From the realities teachers face during elections in the country to native tribes fighting for their land, here are the movies and stories taking center stage at Cinemalaya 2024.
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Cinemalaya, one of the country’s most talked-about film festivals, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. For two decades, the independent film festival organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) has spotlighted countless Filipino movies and stories you don’t often see in mainstream cinema, and, in the process, give many local creators a boost to have their craft seen. That continues this year as another batch of 10 feature-length films and 10 short films will be screened at the festival.
Taking on the theme of Loob, Lalim, Lakas, Cinemalaya 2024 aims to showcase films that go into the stories and struggles of everyday Filipinos, and the strength that keeps them going. If you’d like to catch these movies, the festival will run from August 2-11 and screen in Ayala Malls Manila Bay, Greenbelt, Trinoma, UP Town Center, and Market Market. But before you make your movie-watching plans, scroll down for a rundown of the feature-length films playing in competition at Cinemalaya 2024.
ALIPATO AT MUOG
This documentary (and the second-ever in Cinemalaya’s history) from JL Burgos centers on his search for his brother, activist Jonas Burgos, who went missing at the Ever Gotesco mall in Quezon City in 2007. As he searches for the truth, he gets deeper and deeper into the grim realities of forced disappearances in the country.
AN ERRAND
Based on the acclaimed short story by Angelo “Sarge” Lacosta, this movie from Dominic Bekaert and Sarge Lacuesta revolves around a driver named Moroy, whose drive from Baguio to Manila turns upside down when he accepts a unique errand from his boss. Prepare for a film that has been described to contain drama, fantasy, action, and noir elements.
BALOTA
For Marian Rivera’s first Cinemalaya movie, she plays a school teacher named Emmy. When a land-grabbing tycoon and a former male sexy actor turn a mayoral race of a small town deadly during election night, Emmy, a teacher who serves in the election, hides in the wilderness with a ballot box that holds the last copy of the election results. Directed by Kip Oebanda, the filmmaker behind Liway and Bar Boys, Balota looks to delve into the strength of teachers during perilous times and the power of your vote and a free and fair election in the face of harassment.
GULAY LANG, MANONG
A farmer goes to great lengths to save his grandson in this entry from Bc Amparado and Pilo Sabado. When Ricky gets caught up in the cannabis trade with his friend Razer, his grandfather and a policeman work together to rescue him from a local marijuana cartel. Though, don’t consider this a anti-drug film as the movie looks to challenge the misconceptions people have with medical cannabis in the country.
KANTIL
Romance and sci-fi meet in this Davao-based queer film by Joshua Caesar Medroso. Paleng and Eliong are two lovers who sadly have to part ways with the imminent demolition of Paleng’s coastal village. But, when the townsfolk discover an alien shell, things take a turn for the interesting.
KONO BASHO
Jaime Pacena II takes us to rural Japan for a movie about the power of funerals to mend family fallouts. Ella, a 28-year-old Filipina anthropologist, travels to Rikuzentakata City in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, to attend the funeral of her estranged father, Emman. There, she reunites with her half-sister Reina as the two take the opportunity to heal old wounds.
LOVE CHILD
Jonathan Jurilla brings us this heartfelt tale of a family’s unconditional love for their child. Real-life couple RK Bagatsing and Jane Oineza play the fictional couple Paolo and Ayla who drop out of college to start a family due to an unplanned pregnancy. Now, the two must navigate an often hostile world as they raise their autistic son. Fun fact: the movie’s poster, which was made by Justin Besana, incorporates the puzzle piece symbol of autism in the art.
THE HEARING
In a country as religious as the Philippines, it’s commendable to see a movie like this play at Cinemalaya. Lawrence Fajardo and Honee Alipio give us this drama centered on Lucas, a deaf boy from a small town who is sexually abused by Fr. Mejor, an influential priest in the area. As Lucas and his family’s legal battle against Fr. Mejor takes a toll on them, they meet a court sign language interpreter who helps them.
THE WEDDING DANCE
From Julius Lumiqued comes this adaptation of Amador Daguio’s short story of the same name about a love tested by an unwelcoming community. Set in the backdrop of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines during World War 2, a couple from Kalinga, Awiyao, and his wife Lumnay, attend a wedding dance that proves to be more complex than it sounds.
TUMANDOK
A mix of documentary and fiction, this movie from Richard Jeroui Salvadico and Arlie Sweet Sumagaysay platforms the Atis, a Negrito ethnic group living in Boracay, Guimaras, Panay, and Negros Islands. Featuring an all-Ati non-professional acting ensemble from Sitio Kabarangkalan in Barotac Viejo, Iloilo, speaking their native Inati language, the film will follow them as they fight back to reclaim their ancestral land.
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