MANILA, Philippines – Cinemalaya kicked off this year's festival with the stars and directors of the full-length and short films during a press conference Wednesday, July 4 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Now on its 14th year, the festival's theme this year is "Wings of Vision."
Ten full length-films and 10 shorts films comprise this year's festival.
Distance by Perci Intalan
Actors: Iza Calzado, Nonie Buencamino, Therese Malvar
Synopsis: Liza is still drowning in grief from losing the love of her life when she receives a visit from the most unlikely person – her husband, who she left 5 years ago. With no questions asked and no conditions, Anton invites her back to his and their 2 children's lives
Kung Paano Hinihintay Ang Dapithapon (Waiting for the Sunset) by Carlo Enciso Catu
Actors: Dante Rivero, Menggie Cobarrubias, and Perla Bautista
Synopsis: Unmarried couple Teresa and Celso try survive their mundane elderly life. On the night of their anniversary, they receive a phone call from Benedicto, Teresa’s estranged husband who is quite ill and needs someone to look after him. Going out of their way to take care of Benedicto, they encourage him to seek treatment and live the remaining days of his life. However, their son Chito can’t forgive. On the twilight of their days, how do they wait for the sun to set?
Kuya Wes by James Mayo
Actors: Ogie Alcasid, Ina Raymundo, Moi Bien, Alex Medina, and Karen Gaerlan
Synopsis: Kuya Wes, a timid remittance clerk, feels like he does not exist, except when he is working at the remittance center. He is mostly ignored by his younger brother Raf and his family. His days are only brightened when his customer Erika comes in every month. One day, his life changes as Erika’s overseas husband leaves her. Wes decides to help her from his own pocket. His “relationship” with Erika and his friction with Raf starts to change him.
Liway by Kip Oebanda
Actors: Glaiza de Castro, Dominic roco, Kenken Nuyad, Sue Prado, Soliman Cruz
Synopsis: Dakip lives with his parents Day and Ric inside Camp Delgado, a makeshift prison inside a military camp for both rebels and criminals. Given their circumstances, Day does her best to shelter the child from the harsh realities of their life. She uses storytelling about an enchantress named Liway, as well as songs and imagination, to help ensure that her boy is free from trauma. At the tail end of the Martial Law, Day’s own dark past catches up on her and the lives of the detainees become increasingly difficult. She is confronted with the cruel possibility that the best interest of her child means never seeing her again. This is based on a true story.
Mamang by Denise O'Hara
Actors: Celeste Legaspi, Ketchup Eusebio, Peewee O'hara, Alex Medina, Gio Gahol
Synopsis: Already in the twilight of her life, Mamang struggles to fight senility and dementia so she can live with her only living son Ferdie. But the more she struggles, the more her condition worsens until she is literally haunted by the ghosts of her past. She battles to drive them away from her house, and in her mind, and starts re-living her past – her marriage, her childhood, and everything else in between. In the end, she is forced to make a decision between staying sane or letting her mind go.
ML by Benedict Mique Jr
Actors: Eddie Garcia, Tony Labrusca, Liane Valentino, Henz Villaraiz
Synoposis: Confronted by a frustrated History professor, Carlo sets out to prove that Martial Law wasn’t all that bad and looks for someone who lived through that period to tell the tale. He meets Colonel, an old recluse living alone in a ramshackle house in Carlo’s neighborhood. With his best friend Jaze and girlfriend Pats, Carlo visits the old man to interview him about what truly happened during the Marcos regime - a visit that may put the lives of the three teenagers in danger. To truly learn about the horrors of Martial Law, do teenagers today have to pay the ultimate price?
Musmos na Sumibol sa Gubat ng Digma by Iar Lionel Arondaing
Actors: Junyka Sigrid Santarin, JM Salvado, Star Orjaliza
Synopsis: Amid the conflict between their families and the chaos in Mindanao,two young Muslims cross paths and find love, happiness and friendship when they spend seven days in the middle of the forest.
Pan de Salawal by Che Espiritu
Actors: Bodjie Pascua, Miel Espinosa, Madeleine Nicolas, Anna Luna
Synopsis: Aguy, a 10-year old palaboy, arrives in an ill-stricken neighborhood beside the Manila Railroad, where she meets a lonely panadero suffering from chronic kidney stones and wants nothing but to die, a barber with severe pasma, a Carinosa folk-dancer paralyzed by stroke, and a macho meat vendor with tumor in his breast. With her gift of healing, the the whole neighborhood begins to experience life again. While Aguy is able to heal the sick neighbors, for some reason, she cannot heal Sal. To heal him, she must inflict the most agoizing pain.
School Service by Louie Ignacio
Actors: Joel Lamangan, Ai-Ai delas Alas, Teri Malvar, Celine Juan
Synopsis: Maya, an 8-year old student from a remote province, is walking home from school when the school service stops to her to ask for directions. In return for Maya's help, the woman in the school service offers to take her home, and Maya agrees. To Maya’s horror, the service doesn’t stop at her place. Maya finds herself hours and hours away from home. She becomes the latest victim of the “school service.”
The Lookout by Afi Africa
Actors: Yayo Aguila, Rez Cortez, Efren Reyes, Alvin Fortuna, Jeffrey Santos, Benedict Campos
Synopsis: Lester Quiambao is a gay hired killer, whose abusive relationships in childhood propels him into a life of crime and depravity and compels him to betray Travis Concepcion, the man he loves, in order to exact his revenge.
Aside from the full-length and short films, other activities for this year's festival include the launch of 3 books on film, and screenings of Asian film and past winners of various Filipino festivals.
The festival will also pay tribute to the late director Maryo J delos Reyes through screenings of his best movies Bagets and Magnifico, and actor Bernardo bernardo via Manila by Night. The 2017 Best Film Respeto by Treb Monteras and Baconaua by Joseph israel Laban, who won Best Director will also be screened.
The films will be shown at the CPP and selected Ayala malls from August 3-12. – Rappler. com
