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Cinemalaya 2012 Winners!

Cinemalaya 2012 ranking!

After watching all the 25 entries for the 8th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, here's my ranking based on its depth, originality, cinematography, editing and over all impact (1 being the highest):

For the Director's Showcase
1) Bwakaw
2) Mga Mumunting Lihim
3) Posas
4) Kalayaan
5) Kamera Obskura

For the New Breed Full-Length Category
1) Ang Nawawala
2) Requieme!
3) Ang Katiwala
4) Diablo
5) Aparisyon
6) Sta. Nina
7) Intoy Shokoy ng Kalye Marino
8) Oros
9) The Animals
10) Mga Dayo

New Breed Shorts Category
1) Ruweda
2) Paghihintay sa Bulong
3) Pasahero
4) As He Sleeps
5) Balintuna
6) Manenaya
7) Sarong Aldaw
8) Ulian
9) Bohe
10) Victor

          I’m very much lucky to watched all of the entries for this year’s Cinemalaya. If I’m going to compare the entries from last year, this year was a lot better. As the National Artist for Literature, Bienvenido Lumbera said, it’s first time for the festival to have entries to the New Breed Full Length category with middle/upper class theme on it; Ang Nawawala and The Animals per se. Usually, independent films tackle only harsh realities, poverty and the like. This just mean that the Cinemalaya evolves a lot from its yesteryears.

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And the winner is..!

 

            The 8th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival awards night was held at Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (aka CCP Main Theater) last July 29, 2012, Sunday night. Everyone was so excited for this culminating activity since this was the time to recognize their efforts, hard work and all. The event was well attended by artists, production staff and crew, media press, fans and movie enthusiasts. The films were judged by different local and foreign juries. For this year, awards has been given to almost all of the film entries. It significantly shows that this year has been a really tough fight between the entries. Here’s the complete list of this year’s 8th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival winner:

 

New Breed Shorts

Best Screenplay: Sigrid Andrea P. Bernardo, “Ang Paghihintay sa Bulong’
Best Direction: Sheron Dayoc, “As he Sleeps”
Special Jury Prize: Richard Soriano Legaspi, “Manenaya”
Best Film: Jarell M. Serencio, “Victor” 
Audience Choice: Hannah Espia, “Ruweda”

 

 

 

New Breed Full-Length

Best Sound: “Aparisyon”
Best Original Music Score: Mikey Amistoso, Diego Mapa and Jazz Nicolas, “Ang Nawawala”
Best Editing: John Wong, “The Animals”
Best Production Design: Benjamin H. Payumo, “Intoy Syokoy”
Best Cinematography: Tristan Salas, “Diablo”
Best Screenplay: Rody Vera, “REquieme!”
Best Performance of a Supporting Actor: Joross Gamboa, “Intoy Syokoy”
Best Performance of a Supporting Actress: Anita Linda, “Santa Niña”
Best Direction: Mes de Guzman, “Diablo”
Best Performance of an Actor: Kristoffer King, “Oros”
Best Performance of an Actress: Ama Quiambao, “Diablo”
Best Film: Mes de Guzman, “Diablo” 
Special Jury Prize: Loy Arcenas, “REquieme!”
NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) Award: “Diablo” by Mes de Guzman
Audience Choice: Marie Jamora, “Ang Nawawala”

 

 

 

Directors Showcase

Best Sound: Ditoy Aguila, “Kalayaan”
Best Original Music Score: Diwa de Leon, “Kamera Obskura”
Best Editing: Vanessa de Leon, “Mga Mumunting Lihim”
Best Production Design: Adolfo Alix, Jr., “Kalayaan”
Best Cinematography: Albert Banzon, “Kalayaan”
Best Screenplay: Jose Javier Reyes, “Mga Mumunting Lihim”
Best Performance of a Supporting Actor: Art Acuña, “Posas”
Best Performance of a Supporting Actress: Iza Calzado, Janice de Belen, Agot Isidro and Judy Ann Santos “Mga Mumunting Lihim”
Best Direction: Raymond Red, “Kamera Obskura”
Best Performance of an Actor: Eddie Garcia, “Bwakaw”
Best Performance of an Actress: Iza Calzado, Janice de Belen, Agot Isidro and Judy Ann Santos “Mga Mumunting Lihim”
Best Film: Lawrence Fajardo, “Posas”
Special Jury Prize: Raymond Red, “Kamera Obskura”
NETPAC Award: Jun Robles Lana, “Bwakaw”
Audience Choice: Jun Robles Lana, “Bwakaw”

 

          I want to congratulate all the participants especially the big winners for this year. To all the volunteers, staff and crew, directors, actors and actresses, media and movie enthusiasts, a big props to you all.. See you on the 9th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival on July 2013!

 

I Support Filipino Pride!
Mabuhay ang Pelikulang Pilipino!

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You can check out www.cinemalaya.org for more details and updates about Cinemalaya 2012.

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Joey Javier Reyes' "Mga Mumunting Lihim" - Cinemalaya 2012

Stars: Iza Calzado, Agot Isidro with the special participation of Janice de Belen and Ms. Judy Ann Santos
Writer-Director: Jose Javier Reyes

In Mga Mumunting Lihim, Iza Calzado, Judy Ann Santos, Agot Isidro, and Janice de Belen bring life to the women whose bonds of friendship are tested when they discover secrets about each other.
Mariel (Judy Ann) and Carla (Iza) have been close friends since high school. When they grow up, Carla becomes a successful advertising executive while Mariel is a married woman who is actually jealous of Carla.

