Dollar folds

Koi fish, Chinese dragon, crab and scorpion, all out of folding one dollar bills -- origami artwork by Won Park, first found posted by Catalina on Historical Pictorial mailing list, 2010-08-21. After some Googling, found Won Park's DeviantArt site, after The Design Inspiration article. Images above are part of 14 images included in the forwarded post. It also said Won Park lived in a converted garbage truck (with images of the truck's converted interior included), but the DeviantArt site refuted that.

Fanny sa Tarima

[Posted by Eliseo Gonzaga on Puri Titiwang Presents mailing list, 2010-07-23; poster image on 2010-07-25]

TARIMA

Ang Busilak na Pag-ibig ni Fanny

NAGBABALIK sa eksena ang gay icon na si Fanny Serrano sa mundo ng showbiz na sa mahigit tatlong dekada ay tahanan ng fashion stylist/beauty guru ng mga bituin at part-time actor/director—dito sa pelikulang “Tarima.”

Masasangkot si Fanny sa mga latak ng lipunan sa City Jail, partikular sa “tarima”—tinaguriang “love nest” kung saan ang mga bilanggo at kanilang bisita ay hinahayaaang magtalik nang ilang oras o araw para bigyang puwang ang kanilang sekswal na pangangailangan.

Bukod sa asawa’t nobya, tanggap na rin palang maski kalaguyong bading ay nakakagamit ng facilidad na ito.

Kahalubilo rito ng Fanny character na si Rosello ang malungkuting bilanggong si Rocky Salumbides, ang unang boylet niyang si Raymond Cabral, ang mga lola ni Rosello na sina Gloria Romero at Rustica Carpio, best friend-na-nabilanggong si Chokoleit, ang taksil na asawang si Ana Capri, ang deglamourized gay inmate at fashionistang si Oskar Peralta, ang yayang si Tia Pusit at ang five-year old child wonder na si Rap-Rap Leuterio.

Ang “Tarima” na sinulat at dinirek ni Neal Tan, ay magkakaroon sa Agosto 28 ng world premiere sa Cultural Center of the Philippines main theatre (Nicanor Abelardo Theater) bago ang theatrical release nito sa Kamaynilaan at partisipasyon sa mga prestihiyosong festivals ibang bansa.

Ang “Tarima” ay unang handog ng Blue Gold Film Productions. Supervising producer si Gregorio Recuerdo III. Executive producer naman si Rey Maclang. (AR)

MCC XIX

Tagged on Facebook. On 4 September, MCC Philippines turns 19. More information on MCC here.

Religious intolerance

[Included in weekly e-newsletter from Change.org, received 2010-08-17]

Ground Zero Mosque?

Dear Glenn,

This past week a simmering controversy over the construction of an Islamic community center two blocks from the World Trade Center reached a boiling point across the country.

Republican politicians leading the charge against the center have dubbed it "Ground Zero Mosque," creating the misconception that the hallowed ground of the Twin Towers is being built over and stoking dangerous anti-Muslim fears.

The reality is much more benign: The center, conceived by a Muslim leader known for his interfaith work with the Bush Administration after 9/11 and founded with the mission of spreading religious understanding and tolerance, will provide a swimming pool, auditorium, restaurants, and other spaces open to the community, and is to be built on the site of a former Burlington Coat Factory.

Those fighting against the center have cloaked themselves in the banner of patriotism. But there is nothing patriotic about blocking the right to religious freedom. As New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg has said, "The ability to practice your religion was one of the real reasons America was founded."

Mayor Bloomberg, who grew up surrounded by anti-Semitism and knows what it feels like to be a target of religious discrimination, reports that all the families of 9/11 victims he has spoken with have been supportive of the building. Referring to the victims, Bloomberg says, "We do not honor their lives by denying the very Constitutional rights they died protecting. We honor their lives by defending those rights - and the freedoms that the terrorists attacked."

The decision of whether the Islamic center should be allowed to go forward as planned won't impact just one building; it will be seen as a sign of whether America can make peace with Islam.

In the wake of the controversy in New York City, Islamic centers and mosques have been subjected to protests and harassment by right-wing groups across the country. Protestors have shouted that "Jesus hates Muslims" and called Muslim children entering day care centers "murderers." The Christian Dove World Outreach Center has renamed 9/11 "International Burn a Koran Day," and Bryan Fischer of the right-wing American Family Association says that we should not allow "even one more mosque in the United States of America."

