Monday, December 11, 2006 The films of Mindanao By RG Alama Durina Jam
THE Guerilla Film Festival or the aptly renamed Mindanao Film Festival has entered into its fourth year with this year's event being sponsored by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
Currently, Mindanao's only film festival has six entries in the short film category and three entries in the intercollegiate documentary category.
This year's film festival was a scaled-down version compared to last year's ambitious event, which saw the holding of a film congress complete with guests like film professor Ed Lejano, critic Alexis Tioseco and with film directors Peque Gallaga and Maryo J. delos Reyes acting as jurors in last year's 2005 awards night.
The short film entries are also down to six compared to last year's nine. This year's festival also is gearing up to be a Holy Crossian affair with four short film entries (Badjao, Asa ka Pedring, Marsokwatro, Mukha) produced by students and alumni of the school, apart from one official entry (Dropesa) to the intercollegiate category.
University of Mindanao had the documentary Salot with the short entry Tulak made by some of the school's alumni. Notre Dame of Dadiangas sent one short film entry (Matris), and Ateneo de Davao mustering one documentary (Ang Kangit-ngit sa Davao).
So how did the films fare? But first we would like to commend the participants for coming in with their films. Filmmaking is an arduous task but the reward of finishing your film and viewing it inside a cinema is a priceless commodity one could forever treasure. And do hope they could come back to make some more.
The honest answer is that year's entries sadly pale in comparison to the films of last year's Guerilla Film Festival 3. We missed the sophisticated storytelling of Backspace, the moving appeal of Pakat and the bold innovation of last year's big winner Kasila this year's films also lacked the splendid cinematography of Laho it also lacked the daring sexuality exhibited by Bugso and Kulo.
But this year's shorts do come across with their own unique stories and is always a welcome addition to the Guerilla family; here is a brief review of this year's entries.
The Mindanao Film festival ran from December 3 until Sunday at the Gaisano Mall Cinema 4.
Mukha
A story of a gay beautician/last two kubrador named Armand who struggles to earn a living amidst the hardships bought about a society still bound by prejudice against the third sex.
The film brings to mind the 2004 screwball Guerilla hit Happy Ending. But Mukha is different being a light melodrama. A good candidate for best picture, a tight-focused script allows the actor to flesh out his character. The actor playing Armand is my bet for best actor or actress.
However the actress playing Armand's landlady tends to over-act with some of her scenes dangerously swaying on being soap operatic.
Asa Ka Pedring?
In my own opinion this is J.P. Seniel's best film to date, another runner for best picture plum. About a hardheaded truant who makes a realization about the value of life when he unexpectedly assists a pregnant woman giving birth.
Well-written, but a tendency to preach, JP Seniel's experience as a filmmaker gives stability to this film. Niko Ferrer though is unconvincing as Pedring, failing to provide the edge needed for his character, but appears to be a sensitive actor in the film's lullaby scene.
Badjao
This may be a little biased, for this writer is also its technical producer. One of the reasons why I accepted the producer is because of the strength of its script, parts of it written in Sama (Badjao dialect).
Alberto Egot direction shows promise in fleshing out the story of a young man who shuns his Badjao family. But I do have qualms about the musical scoring in some parts of the film, which tends to rob the film of its dramatic impact.
Over all, the film is a good candidate for best picture plum but faces stiff competition from Mukha, Asa ka Pedring and Marsokwartro.
MarsoKwatro
A film inspired by the March 4, 2003 bombing. A promising premise for a film, but do they pull it off? Though "Marsokwatro" is one of the most polished looking among the other entries, with its nice cinematography and production design, however the script although promising lacks research for a very sensitive and intricate topic.
Another minus is its complex plot of parallel stories being tied down in a short film. Marsokwatro could have been a perfect material for a full-length film.
With too many characters and too many subplots compressed in the short, the film fails to send its message effectively and in the end the film resorts to preaching, taking away much of the film's emotional force.
As a short film the filmmakers could have focused it as a great political thriller with Ivurr Rodriguez's commanding screen presence as the terrorist hell-bent on revenge or it could be made into a moving drama about the Bersola family coping with the loss of a loved one.
Matris the babymaker
The film delves around in an interesting and sensitive topic, about a woman named Violeta, who makes a living making babies for those who cannot have their own.
The film gives a passable character sketch about Violeta, commendable acting for the girl portraying Violeta's cancer-stricken child. Over all, the film is passable but not enough.
Tulak
An engaging straightforward story about a man who enlists his young son to become a shabu courier and the production's choice of location providing a realistically apt setting would have given us a well-made movie.
But the actors' wooden performances, poor editing and poor production design (unrealistic ketchup-looking blood, obvious airsoft gun props) pulls the film down a dozen rungs lower.