They meet Olive (Janice de Belen) and Sandra (Agot Isidro) who eventually become part of their barkada.

Judy Ann describes the movie by saying, “Pinapakita nito yung relationship ng magkakaibigan, paano na build at paano muntik magkawatak-watak dahil sa isang makabuluhang journal.”
In lieu of the meek characters that she portrayed in the past, Judy Ann accepted this role, which she describes as a “slight kontrabida.”

Mariel (Judy Ann) is afflicted with a terminal disease and when she died, her friends got to read her diary containing her darkest secrets.

Iza says about her character Carla: “I am ambitious and career driven. Ako yung type ng babae na matibay sa lahat ng bagay pero sa isang punto sa buhay ko, nagkaroon ako ng vulnerability na nag-trigger for me to become cold and cut off.”

Direk Joey admitted that Mga Mumunting Lihim is a very personal film for him. “It’s a movie about friendship. It’s about the death of a friend. I’m dedicating it to one of my best friends, Don Escudero.”

The director/production designer died of colon cancer in July 2011.

This film is one of the 5 finalists at the 2012 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and Competition's Director's Showcase Category to be held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines with showing at Greenbelt 3 and Trinoma from July 20 to 29, 2012.

Browse the Complete List of Cinemalaya 2012 finalists.

#ISupportFilipinoPride #Cinemalaya2012

Follow me at @i626leo

 

Lawrence Fajardo's "Posas" - Cinemalaya 2012

Posas
Stars: Nico Antonio, Bangs Garcia, Art Acuña, Jake Macapagal, Nor Domingo
Director: Lawrence Fajardo
Writer: Zig Carlo Dulay

To prepare for his role in Posas, singer-actor Nico Antonio actually took instructions from a real-life snatcher on how to steal a cellphone.

His character Jestoni “Jess” Biag is a notorious snatcher victimizing people in bustling streets around Quiapo Church.  As a routine, he steals wallets, gadgets and jewelries, which he will trade for a meager amount of peso - enough for him to survive and to support his family.

The film shows how Jess is captured by the police for snatching a cellphone of a call center agent, Ma. Grace Rosuello (Bangs Garcia). It’s his first time to undergo investigation.  And as he goes in the process from Barangay Hall Clinic, Police Station to the Fiscal’s Office, viewers will witness how human rights violation bluntly executes, and how culture of corruption deviously perpetuates in this chain of institutions.

PO1 Damian (played by Nor Domingo) chased Jess as he ran along the streets of Manila. According to co-producer Atty. Joji Alonso, they had to reshoot the snatching scene of the film because it was very difficult shooting in Quiapo.

Former Pinoy Big Brother housemate Wendy Valdez is cast as Idang, the girlfriend of Jess the snatcher.

One of the most-talked about scene in the movie is the torture scene of Nico’s character.
Nico Antonio endured waterboarding, a form of torture wherein water is repeatedly poured over someone's face, when his character is caught by the police. The actor temporarily developed a phobia of water because of this traumatic experience.

This film is one of the 5 finalists at the 2012 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and Competition's Director's Showcase Category to be held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines with showing at Greenbelt 3 and Trinoma from July 20 to 29, 2012.

Browse the Complete List of Cinemalaya 2012 finalists.

#ISupportFilipinoPride #Cinemalaya2012

Follow me at @i626leo

 

Raymond Red's "Kamera Obskura" - Cinemalaya 2012

Kamera Obskura
Stars: Pen Medina, Joel Torre
Writer-Director: Raymond Red

Kamera Obskura can be described as “a fictitious Filipino black-and-white silent expressionist film supposedly found recently by our film archivists and historians.”

In this experimental film-within-a-film, Pen Medina portrays a prisoner locked away in a dark chamber for over two decades. He only sees the reality of the world outside through a small hole in his cell, which projects an image of the city on his wall. He watches people passing by, projected like an inverted movie. As he yearns to rejoin society, he eventually chips away on the hole until it is big enough for him to escape through.

Direk Raymond points out: “Since 1983, I’ve been thinking of giving homage to silent cinema. ‘Yon yung wala tayo sa Philippines since ang sama ng film preservation natin at wala tayong awareness.

“Ever since, meron akong fascination for cinema heritage and film history. In fact, 1990s ko pa pinaplano ito pero ngayon lang natuloy.”

Direk Raymond already worked on a short film with a similar theme that was released in 2006.
“Si Pen Medina na rin ang actor ko noon na nakakulong [in his short film titled Mistulang Kamera Obskura]. Sinali ko yung short film na iyon sa Imahe Nasyon [an omnibus film comprised of 20 short films created by 20 filmmakers].”

The veteran director believes the now is the perfect time for his obra.“There’s a transition now to digital; mawawala na ang film--yung celluloid cinema. Kaya nagkataon ganun na ang thinking ng mga filmmakers ngayon: paying tribute to cinema heritage and history.”

 

This film is one of the 5 finalists at the 2012 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and Competition's Director's Showcase Category to be held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines with showing at Greenbelt 3 and Trinoma from July 20 to 29, 2012.

Browse the Complete List of Cinemalaya 2012 finalists.

#ISupportFilipinoPride #Cinemalaya2012

Follow me at @i626leo