This is a defining moment for the country. Will we stand strong in support of our principles of religious freedom and tolerance, or will we succumb to hate and ignorance and fear?

Generations of Americans have shed blood to protect our First Amendment right to religious freedom for a reason. Let us not easily forget that.

Mulat Pinoy forum and fellowship

[Posted by Regina Layug-Rosero on UP Film Institute mailing list, 2010-08-09. Warning: My browser warned that the MulatPinoy website may host malware. You may download the invite letter and registration form HERE and HERE.]

Greetings from the Probe Media Foundation, Inc. (PMFI)!

We would like to invite you to a forum and workshop entitled Philippine Population in Focus: Myths and Challenges, from 4:00 to 7:00 PM on August 28, 2010, at Annabel’s Restaurant, Tomas Morato, Quezon Ave. This is an event of Mulat Pinoy. 

PMFI is a non-profit organization committed to improving the quality of media in the Philippines and Asia through training of professional and aspiring media practitioners.

The Mulat Pinoy project aims to harness the power of social media and the Internet to bring about a broader awareness of population and development (PopDev) issues.  We hope to encourage various sectors to adopt and address PopDev issues in their advocacies, while simultaneously empowering the general public by informing them about what can be done through the social media. 

Population and development training seminars, as well as open-to-the-public forums involving social/political experts and candidates, count among the many events organized by Mulat Pinoy. The project's primary center of operations is a website of the same name (http://www.mulatpinoy.ph/). The project is supported by the Philippine Center for Population and Development (PCPD).

As media practitioners and advocates of social justice and education, we would like to invite you or a representative from your organization to join us in a forum entitled Philippine Population in Focus: Myths and Challenges. This will take place on August 28, 2010, from 4:00pm to 7:00pm, at the Annabel’s Restaurant, Tomas Morato, Quezon City. Attendance is free. Registration is required and open until August 20. The registration forms can be downloaded at http://www.mulatpinoy.ph/, or requested via email through mulatpinoy@probefound.com. 

In addition, we would like to invite you to submit a proposal for the Mulat Pinoy Media Fellowship: Philippine Population in Focus. The August 28 forum will serve as the fellowship program’s opening workshop. This media fellowship is open to media practitioners from all fields and all bloggers above the age of 18. Fellowships of up to Php 25,000.00 will be awarded to the selected participants. Participants may submit grant proposals even if they choose not to attend the forum. The application and proposal forms can be downloaded at www.mulatpinoy.ph or www.probefound.com, or requested via email through mulatpinoy@probefound.com.

Should you have questions and inquiries, please visit our website at www.mulatpinoy.ph or email us at mulatpinoy@probefound.com. You may also reach us through our landline number at (02) 433 04 56 or thru our mobile numbers at (+63917) 520 9748 and (+63917) 816 3500.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Regina Layug-Rosero

Project Coordinator

DSP Sensual

[Included in a post by Eliseo Gonzaga on Puri Titiwang Presents mailing list, 2010-08-12; four more images included in the original post.]

SENSUAL (coffeetable book launch, photo exhibit, fashion show) on August 22, Sunday, 8:00 PM @ Barcino Bar, Greenbelt Mall 2.

Not used to reblogging announcements with too little information, I searched around a bit for more information about the event. At least I found who "DSP" was, website HERE.

Magdamag and Muli

[Posted by friend Maxie on UP Babaylan mailing list, 2010-08-10; photo attached to similar post on UP Film Institute mailing list]

Two films that explore the intimacy, frailty and complexities of human relationships - MAGDAMAG and MULI, both written by Palanca award winner Jerry Gracio, will have a back-to-back screening at the U.P. Cine Adarna (formerly U.P. Film Center) this Friday, August 13. 

MAGDAMAG directed by Joven Tan will be shown at 7 p.m., to be followed by forum by with the creators of MULI at 8:30 p.m., immediately followed by the screening of Adolfo Alix, Jr.'s epic love story MULI at 9 p.m.. 

SYNOPSES

MAGDAMAG (The Tryst) by Joven Tan,  is a two-character study involving a middle-aged teacher (Rita Avila) and a young fire dancer (Edgar Allan Guzman), whose meeting in Boracay on a Maundy Thursday would lead to an overnight tryst, opening up questions on gender and power relations, sex and sexuality, love and passion, religion and faith. Produced by Noel Ferrer.

