Cine Filipino Filmfest Announces Their Eight Final Entries For The Festival To Be Shown In March, 2018

THE FIRST CineFilipino Filmfest was held in 2013 and its biggest winner was "Huling Chacha ni Anita", the sexual awakening of a lesbian girl played by Terry Malvar who won the best actress award. It was directed by Sigrid Andrea P. Bernardo and it opened doors for her since she has since become a blockbuster director with "Kita-Kita".

The filmfest stopped for a while and was resumed last year. The most prominent entries were "Star na si Van Damme Stallone" that is now an entry in the current Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino, "Sakaling Hindi Makarating" starring Alessandra de Rossi which had a theatrical release, and "First Sem" that won awards abroad for Lotlot de Leon.

Now, they've just announced the 8 finalists for the next Cine Filipino, which will be shown in theaters in March, 2018. Director Joey Reyes heads the selection committee and he hosted the announcement with Unitel head Madonna Tarrayo. This year, they have not only the MVP Group but also Cignal Entertainment as their partner. "Cignal has a lot of platforms that can give more venues for the filmmakers to screen their work later," says Madonna.


And here are the 8 final entries culled from 150 scripts submitted that will get a seed money of P2 million each:

"Delia & Sammy" by first time director Therese Cayaba. About an aging actress who is dying and
has to find a family where she could leave her annoying husband. This forces them to reconcile with people they've hurt before.





"Mata Tapang" by Rod Marmol. About a brave soldier who
loses an eye in combat but opens a new one for him to see his real mission with the Lord.





"The Eternity between Seconds" by Alec Figuracion who did "Bitukang Manok" for Cinema One. About a depressed writer who meets a young woman at an airport in Korea and they get to discuss their opposite intentions in life.




 "Excuse Me Po" by Ron Batallones, a former assistant director. About a retired extra in films who swindles people in the mall and her every act of deceiving people is like an effective performance in a movie.



"Poon" by Roni Benaid. A horror film about a very religious woman who serves in church and her frightening experiences after she got a religious image of San Vargas that she thought is miraculous.

"Hitboy" by Bor Ocampo (best known for Cinema One's "Dayang Asu" that won the best supporting actor award for Ricky Davao at Kuching, Sarawak in Malaysia.) About a teenage boy who works as a hired assassin.





"Kahit Man Lamang Kung Maaari" by Donalyn Baltazar. A film about perception involving four people looking for something and they all find it in a young woman named Aileen.





 "Mga Mister ni Rosario" by Ronald Allan Habon (scriptwrtier of "Ang
Turkey Man ay Pabo Rin" and "Star na si Van Damme"). This is about a stage wife who humors her method actor husband, until he gets a plum role and he threatens to kill her character.
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BIRDSHOT & SALVAGE: Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino Weekend Tales

I devoted the weekend in watching 2 films included in the ongoing Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino. I based my choice on the supposed quality of the films. Last Saturday, I watched the first, Mikhail Red's Birdshot, because I remembered reading not too long ago that it received a best Picture award somewhere (it turned out to be the Best Film of the Asian Future competition of the 29th Tokyo International Film Festival). On Sunday, the second, because of the supposed reputation of its director, Sherad Anthony Sanchez, whose films I still have to see. I love experimental films, I endured Raya Martin's Autohystoria (& that's a mean feat to anybody's book) but though I liked Birdshot, I lost patience with the second one midway & left the 6 people who shared the cold cinema with me.

  Birdshot's quiet laconic pace bored me for a while but the surprising texture of a rural Philippine film noir gripped me eventually. Salvage had no hook whatsoever to make me glued to my seat. Frankly, it turned me off so much I decided it was not really worth waiting for the supposed "surprising" climax. I was simply not interested anymore.

 After my experience with Salvage, I don't know if I will still risk watching any of the other entries.


 Birdshot- directed by Mikhail Red
 

Salvage- directed by Sherad Anthony Sanchez

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Director Joel Ferrer Gets Mainstream Break Helming Vhong Navarro & Lovi Poe In Regal's Comedy, 'Woke Up Like This'

DIRECTOR JOEL (a contraction of John Elbert) Ferrer is an indie film director whose comedy about indecisions, "Baka Siguro Yata" starring Cherie Gil and Ricky Davao, won the audience award in Cinema One Filmfest two years ago and the best actor award for newcomer Dino Pastrano.

He also co-wrote the script of another Cinema One entry, "Blue Bustamante", and directed the QCinema film about the coming of age of two high school students, "Hello World". He has directed episodes of "Wattpad Presents" for TV5 and Jasmine Curtis Smith's digital show about a vampire, "Forever Sucks".

He's now given the chance to direct his first mainstream rom-com, Regal's "Woke Up Like This", starring Vhong Navarro and Lovi Poe to open in theaters this Wednesday. So how is it directing big stars like Vhong and Lovi?  "At first, nakaka-intimidate," he says. "But they prove to be very cooperative. Nakakapanibago rin kasi, sa indie, konti lang kami sa set, pero dito, about 200 people kami sa shooting. Medyo nakakagulat pero after a while, nasanay rin ako. I tried to involve everyone to be part of the process. Kami nina Vhong and Lovi, before we shoot a scene, I consult on their own ideas about how best to do the scene. Mas napapadali ang work ko kasi it becomes collaborative, lalo na kay Lovi kasi first time niya to do comedy, but it's exciting to work with her kasi she's willing to take risks. Marami siyang gugulatin dito as she'll show na, kung gaano siya kagaling sa comedy, ganun din siya kahusay sa drama. Pareho sila rito ni Vhong na very successful. Si Vhong as a basketball player, si Lovi as a model, but both of them have become arrogant, selfish, kaya an old man, si Lou Veloso, pinagpalit sila ng katawan. Riot ang mga eksena nila na babae si Vhong at lalaki si Lovi. Sasakit ang tiyan nyo sa katatawa."
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Dennis Trillo Becomes The King Of The Mulawins Now That 'Mulawin Vs. Ravena' Is On Its Last Four Weeks

DENNIS TRILLO's character, Gabriel, in "Mulawin Vs. Ravena", is originally a Ravena but he now becomes a Mulawin ally. The Mulawins eventually choose him to be their king after Derrick Monasterio as Almiro was betrayed by Kiko Estrada as Rafael. This is the latest twist in the action-packed telefantasya which is on its last four weeks.

Meantime, Derrick Monasterio got the surprise of his life when he celebrated his recent birthday with school children and he found out that most of them want to be Almiro wannabes. "Nagka-goose bumps talaga ako when they told me na idol nila si Almiro at gusto nilang maging katulad niya," he says. "Dahil dito, naging mas inspired akong pagbutihin ang pagganap ko bilang Almiro kasi ang dami palang mga batang nananood sa amin. Maski ang fight scenes namin sa show, talagang pinagbubutihan ko and I do them myself without a double dahil ayokong dayain ang viewers.

Abangan ninyo kasi mas marami pang intense fight scenes ang magaganap sa 'Mulawin Vs. Ravena' sa susunod na episodes."
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