Movies of Filipino Master Filmmakers Featured at the Sineng Pambansa National Film Festival 2013

SM Cinema takes pride on being the exclusive venue of the Sineng Pambansa National Film Festival 2013--All Masters Edition. The festival features the masterpieces of some of the country’s renowned filmmakers: Joel Lamangan, Lore Reyes and Peque Gallaga, Jose Javier Reyes, Mel Chionglo, Elwood Perez, Tikoy Aguiluz VI, Maryo J. de los Reyes, Gil Portes and Chito Roño and Celso Ad Castillo.

Sonata

Sonata is a song of a movie about hope orchestrated by Peque Galagga (Oro Plata Mata) and Lore Reyes (Dugo ng Panday). The film tells about a unique friendship and the healing power of art, starring veteran actress Cherie Gil. 

Bamboo Flowers

  



Are tradition and modernity really contradictory? Can these two interact beneficially? These are just some of the questions explored in Maryo J. de los Reyes’ (Magnifico) Bamboo Flowers. The film also examines the juxtaposition of life and death.

Unlike the first three directors, Mel Chionglo (Lagarista) chose a darker course with his entry Lauriana. Lauriana, with Bangs Garcia portraying the title role, is a tale of love which turns to obsession and ends in tragedy. 

Lauriana

Helmed by master director Joel Lamangan (Aishte Imasu 1941), Lihis, probably the most daring entry at the Sineng Pambansa, is an exploration of the different facets of unconventional love. Jake Cuenca and Joem Bascon star as patriots who take an unorthodox approach to politics and relationship.  

Lihis

Jose Javier Reyes (Pahiram Ng Isang Umaga) gives us a heart-rending story of loyalty, old age and mortality of memories in his obra Ano and Kulay ng Mga Nakalimutang Pangarap. The film follows Teresa who spent most of her life serving a middle class family but is now facing the twilight of her life alone.

Ano ang Kulay ng Mga Nakalimutang Pangarap

 

Otso

A decade of creative hiatus does not diminish the skill of a master filmmaker. Elwood Perez (Ibulong mo sa Diyos) proves this in his comeback movie Otso, a story about a writer’s discovery that his perception of things is at odds with reality. The plot is executed with devious complexity, with some scenes shot in black and white.    

Ang Tag-Araw ni Twinkle by Gil Portes (Liars) follows a drug-addicted teenager whose life has taken a drastic turn when she realized that she’s adopted. This seemingly simple household drama actually uses a larger geopolitical situation as backdrop, with Twinkle’s adoptive father a member of the military and the biological father a former NPA. 

 

Ang Tag-Araw ni Twinkle

 

Eman is more than a tribute to the country’s poet/warrior Emmanuel Lacaba. It is also master director Tikoy Aguiluz’ (Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story) technical experimentation as the film attempts to fuse the genre thriller with Eman’s poetry. 

Eman

Chito Roño, the man who brought us the award winning drama Dekada '70, is again giving us another political drama Badil. The film gives us a glimpse of our flawed political system by bringing real life scenarios to the big screen.

Badil

Tinik, an Obra by ‘Maestro’ Romy Suzara (Mga Uod at Rosas) is a study of homosexuality through the middle-aged gay couturier.

 

Tinik

The Sineng Pambansa National Film Festival also features some of the movies that are milestones in the country’s motion picture history. 

Salvi: Ang Pagpadayon, an Ilonggo film by TM Malones, is shown under the Film Development Council of the Philippines’ New Breed Cinema category. Salvi is a post-apocalyptic film which follows a woman embarking on a journey to find her missing sister. 

“Genghis Khan,” considered the “Holy Grail” in Filipino film archiving--believed to be long lost, prints were discovered in Italy, France and the UK. This meticulously restored version of Manuel Conde's lavish masterpiece is available at select at SM Cinema branches during the festival. 

The newly restored version of Lino Brocka’s classic film Maynila sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag is also showcased in the festival.