MULI (The Affair) by Adolfo Alix, Jr. is a spanning love story between an underground activist/inn keeper (Sid Lucero) and a lawyer (Cogie Domingo) in Baguio, whose complications, joys and tragedies provide a testament to the ultimate power of love. Produced by MJM Productions.

Tickets at P120 each, special discount of P200 if you’re watching both films. Sponsored by the UP Cinema in cooperation with the UP Film Center.  For tickets contact 0905-2907989, 0908-5724737 or at 9263640.

PSA: PNAC NGO membership call

[Posted this on RH and HIV/AIDS advocacy mailing lists last week. Will appreciate if my one or two readers will be able to forward this to other groups, or maybe contact me if they could refer organizations.]

To Organizations of Medical and Health Professionals:

Invitation for Expressions of Interest from Organizations of Medical and Health Professionals for Membership in Phil. National AIDS Council

Pursuant to Rule 9, Section 57 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act 8504, otherwise known as “The Philippine AIDS Prevention and Control Act of 1998,” wherein members of the Philippine National AIDS Council shall be appointed by the President of the Republic of the Philippines, the PNAC Secretariat is now accepting Expressions of Interest among organizations of medical and/or health professionals.

With regard to the processes concerning nomination for membership in PNAC, we encourage your organization’s officers to refer to the provisions of R.A. 8504 and IRR, specifically Rule 9 Section 57. For your organization’s expression of interest, please accomplish EOI form (download HERE) and send to the contact information specified therein on or before Friday, 20 August 2010.

This round of Call for EOI is an extension of an earlier call made in 2007. If your organization submitted an EOI then, please reaffirm your interest by filling up and sending the EOI form and requested enclosures. Upon receipt of your EOI, PNAC Secretariat will send guidelines for the PNAC Orientation and Aspirant Organizations Presentation activity scheduled on 31 August 2010. For more information, contact Dr. Susan Gregorio or Mr. Glenn Cruz at telefax number (02) 743-0512.

Yours very truly,

(Original Signed.)

FERCHITO L. AVELINO, MD, MPH  

Director III – PNAC Secretariat

Second "Brocka" filmfest

[Posted on UP Film Institute mailing list, 2010-07-30]

Filming the basic right to live

2nd Pandayang Lino Brocka Political Film and New Media Festival

The human rights issues of today. These are the subjects of the films showcased in the 2nd Pandayang Lino Brocka Political Film and New Media Festival.

A selection on the theme of economic, social and cultural rights reveal Filipino workers, migrants and indigenous people’s plight and encapsulates the people’s basic right to livelihood. Roberto Reyes Ang’s Letters from Alaska delves into a migrant worker’s musings on leaving his country for economic gain while Ilang Quijano’s Kababayang Kalakal offers a stark reality of the many deported, incarcerated and abused Filipino migrant workers in scrutiny of the country’s labor export policy. Rosswil Hilario’s Kibo shares through sights and sounds the wearisome search for a job in a country of high unemployment while Richard Legaspi’s Kinulayang Kiti seeks justice for workers killed in their economic struggles with their employers.

Meanwhile, works on political and civil rights depict the culture of impunity in the country; the rampant and unresolved political killings and enforced disappearances remain unabated. Kodao Productions’ Hamon ng Panahon portrays church workers dedication to organize and live among the people and how this has made them targets of the government’s anti-insurgency campaign. Pam Miras’ short film Wag Kang Titingin dramatizes the destruction of domestic life and life itself in a militarized rural town. Manie Magbanua’s Handum, a pioneering Kinaray-a film, is a critique on electoral reforms and governance from the eyes of a child. Works are from independent filmmakers, students and Filipino migrants.

The festival opens at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman Film Center (Cine Adarna) on August 11-12, 2010, 9am to 9pm. Film screenings start at 1pm. Free admission.

The film fest also celebrates the 25th year anniversary showing of Lino Brocka’s Bayan Ko, Kapit sa Patalim. Known worldwide as a Filipino’s entry to the prestigious 1985 Cannes Film Festival and nominated for the Palm D ‘Or, at home it was Brocka and his group’s fight against the censorship of this film. Brocka was incarcerated, lost in litigation but won a fight for freedom of expression when the film was eventually allowed to be shown in the Philippines. Bayan Ko, Kapit sa Patalim will be shown on August 11, 7pm, also at the UP Diliman Film Center.

Also featured are talks on ‘Freedom of Information’ and ‘Media and Human Rights’ on August 11, 9am and August 12, 5pm respectively. Students and participating filmmakers are also invited to attend a visual storytelling/film grammar workshop by Direk Nick Olanka on August 12, 9am. A visual arts exhibit by the Ugatlahi Artists Collective opens together with the film fest.

