Sports, motherhood, armed conflict among Cinemalaya 2022 themes
Movie enthusiasts can look forward to watching the 2022 Cinemalaya films in select cinemas and commercial venues nationwide, aside from online platforms, as the film festival marked its 18th edition with a return to live on-site screening at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in Pasay City.
With the tagline “Breaking Through the Noise,” 11 full-length films and 12 short features will compete for the Balanghai trophies this year.
Festival director Chris Millado announced during the in-person press conference that the films will be screened at the CCP from Aug. 5 to 14, in select partner cinemas nationwide from Aug. 10 to 17, regional community spaces from Aug. 22 to 29, and virtual screening from Oct. 17 to 31 via CCP Vimeo account.
In the same interview, Cinemalaya’s deputy festival director Tess Rances, Cinemalaya Foundation president Laurice Guillen and Cinemalaya main competition and monitoring committee chair, direk Joey Reyes, welcomed and presented the official entries for this batch. The filmmakers and cast members of each film also graced the occasion, including Coleen Garcia, JC de Vera, Juan Karlos “JK” Labajo for Kaluskos, Bakit ‘Di Mo Sabihin? and Blue Room, respectively.
Coleen shared that her role as a mother in direk Roman Perez Jr.’s Kaluskos (Rustles) was something that she could easily relate to.
In the film, she plays a “single mother, who is in the middle of a custody battle, and finds something underneath her daughter’s (Queenzy Calma) bed that will question her love for her child.”
“Nakatulong talaga (me being a mom in real life). I don’t (know) if I have played this role the same way kung hindi pa ako mom. Actually, kasama din namin si Amari sa trip namin. So hindi siya nawala, in between the scenes I go to him,” said the actress who has a one-year-old baby boy, Amari, with singer-actor Billy Crawford.
She continued, “Dalangdala ko pa rin ang pagiging mommy ko duon and I feel like it is second nature for me, I don’t really need to exert effort. Hindi s’ya yung kailangan ko aralin pa kasi lumabas na talaga sa akin naturally yung pagiging ina. I think yun po yung main difference sa lahat ng nagawa ko (before). Kitang-kita din yung growth ko not just an actor but as a person, as a human being, na nasa next stage na rin ako ng buhay ko.”
When asked if there will be a Baby No. 2 after Amari, she replied, “Alam mo dati parang naisip ko na parang gusto ko ng maraming kids. But now, I’m okay with two. Kahit din isa OK na ako. I do hope to still have one more but I’m thinking of a nice, healthy gap in between (kids) because I do wanna still accomplish a lot of things.”
“I wanna finish a lot of things and it’s hard! At least now,
I know it’s not just about getting pregnant and recovering. I want a lot of my time to go to raising my kids and I have to sacrifice that time. But right now, I want time for myself,” she added.
JC, on the other hand, plays a deaf character opposite Janine Gutierrez in Real Florido’s Bakit ‘Di Mo Sabihin? (Tell Her).
The actor admitted “it was really hard” portraying his character. “It was really difficult at first but since we were truly immersed with our characters, I must admit during the shoot, nagkaroon ako ng headaches because I’m trying to understand each and every sign na dapat ipakita. Talagang iniintindi ko yung bawat word,” she shared.
“It was really difficult but since we were totally immersed nga, naging comfortable kami and sa sobrang kumportable ko, sometimes during the shoot, feeling ko deaf din ako talaga. Like people are talking to me but feeling ko hindi ko sila naririnig. Nakatingin lang ako sa kanila, alam mo yun parang wala na, pumasok na sa akin yung character. And that was my objective talaga na magiging comfortable ako sa pagiging deaf,” he further shared.
Moreover, getting into his character as Anton, a member of a rock band in Ma-an Asuncion-Dagñalan’s Blue Room, was “not that hard” for JK because it has “also something to do with music.” The Buwan singer said, “Technically kasi siguro hindi siya malayo sa akin kasi there was a character that direk Ma-an Asuncion had in mind but it was not far from (my personality), hindi siya yung tipong, Sino yan? Si JK ba yan?’”
JK also shared that he became friends with his co-actors, Elijah Canlas, Harvey Bautista, Nourijune and Keoni Jin. He described Elijah as “something else, (he is) really an amazing actor.”
Meanwhile, Sheenly Gener’s Bula sa Langit (Trigger) tells the story of “a young soldier who comes home after a siege and faces a different war.” The cast members include Gio Gahol, Kate Alejandrino and AIR.
