‘Lakbay2Love’
Erasto Films’ “Lakbay2Love” (Journey to Love), a romantic road movie about biking culture and climate change, will be screening today at the 4th Rahway International Film Festival as Official Selection in Rahway, New Jersey in the US It will compete with other full-length features in the three-day film festival.
Director Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil says, “The ‘Lakbay2Love’ team feels most happy to be part of the Rahway International Film Festival that is committed to showcasing films which educate and inspire empathy and open-mindedness. Even more so, a festival that promotes equality and gives lifetime achievement awards for women in film.”
Last year’s awardee at the Rahway International Filmfest was renowned actress Susan Sarandon, while for this year it will recognise Dena Seidel, an award-winning documentarist, who tackled the issue of climate change in her full-length film, “Antarctic Edge: 70° South.”
In “Lakbay2Love,” coming from fears brought on by typhoons Ondoy and Yolanda, director Ellen’s intention was to capture the exhilaration she felt when she accompanied her son as he learned biking in La Mesa Eco Park.
She realized that sustained action addressing climate change can only be brought about when people can go back to basics and fall in love with nature once again. Direk Ellen says, “I chose to do a romantic-coming-of-age story to appeal to the young, sans the usual complexities of the genre so as not to deviate from the film’s focus.”
Direk Ellen’s vision and intention was perfectly captured in the words of renaissanceman Lutgardo Labad, theater-director, musical director and cultural organizer.
Labad said, “The film is a romantic story couched in an environmental advocacy context, the movie abandons any form of melodrama and excessive romanticism…what is left is but pure simplicity of storytelling, deeply felt and subtly revealed emotions, and breathtaking nature…with (the characters portrayed by Dennis Trillo and Solenn Heussaff) quietly struggling with their destinies as the story of Mother Nature unfolds itself through the biking advocacy.”
“Lakbay2Love” premiered January 29 at the University of the Philippines Diliman with an outdoor bike ride, concert, and movie screening. It had its theatrical release on February 3. Recently, the film was shown in Miriam College, Greenpeace Philippine’s AdvocaSine, and in Cagayan at an event for students on climate change and sustainability organized by the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority.
The ride continues to UP Los Baños, November 3, organized by UP Road Trip and then to the island of Palawan for the 19th Cine Europa Film Festival on November 26 which will include a bike ride with European Union ambassadors participating. —
InterAksyon.com