The film fest will also be held at Asia Pacific College on August 16 and University of the Philippines Los Banos on August 26. More screenings will be held at urban poor communities and workplaces all over Metro Manila from August to September. Selections from the film fest will also be featured at Focus Philippines: New York Filipino Independent Film Series in New York, USA on October.

The 2nd Pandayang Lino Brocka Political Film and New Media Festival is presented by alternative video group Tudla Productions in cooperation with the University of the Philippines Film Center, the Institute for the Leadership and Advancement of Women and Rotary Club Pasay Gil Puyat.

Selected films:

• Ang Sandaling Sadya Nina Lire at Isa, Francis Losaria
• Wag Kang Titingin, Pam Miras
• Handum, Manie Magbanua
• Bingit, Michael Christian Cardoz
• Hamon ng Panahon, Kodao Productions
• Ing Magdarame, University of Assumption Pampanga
• Babae ako, Jeyow Evangelista
• Dissatisfied, Jet Leyco
• Tagulaylay sa Hacienda Yulo, Rom Factolerin
• Mga Liham mula sa Alaska, Roberto Reyes Ang
• Kinulayang Kiti, Richard Legaspi
• Kibo, Rosswil Hilario
• Lawa ng Bae, Donnie Sacueza
• Hulagway, Jerry Jumawan
• Kakasa ka ba?, Mayday Productions
• Kababayang Kalakal, Ilang Ilang Quijano and King Catoy
• Badjao, La Consolacion College Manila
• Dumagat, Boy Villasanta

NCCA and Philippine Cinema

[Posted on UP Film Institute mailing list, 2010-07-25. For registration details, visit the site.] 

NCCA's Crafting the New School in Philippine Cinema

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

Last February, the NCCA Cinema Committee conducted during the Philippine International Arts Festival a successful showcase of regional films in an event called “Cinema Rehiyon”.  The huge turnout proved to all the presence of a thriving and ever-growing national cinema based in the regions. As revealed in the background profiles of the various filmmakers who participated in the event, a large number of the films were done as part of school requirements. 

Realizing the influence of teachers on filmmakers and the kinds of films that are made, the seminar-workshop aims to provide teachers with a holistic perspective on the “new school” of Philippine cinema – how with digital technology current practices related to the production, exhibition, distribution, and copyrighting of Filipino films are being reshaped and altered. It also seeks to raise the awareness among teachers for their curriculum programming of the manifold potential of digital cinema content not only as a stand-alone work but also as an integral element of other new media forms.

“Crafting the New School in Philippine Cinema” is a project of the National Commission for Culture & the Arts Cinema Committee and the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Design & Arts in partnership with Saint Theresa’s College Cebu.

The topics will be grouped into several tracks that include The Domain of Digital Filmmaking, Film Beyond the Theater, Intellectual Property, Curriculum Development, and Establishing a New Media Infrastructure in the School among others. In addition to rich discussions on the topics, participants will also be engaged in experiencing key production and post-production work as applied in actual film/video industry settings.

Modules across tracks will be conducted simultaneously during the conference, this means that participants have a veritable “menu” of break-out sessions that they can attend to form a holistic learning experience. Given this format, we highly encourage schools to send at least 2-3 participants to best cover the largest amount of topics across tracks and maximize the benefits of the conference. 

This is open to all educators who handle courses in Introduction to Mass Communication, Multi-Media Presentation, Media Literacy, Video Production, Film Appreciation, and other related courses. This is also open to Graduate-School students of communication and film, film industry professionals and facilitators of video- and film- related workshops.

There will be two separate schedules for the seminar-workshops:

1. Aug 5-7, 2010 for Luzon and NCR participants at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Vito Cruz, Malate, Manila and,
2. Aug 19-20, 2010 at St. Theresa’s College Cebu, Don Ramon Aboitiz St., Cebu City for Visayas and Mindanao participants. 

There is a minimal fee of 2,000 pesos for registration which covers meals, hand-out materials and a copy The Media Kit Books 1 and 2. Pre-register now to reserve slots for your institutions’ delegate(s). 

Deadline for registration is July 30, 2010.

"Revolution in the consciousness"

[E-mailed 14 July 2010 by Dakila Collective, most likely, friend Van. Got express mail also. Image below is the postcard invitation.]

True revolution begins in the imagination.