“Ang pinaka-statement ko dito, nung nag-pitch ako sa Cinemalaya (was) ang emosyon, wala siyang kinikilalang gender, wala siyang kinikilalang class. So hindi tayo black and white,” she answered when asked if there’s a feminist theme in her work. “It’s not about me as a female filmmaker. We are talking about war. Kasi ang giyera ay kumabaga universal siya eh. Hindi siya gender. Wala tayo dapat gender expectations, wala tayo dapat gender visuals. It’s not about me being a filmmaker but it’s about how I tell the story.”
Sports films Ginhawa (Solace) helmed by Christian Paolo Lat and The Baseball Player by Carlo Obispo are also joining this year.
Ginhawa follows the story of “an aspiring boxer who takes his fighting chances and discovers the grim reality of the sport.” It is starred by Andrew Ramsay, Duane Lucas Pascua, Ruby Ruiz, Rolando Inocencio, Dido de la Paz, Ruth LopezDee, Elan Villafuerte, Shun Andrei Bacalla, Roel Abao, Kiko Matos, Jun Nayra, Jan Rebong and Chanel Latorre.
Veteran actress Ruby accepted her role as a mother of a boxer in Ginhawa because “the movie shows the dilemma of a mother, having a son who’s a boxer. Kasi laging nasa bingit ng kamatayan ang buhay ng anak mo and yet meron kami pangangailangan na mabuhay, pangangailangan na baka sakaling manalo at kumita ng malaki. Yung ganung dilemma ho sa totoong buhay. Kung isasapuso mo, hindi siya madali kasi parang isinusugal mo ang buhay ng anak mo.”
Previously, Ruby had the opportunity to work with the Oscar-winning Australian star, Nicole Kidman, as a nanny to the latter’s children in the upcoming Amazon Prime series Expats.
The Baseball Player, meanwhile, is about “a Moro child soldier aspiring to become a baseball player amidst an all-out war.” Cast members include Tommy Alejandrino, JM San Jose, Tess Antonio, Don Melvin Boongaling, Sue Prado, Pongs Leonardo, Joel Saracho, Bon Lentejas, Ely Cellan and Arnold Reyes, who has special participation during the main event.
It was inspired by true events during the all-out war in 2000, according to the director. He explained, “I was in college at that time and maybe that’s one of the reasons why as a filmmaker, I was fascinated with topics on children kasi back then, I was helpless eh. Walang magawa. Like we were just watching the news… and how our families are displaced, how they are affected, how things are broken and things like that. It’s not that difficult for me to come up with this story.”
Likewise, directors Milo Alto Paz and Cynthia Cruz-Paz recalled the challenges of having senior citizens as actors in their piece Retirada (The Retiree).
“We need to adjust the working hours… ‘pag medyo nahihilo kasi most of our cast (members) are senior citizens, so medyo on our toes kami talaga,” shared direk Cynthia, that’s why they have a nurse on standby while filming.
Retirada is about “a retired government employee’s new hobby leads to existential desperation and financial complications.” The actors in the movie include Peewee O’Hara, Jerry O’Hara, Donna Cariaga, Dexter Doria, Nanding Josef, Lui Manansala and Johana Basanta.
Also competing in the film festival are Batsoy by Ronald Espinosa Batallones, Kargo (Cargo) by TM Malones, Angkas (The Backride) by Rainerio Yamson II, and 12 Weeks by Anna Isabelle Matutina.
Other patsoy comments, Batsoy highlights Iloilo’s famous dish of the same name in the story about “two young siblings who go on a fantastical adventure to satiate their craving for batsoy.” The Ilonggo film has Ethan Sean Sotto, Markko Cambas, Karen Laurrie Mendoza, Nathan l Sotto and Jonalie Asdolo as part of the cast.
Kargo centers its story on “a woman relieves the heavy burden from her past when she finally exacts revenge on the man who murdered her entire family.” It stars Max Eigenmann, Jess Mendoza, Myles Robles and Ronnie Lazaro (special participation).
Angkas follows the tale of “two estranged friends who manned and rebuilt their embittered past while traveling together in a habal-habal to retrieve a dead pal.” The cast members include Joem Bascon, Benjamin Alves, Meryll Soriano and Jolo Estrada (special participation).
12 Weeks is about “a single, 40-year-old woman who is forced to deal with thoughts of motherhood” with actors Max Eigenmann, Bing Pimentel, Vance Larena and Claudia Enriquez.