(Photo Credits: Some photos are taken from Nicole Macarandang.)

     One of the most awaited events by many people in the film industry here in the Philippines is Cinemalaya. Cinemalaya is an annual film festival wherein it aims to promote independent films here in the country proudly produced by Filipino film makers. Now on its 11th year, Cinemalaya officially opened once again to show how talented Filipino film makers are. Furthermore, Cinemalaya also organized a campus forum on film reading called “Paano Manood ng Pelikula?” which was opened to everyone.

     In line with this, I am very happy to be able to attend these events. I went to Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) together with my friends to witness another experience that will help us as Mass Communication students. Last Tuesday, was our first day in the campus forum. This day was really informative. We watched five short films and they presented speakers for each film to critique them. There is an art behind watching a film and that is film reading. Before, once I watched a movie, my initial reaction would be, “It was good!”, “The actors and actresses were so great”. In short, it is purely for entertainment. But after this session, I learned that reading a film is a difficult thing. A viewer must watch the film critically in order to think beyond their feelings. One of the speakers also explained that there are different approaches in reading films. These are essay, newspaper review, political and Marxist approach. I didn’t know these. Luckily, Mr. Mario Hernando gave us another learning that will surely help us in doing film analysis. He took “Andong”, who won best short film back in 2010, as an example of Marxism approach, Capitalism V.S. Socialism. I also liked Ms. Anne Frances Sangil and Mr. Ronald Baytan reviews on the short films, “Walang Katapusang Kuwarto”, “The Houseband’s Wife” and “Bonsai”. They were able to explain of what those films truly mean and their messages to the viewers.

     Furthermore, our second day in the campus forum was the same as the first day – full of learnings. On this day, we were able to once again watch another film called “Jane’s Wedding”. Mr. Miguel Rapatan had a different kind of explanation compared to the other speakers. He allowed us to watch the film once again but this time scene by scene to explain it very well to us. On the other hand, our next speakers were from a worldwide organization called NETPAC or Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinemas. One of the speakers was Mr. Nick De Ocampo who also had a talk in school before. This time, he explained the different ways of reading a film- textual and contextual. I liked how he explained this although time was not enough to furthermore expand this.

     Finally, my favourite part of this forum would be Direk Jose Javier Reyes’s part. I’ve waited for this moment to see and hear the words from this one and only director. I was really happy to see him in person because I’ve seen some of his films and he’s truly one of the most respected directors in the film industry. He started his talk by clearly stating the difference between films and movies. Films, as he said, are creations made by directors as an artist meant to be savoured. Movies, on the other hand, are the products of studios made to be sold. This personally enlightened me because before I thought movies and films are both the same but they have a huge difference. He also allowed us to watch two silent films which we appreciated. One of the things I liked about what he told us was that, “You make films because you wanted to say something”. There are a lot of people out there saying that directors are making films because they’re money making but what they truly want is spread their message to the viewers. There’s a message behind every film. They use film as their creative way of expressing their sense of thought. In the end, “It’s not about the money, it’s about the fulfilment”. The discussion with Direk Reyes further got interesting as the audience ask different questions and answers them with full delight and joy. Sadly, time wasn’t enough again this time. But this one hour talk with him means a lot to me. He taught me that if you’re really passionate for your work, result is happiness. Even if you’re 60 years of age like him, you’ll feel like you’re only 16 because of this passion in you.

     In the meantime, it was about time to watch the ten short films in competition. I can see the thrill and excitement once again in the people’s eyes. For Shorts A, first film screened was Apasol (Chasing Sun). The cinematography of this film was good. I appreciate the fact that the director was also the actor of this film. At first, I actually didn’t understand the film. But as the director explained the story, I understand and admired it. It was about love between lovers, Mark and El, who spent their last day together. The director used metaphors to describe the film in a deeper way.

     Next, we had Gatilyo ng Baril. This film was about the attempt killing of Imelda Marcos. Ms. Estrella investigates the killer Carlito Dimahilig. The film used a black and white cinematography to show the eerie dark past of the country.

Sanctissima, on the other hand, is a horror like film wherein it tells a story of Marisa, an abortionist, who lives in a dark secret. It was an intense short film. Every fetus she aborts, she gave this to a mysterious person in her house whose body is covered with blood and was chained in the room. In the end, it was all about the undying mother’s love for her child. No matter what the child is like or whoever he or she is, s/he will always be her child and that she will do everything for him or her.

     Kyel is about a man who uses drugs in his room. The black room symbolizes that this man has a dark side. It also tells he is all alone and problematic in life. He used a coil as his new form of drug and tried to eat it. He was poisoned but then he lives again. In the end, he was killed by a man named Kyel.

     Last film for Shorts A was Nenok. Nenok is a kid who temporarily lives in the Barasoain Church. He was naughty but has a genuine thoughtfulness. The setting has a lively appearance in connection to Nenok’s happy character. The cinematography was also good. It has funny dialogue boxes that made the audience laugh. For me, it was entitled “Nenok” because Nenok himself always tries to get things that aren’t owned by him. Behind his cheerful character, Nenok is also sad in life- he doesn’t have any friend; only an imaginary one and the religious statues. This film shows that cheerfulness is a defense mechanism that deals with the problems in life.

     For Shorts B, the first film was Lisyun Qng Geografia. This film is about the friendship between Tric and Tib who started developing feelings for each other. Tib tries to find Tric as he found an old map. The flashbacks suggest that first love never dies. The film also has a great cinematography and good background music.

     Wawa is about a young boy who laid his father to final rest. The characters in this film are all in black clothes symbolizing the grief. There was a scene wherein the child has a background of waterfalls which also represent the sorrow and agony. Though it doesn’t have much dialogue, it clearly conveys the distress of the character. The movements of the character show the emotional shade of the film.

     Mater, on the other hand, is about a mother and daughter relationship and extreme religious devotion. The characters also don’t have much dialogue. They’re stuck in their routines, praying, eating, and outburst of anger.

     Pusong Bato is about a woman, Cinta, who fell in love with a stone. This film is really unusual. But as the director said, there are some people in real life who fall in love with objects. The cinematography was also good. I also liked how flashbacks were used in this film.

     Papetir was the last short film for Shorts B. The cinematography of this film was good. This was about a ventriloquist who was in a children’s party doing his job. Upon performing, he suddenly reminded of his son who drowned and uses his puppet to portray his grief. The audience continues to laugh as he talks to himself.

     Overall, the experience was definitely informative and fun. It was my first time to attend Cinemalaya and I can say that they allowed me to admire and respect Filipino independent films and film makers. I learned a lot of new information which will surely help me develop my skills. Truly, Cinemalaya brought up a new perspective in me which broadened my horizon as a student.