DAKILA - Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism with the support of the Commission on Human Rights, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands and the Embassy of Australia, would like to request the honor of your presence on the Opening Night of the Active Vista Film Festival on July 20, 2010, Tuesday, 7:00 in the evening at the Cinema 4 of the Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Edsa, Mandaluyong City.

Active Vista, as the name implies, calls for a more dynamic way of watching films, which is to say, seeing. Our mission is to shape a revolution in the consciousness of the viewing public towards the understanding of human rights as the integral foundation of responsible citizenship and nation building. 

The Active Vista Film Festival is a human rights film festival that will be held in 17 key cities nationwide from July to December 2010. Active Vista offers not only the screening of more than 30 films nationwide but also a short film competition among young and aspiring film makers and an advocacy film making camp in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. 

Dakila is an organization of artists and individuals promoting social consciousness formation through the creative arts. Dakila believes that while art may not change the world, it can change the way we view the world. True revolution begins in the imagination.

For the Festival Opening, we will be screening SIGNOS, a film by Mike de Leon, Jose F. Lacaba, Sylvia Mayuga, Ricardo Lee, Ding Achacoso, Joe Cuaresma, Lito Tiongson, and Joey Zarate. This 1983 film is an independent Brecthian styled documentary about the anti-censorship protest movement, labor and student rallies, and the funeral of Aquino. 

Be part of the Active Vista Film Festival and contribute to this collective effort to enrich, enlighten, educate and entertain the Filipino public. While the support you may provide will not change the world overnight, it will help shape the minds of our people, one viewer at a time. Thank you very much.

Check out www.activevista.com for screening schedules.

Off-stage repartee

I'm a "people watcher". Sometimes I get my entertainment not from the events I attended but from other people in attendance. At the recently concluded Virgin Labfest 6, interactions I observed from people around me also make for good blogging. I didn't need to be consciously snooping around. The opportunities would present themselves, unsolicited.

Snacks

On my way to CCP, I made a quick stop at Mercury Drugstore to buy medicine and bottled water. While walking towards the beverage section, two girls blocked my way, seemed to be in argument over one-liter PET bottle of C2 (iced tea drink) of the yellow variety.

GIRL 1 (cradling the C2 bottle): Bakit ba? Masarap naman to ah.

GIRL 2: Eh, basta! Wala na bang iba? Ayoko nyan noh... 

(GIRL 2 starts looking around for something else.)

GIRL 1: Ako naman ang bibili ah. Bakit ba?

(GIRL 2 stares at friend then starts walking away, sulking. GIRL 1 follows, obviously exasperated.)

GIRL 1: Oh eto. Gusto mo ng snacks?!

(GIRL 1 grabs from a nearby shelf 100g. pack of Nescafe powdered coffee, then slaps it on GIRL 2's shoulders.)

Button Pins

While in the CCP Gift Shop, Eon jabbing his notebook PC blogging in career mode, and I sipping hot chocolate and reading news on my cellphone, two girls (not the pair above) entered. One looked bored, the other took interest in a bowl of button pins with assorted designs.

GIRL 1 (one hand deep into the bowl): Ay! Gusto ko ng ganito. Eto kaya? Bagay ba?

(GIRL 1 shows to friend GIRL 2, who looks over lazily then away again, seemingly hoping to find something to interest her. GIRL 1 couldn't decide, looks for more, and thinks out loud repeatedly "Eto kaya?")

GIRL 1 (a little more excitedly): Or... eto kaya?

GIRL 2 (looks and dead pans): Hmmm... bagay.

I looked up and saw what GIRL 1 was holding up: the button pin says, "MAARTE."

Meaning

As audience were exiting for intermission, two young people behind me were evaluating the recently concluded play. I couldn't see them but they sounded younger than me, one male and one female.

MALE: Woah! Grabe. Ano tingin mo dun sa play?

FEMALE: Ewan. Gosh! I was so bored. Hindi ko maintindihan.

MALE: Ah baka because it's in English...

(Three-second pause.)

FEMALE: What? What are you trying to say?

(Not unexpectedly, pregnant silence between the two.)

Cinemathematique

For the sixth Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and Competition, I bought three Day Passes, July 10, 11, 17, each day with five tickets, each ticket one screentime. I noticed in the program brochure that none of the entries in competition will ever show at 10:00 AM screentime. In one theater, there's an extra screentime of 11:45PM but not on my Day Pass dates, and the feature films are not in competition (more about this on a later post).

