. It was earlier selected and curated by Cinemalaya, which assigned a number of theaters for its run but eventually cancelled the showing at the last minute supposedly for security reasons.
Belatedly, the Directors Guild of the Philippines Inc. (DGPI), of which Guillen was one of the founders, raised concerns about the cancellation of the documentary.
The DGPI through its president Mark Meily issued an official statement, saying: “We are deeply concerned by the intimidation tactics employed by parties that seek to stifle the voice of filmmakers. The recent disruption…is a stark reminder of the challenges faced by those who dare to challenge the entrenched through their art.”
The DGPI called on all filmmakers and society at large to protect freedom of expression and the democratic space and to remain brave and resolute in their creative endeavors. “It is through the courage to confront uncomfortable truths and address societal issues that we contribute to a more informed and empathetic world,” it said.
The manifesto came late, but better late than never. Still, to create the impact that the case deserves—the missing cockfighters remain missing to this day—it should have been written and circulated immediately after the pullout of “Lost Sabungeros” from the Cinemalaya lineup.
Read more: ‘Mainstream’ star Marian Rivera to star in an indie for Cinemalaya
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