SHORT FILMS
In the short film category, Cinemalaya presents Babylon by Keith Deligero, about two young girls who travel through time to assassinate a barangay leader to revise history; Jodilerk dela Cruz, Employee of the Month by Carlo Francisco Manatad, about a gas station attendant on her last day of duty who decides to go out with a bang; Kiko by Jojo Driz is about a blind and aging gay laundress who sees what matters most in life after losing the man he loves;
by Kani Villafor, is about a man who decides to take the risk and go for what he wants instead of settling for what people allow him to be; Nangungupahan ( Who Rents There Now?) by Glenn Barit is about the lives of different people who occupy a room in an apartment through different points in time; Sa Saiyang
( by Christian Candelaria is about a young boy struggling with his identity who finds solace in his dream of becoming a mermaid; Si Astri Maka si Tambulah ( Astri and Tambulah) by Xeph Suarez in about a Badjao transwoman who is forced to abandon her lover to marry a woman betrothed to her from birth; Siyudad sa Bulawan ( City of Gold) by Jarell Serencio is about three brother who take a job in the gold mines amidst a lifethreatening reality; Yakap ( Embrace) by Mika Fabella and Rafael Froilan is about a woman’s last few moment in life told through dance; and You, Me and Mr. Wiggles by Jav Velasco is about a man and his girlfriend struggling with erectile dysfunction.
Aside from the films in the main and short film competition, Cinemalaya will also have several other sections including Dokyu, the documentary section which will feature Yield (2017) by Toshihiko Uryu and Victor Tagaro and Call Her Ganda (2017) by PJ Raval, among others.
Festival goers will also be able to enjoy films from other countries in Asia in the Visions of Asia section, including Of Love and Law (2017) by Hikaru Toda and Bad Genius (2017) by Nattawut Poonpiriya.
Other sections include Indie Nation, featuring non-Cinemalaya produced independent films; and a section dedicated to the final projects of the Directing and Production Management workshops under the fourth Cinemalaya Institute.
Cinemalaya will pay tribute to director Maryo J. Delos Reyes, who passed away in January, through a special screening of his films Bagets (1984) and Magnifico (2003); and to actor Bernardo Bernardo, who passed away in March, by showing Ishmael Bernal’s Manila by Night.
The Retrospective section will feature the 2017 Cinemalaya Best Film Respeto by Treb Monteras, and Baconaua by Joseph Israel Laban who won Best Director that year.
Now in its 30th edition, the Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video — considered the longest-running independent film competition of its kind in the ASEAN region — will once again showcase the best of the best, with films competing in various categories such as Short Feature/Narrative, Experimental, Documentary and Animation. Pre-selected entries will be screened on Aug. 4 to 6 at the CCP Tanghalang Manuel Conde (Dream Theater).
The Cinemalaya Campus is slated on Aug. 7 & 8 at the Silangan Hall. The Cinemalaya Awards Night will be held on Aug. 12, at the CCP Main Theater.
For more information about Cinemalaya, visit www.cinemalaya. www.culturalcenter. gov. ph, and the Cinemalaya Facebook page or contact CCP Media Arts at 832-1125 local 1704 and 1712 and the CCP Box Office at 832-3704. —