On my Day Pass dates, 10:00AM screentimes feature "Cinemalaya Kids Treats" and a special screening of Chito Rono's Emir (on the 17th). All features for exhibition. If you're like me, whose objective is to watch all those in competition, the 10:00AM tickets are essentially worthless. So the Day Passes will only afford me 12 of the 16 entries. I will need to buy an extra four tickets at 150 pesos each, or 600 pesos extra.

Twelve entries for the Day Passes worth 1,500 pesos, plus extra four worth 600 pesos, total 2,100 pesos or 131.25 per competition entry (note: ten entries under Competition Shorts are counted here as two units, Sets A and B). If I had the Festival Pass, it would have cost 93.75 pesos per entry. If all entries' screenings were bought on-the-spot, 16 screenings will cost 2,400 pesos. So with this "investment package", I am alleviated 300 pesos from the profiteering or 18.75 per competition entry.

With 300 pesos savings, I have 60 pesos per day of Cinemalaya experience to defray for allowances in transportation, food, and the occasional yosi break. In addition to the three days for the Passes, the program brochure tells me I can watch two other entries on Monday, 12th and another two on Friday, 16th, working hours factored in.

This is simple poor man's economics - it may not yet be a discourse on whether Cinemalaya, for its potential contributory value in cultural development, actually is accessible to benefit greater numbers.

Committed, fatalistic

It's a big commitment for me. This afternoon I dropped by CCP to take a chance of getting that one thing that eluded me last year, a Festival Pass to Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and Competition. (Dear one or two readers, you know that I even tried my luck in a reasonably exhausting blogging contest that had this as first prize.) When I left CCP an hour later, the Festival Pass remained elusive.

But I made a big commitment. It's reasonably sizable in terms of cost. For the love of... er... now I don't know what really, per sales pitch cum recommendation of the CCP ticketron, I settled to buy three Day Passes. I tried to shove away my nagger alterego when I made the decision but I silently hoped and prayed that I won't regret the decision afterwards.

For this year's Cinemalaya, the sixth, there will be nine full-length features competing for "New Breed" category, and five for "Directors Showcase." There will be two sets of "Competition Shorts" each featuring five entries. To see all entries in competition, a moviegoer will have to attend 16 screenings. For 1,500 pesos, a Festival Pass holder will get to enjoy watching all entries (at dates, times and theaters of his choice). But the Pass is a severely precious limited commodity.

In comparison, the Day Pass is composed of five tickets, each indicating a screening time (10:00AM, 12:45PM, 3:30PM, 6:15PM, 9:00PM), no feature title, no theater specified, but all dated on the same day. Each Day Pass cost 500 pesos.

I had this feeling that at the moment that ticket selling for Cinemalaya opened, every day that I resisted the impulse to leave everything work-wise and troop to the ticketron and buy, I was increasing my risks. It's such crushing frustration to actually affirm this feeling when one arrives at the ticketron, Festival Passes in view, but the takilyera can't/won't sell.

"Isa pong Festival Pass," my three 500-peso bills thrust almost violently into the takilyera's face.

"Sir, filmmaker po ba kayo? Kasi para sa filmmakers na lang po ang mga ito." Then glassy-eyed, two-second pause. (Big mistake.)

"If I say that I am, will you sell me a Festival Pass?" Takilyera looked bemused then stared at my chest. I was still wearing my DOH ID. I didn't push for a complicated lie/act, it felt undignified.

In fairness, she sounded sympathetic, offered me the Day Pass alternative. Even gave me, very discreetly, the Cinemalaya program brochure to study the options. (At that time, which was minutes before the ceremonial Opening Night, masses of collegiate reaction paper assignees were causing a riot for an also rare program brochure.)

I left the ticketron, went to the gift shop, which has become my and Eon's customary hangout during the VLF6 pilgrimage. Every nook and cranny of CCP seemed abuzz for the Opening Night, even the gift shop transformed into a department store on Midnight Madness Sale mode. The program brochure, hard as I tried, looked incomprehensible. 

Felt pressured at the thought of possibly losing chances even at getting Day Passes. The ticketron, within view from the shop, was receiving a rapidly growing demanding clientele. Single screening tickets cost 150 pesos; this third option is most unappealing for the bulk buyer. Definitely, I won't go for walk-in, on-the-spot ticket-buying during Cinemalaya, I promised myself. I still need to see a shrink to exorcise the trauma of last year's nightmare cloaked as festivity.

