Star-studded PPP opening night
The opening night of the 2018 Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP) held recently at the Samsung Hall at SM Aura Premier open up more avenues and opportunities for Filipino filmmakers to show their works and encourage them to come up with new and effective ways of telling their stories. The event also celebrated SANDAAN: 100 Years of Philippine Cinema.
PPP is a week-long celebration where all movie theaters nationwide will exclusively screen Filipino films in line with the celebration of Buwan ng Wika. Now on its second year, PPP aims to continue not just to showcase quality films, but also serve as a platform for different sectors to work together to celebrate Filipino artistry and create an industry event to support our filmmakers. This year, PPP has chosen eight official entries, which offers a diverse set of genre titles. These include the following films: Jun Robles Lana’s Ang Babaeng Allergic sa Wifi; Jason Paul Laxamana’s Bakwit Boys and The Day After Valentine’s; Adolfo Alix Jr.’s Madilim ang Gabi; Jay Abello’s Pinay Beauty; Chito Roño’s Signal Rock; Miko Livelo’s Unli Life; and Richard Somes’ We Will Not Die Tonight.
PPP’s Sine Kabataan Short Film Competition, on the other hand gives all aspiring young filmmakers a platform to develop their sense of creativity and originality in storytelling, while touching on important issues of today. PPP also gave way to six films in the Special Features Section which were chosen from the local independent film festivals that also proved their worth to be shown in the cinemas.
Another highlight of the event was when the screening of the digitally restored and remastered 1985 Lino Brocka masterpiece, White Slavery, which was presented to the audience by Central Digital Lab CEO and president Manet Dayrit. The writer, Ricky Lee along with the film’s cast Jaclyn Jose, Ricky Davao and Sarsi Emmanuelle were also present to support the film.
The 2018 Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino launch was organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines in partnership with SM and theaters nationwide.