This month, the Film Development Council of the Philippines is featuring three independently produced films of 2017 through Cine Lokal, all set to screen in eight SM Cinemas, focusing on the daily real life struggles of people who are short-changed by life but with big dreams.
On April 6, Mga Gabing Kasinghaba ng Hair Ko (Those Long Haired Nights) started screening. A film by Gerardo Calagui, it participated in various international film festivals such as Busan International Film Festival, Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival, San Diego Asian Film Festival, Black Movie Geneva International Independent Film Festival, and International Film Festival Rotterdam, to name a few. It stars Rocky Salumbides, Anthony Falcon, Matt Daclan and Mon Confiado.
The film is about three transgenders working as masseuses offering sexual services for their clientele. The youngest of them, Tuesday, is a hopeless romantic looking for love in all the wrong places. The wise one, Amanda, returns home to her province to attend the christening of her ex-girlfriend’s son. The brave one, Barbie, looks to make more money through drug deals for a Korean client. As all three of them chase their dreams, it is anything but a normal night in the chaos of Burgos.
Next to screen is Bhoy Intsik directed by Joel Lamangan. The film features RS Francisco, Ronwaldo Martin, Jeric Raval, Elora Espano, Mon Confiado and Tony Mabesa. It is about two small-time felons with disparate personas cross paths: one is a principled tough gay; the other is a scheming, street-smart teenager. Together, they get caught up in a string of petty exploits while managing to forge a stronger bond.
The final lined up film this April is the sci-fi Throwback Today directed by Joseph Teoxon starring Carlo Aquino, Annicka Dolonuis, Kat Galang, Benj Manalo and Empress Schuck.
Throwback Today is about Primo, gifted with a good eye for production design, who ventures into the working world with a great desire to succeed. Unprepared for the harsh realities of the real world, Primo experiences failure, heartbreak and regret in a series of unfortunate events. While trying to make ends meet at the peak of his misfortunes, he encounters a technological glitch with his old desktop computer and gets a chance to re-write his life.
Catch these films at SM Manila, SM Sta. Mesa, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, SM North Edsa, SM Fairview, SM Southmall and SM Bacoor. All films are screening at 1:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 6:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.