So, the Fatalistic Filipino did what he would in consideration of all this. I went back to the ticketron, queued and spent the three 500-peso bills on three Day Passes, July 10,  11 and 17. Next post: the consumer math behind impulse buying.

Dress you up with Cinemalaya

From a flyer distributed on the last day of Virgin Labfest 6. I wonder who will come and "wear" as Arnold Reyes' character in Astig, full-length feature in competition from Cinemalaya last year, preferably, after his make-out scene with a sex worker. (Actually, I prefer Arnold Reyes to do this himself. *grins*)

CINEMALAYA 6 COSPLAY (COSTUME PLAY)

Join the COSPLAY (Costume Play) in the Cinemalaya Film Festival 6 Opening Ceremonies on July 9, 5:00 PM at the CCP Main Theater Lobby.

Wear costumes and accessories to specify a character or idea from Cinemalaya entries of the past five (5) festivals (e.g. Come as Maximo Oliveros, as the Bonsai Man, as the doctor in ICU Bed #7, student of Pisay, as a gangster from Tribu, as Gee-gee or as Waterina, etc.) Be creative! Take on the ramp! THE WORLD WILL BE WATCHING. Exciting prizes await the best cosplayers! DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION IS ON JULY 8.

If you are interested, kindly register by e-mailing your name, contact number and the character that you will play to nikkidionisio@ yahoo.com. You may also contact Dominique Dionisio at 832-1125 loc. 1605 or Bing Tresvalles at 832-1125 loc. 1704.

Trendy, revolutionary

Since I first got hold of a Jasper Fforde novel, I noticed a growing trend in fiction. I don't know what it's called but you'd see fiction sections in bookstores growing volumes of works that retell classic stories, redevelop/reuse milieus, even fictionalize private lives of historic icons. (Fforde has a series about a detective, who jumps into stories of classics to go after anomalies like erring characters bent on changing narratives.)

I had this in my thoughts when I first browsed the Virgin Labfest 6 festival program and read on Floy Quintos' Suor Clara, the continuing story of Maria Clara, twenty plus years after she exited Noli Me Tangere. Initially, I saw myself attending six days of VLF6 as a journey towards watching Suor Clara. And this "journey" was fulfilled yesterday, on the fourth run of Set C or Pecado Mortal, VLF6's closing set.

What a fitting journey's end it was. It could be rather amusing as well, having my full course of VLF6 delightfully end with a "mortal sin". But I shouldn't be surprised; after all, it's an opus penned and directed by no less than a Floy Quintos, wonderfully performed by Frances Makil-Ignacio. I should probably add this to my "bragging rights," that I have attended college, shared learning space with such theater greatness as Ms. Makil-Ignacio. (Iskulmeyt ko ya'an!)

Fanciful and trendy as Suor Clara was, I however think the more important insight is that this work is revolutionary. When I was younger (so much younger than today), my elder sister would share some chismis about Maria Clara, Crisostomo Ibarra, Padre Salvi - sub-texts in Rizal's Noli bordering on the sensational fit for tabloids. Looking back, I realized the chismis took on the male point of view, either Ibarra's or Salvi's. Suor Clara is a wholly modern take on the story: it advanced down stage the woman's perspective that has illuminating brightness, a balance in gender discourse, and not some negative ridden femme fatale stereotype. It is modern but it does not alienate itself from its milieu; it's the 1896 Revolution after all.

All at once, the play's narrative brought back and synthesized some important concepts I've learned such as freedom in the context of closed settings as I remembered from mass communication Professor Varona's discussion on Schindler's List back in college. And also of female sexuality in the Scriptures, specifically Sr. Helen Graham's lectures in HAIN's Religion, Gender and Sexuality program (which also included the text of Songs of Songs). I've made a mental note on incorporating Suor Clara for any future lecture I'd have on Gender and Sexuality. Come to think of it, I think I'd rather look at my lecture notes now and take in all these wonderful ideas I've learned from VLF6, Suor Clara most definitely the centerpiece.

Last night, Eon and I were reflecting on this unusual devotion we have made for VLF6. We agreed, if we are ever to sum up VLF6's extraordinary significance, it would be about three women: Bing, Brandy and Suor Clara.

P.S. Set C or Pecado Mortal of Virgin Labfest 6 also included Sa Package Counter (Isa Borlaza) and Matyag (U.Z. Eliserio, Maynard Manansala and Chuckberry Pascual).

Baggage? Check.

