By Anne Renee Suarez
From training the spotlight on independently produced films to supporting budding filmmakers, Cinemalaya has expanded its mission to training practitioners in key aspects of film production and serving as an inspiration to independent filmmaking in Asia through the Cinemalaya Institute.
The institution offers short courses in Film Producing, Screenwriting and Directing.
Indeed, the annual indie film event is no longer a 10-day festival but has grown into a year-long activity for people with a mission to tell unconventional stories and highlight what Filipino talents can do when given the opportunity to explore the subjects mainstream cinema would not dare to tackle.
Now on its 12th year, the theme of this year’s Cinemalaya film festival is “Break the Surface.” The festival will commence on Aug. 5 and will run until Aug 14.
Since its inception in 2005, Cinemalaya has supported and promoted the production of 118 independent feature films and 96 short films. Many of these films have won awards in local and international competitions and festivals. Five out of the 10 full-length features that won Best films in Cinemalaya’s 11-year-history have garnered awards from all around the globe.
Tribu (2007) won Pari de l’Avenir (Bet for Future Award) at the Festival Paris Cinema. The film features real-life gang members involved in street-gang activities as they roam Tondo, Manila.
Francis Xavier Pasion’s Jay (2008) won the Audience Choice Award at the 6th Black Movie Film Festival, Special recognition award at the 6th Festival Internacional de Cine Contemporaneo de la Ciudad de Mexico, Audience Award in the Black Movie Film Festival in Geneva, Switzerland, and D-Cinema Award in Barcelona Asian Film Festival in 2009.
Chronicling the story of Filipinos who crossed the seas to enter Malaysia illegally by boat in hopes to find work, Halaw (2010) by Sheron Dayoc won the top prize at the New York’s Hell’s Kitchen Film Festival, and APSA NETPAC Development Prize.
Starring the award-winning actress Eugene Domingo, Ang Babae sa Septic Tank (2011)brought home the NETPAC Development Prize at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in 2012 for its “spirited parody of Philippine cinema and its image of itself as reflected in international film festivals…and what independent film can do with courage and a sense of humor.”
Bwaya, helmed by Francis Xavier Pasion, won Tokyo FILMeX’s Grand Prize in 2014 for its “sincere humanity and the vivid expressiveness of the cast.”
A few other Cinemalaya films have brought home numerous awards from international film festivals and although not profit-driven, these films have definitely elevated Filipino filmmaking and have put the country on the world cinema map once again.
The Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival has come out with an updated lineup of the full-length feature films included in the main competition this year. With the forthcoming indie film event comes indie film aficionados who are just itching to place their bets on which films will make another mark on local and international scenes.