Somewhere someone said that other than having two characters, the featured works of Set B or Pas de Deux of Virgin Labfest 6 shared nothing in common. In my reading there seemed to be. But before the blogging, I had to clarify "pas de deux". I knew it's something related to ballet (there are many French terms in ballet), and "deux" meant two (known to me courtesy of an Eighties soap commercial "une chantal, deux daphne, trois solange"). For quick fact check, Wikipedia.

Beyond the obvious two-character set-up of Pas de Deux - Higit Pa Dito (Allan Lopez), Collector's Item (Juliene Mendoza), Ondoy (Remi Velasco) - the narratives all had "baggage". The resulting communicative behavior around it BFF Eon splendidly fleshed out here.

With this set, I had a different kind of difficulty. Each story had something that spoke about and poked at my own past. If previous sets drained me emotionally like sharp jabs, this was a precise slash at the jugular.

I may be walking cliche, I have had my own son-to-mother moment - strange, it concerned my father, and much stranger, my mom also had an upright piano (Aray!). In high school, I was the oppressed nerd in one peer group, and an oppressor of nerdier nerds of another. Later, I'd also see myself in the unenviable role of wallflower friend cleaning up wreckages of others, unspoken adoration included (Aray! deux fois). In more recent past, in the domesticity I've co-created with my partner, we've had our share of ugly confrontations made uglier by economic strife. Yes, even the deal-breaker rhetoric.

As in pas de deux, two people will eventually reach a "coda", a finale that brings each other again face to face. What now? In VLF6 Set B, three options were offered: rearrange and start anew; sever and "kill"; or continue engagement (ugly or otherwise) until either first or second option become necessary. Truth being far stranger, real-life pas de deux does not resolve in one act.

Sucker for love

Just like Ambeth Ocampo, in one of his articles, where he said he had to consult a dictionary for the word "plebeian" for an expository on Bonifacio, I looked up on "pariah" to start weaving my way into blogging Set A or Pariah Paraiso of Virgin Labfest 6. Later in the writing struggle, I realized, the denotation didn't matter.

In what shone brightest for me, Balunbalunan, Bingibingihan (Debbie Ann Tan) was indeed Paradise, one hidden along the margins of society. It reflected de-/reconstruction of love, one not easily apparent to the bigoted mainstream eye, but nevertheless celebratory of this universal abstract's essence. I fully related to this: I myself share love as it exists along the margins.

There may be two things to remember about this reconstruction of love: one, it may lack articulation but is well understood within one's chalk circle (no matter how big or small-er), and two, other people, even like pariahs may never fully understand. I have to admit that many times, even with my friends, I don't fully understand.

They may see pity when it's a faithful offering. They may see opportunism when it's purpose driven. They may see meaningless suffering when it's loving sacrifice. Under a fading spotlight, I continued to see Gilbeys' and Brandy's embrace bright, shining, sparkling. They were in Paradise, never mind the wreckage all around. (It helped that the roles were carried out by magnificos Bembol Roco and Missy Maramara.)

It was a pleasant realization to have witnessed a demonstration of a heterosexual love relationship that's nowhere trapped in heterosexist mold. Even some of my gay friends couldn't grow out of that. (Wouldn't?)

Should there be future chitchat on VLF6, if ever I'm given opportunity to do the angling, I think I will always take off from this opus. The important message is in this one and I don't have to lay on the big words. I could always say, well, I'm just a sucker for love.

P.S. Other works staged in this Set included Isagani (Alexis Dorola Yasuda) and Bakit Wala Nang Nagtatagpo Sa Philcoa Oberpas (Carlo Pacolor Garcia).

What's the flava?

There could be several reasons why I had difficulty relating to the featured works in Set E or Banyaga Twinbill of Virgin Labfest 6. I've listed them down. But as I thought more about each reason, I'd have "then-again" ponders, which tell me that one reason is not entirely the whole truth behind my difficulty.

Reason 1: They're foreign. The plays, Sundan Natin Si Eversan (Shungiku Uchida) and 3some (Joned Suryatmoko), were penned by foreigners. Then again, Eversan was actually about Filipino migrant workers, and the student activism glory days relived in 3some was not too different from how it was when I was in college.

Reason 2: There's a generation gap. The language of manga, allegedly one of Eversan's playwright's expertise, is not something I grew up with. Then again, my hunny (who's older than I am) was able to orient me on anime and manga language, him being within professional provenance of the animation industry. While not all the time, I did get what many visual messages meant.

Reason 3: I'm generally conservative. While not totally naive about threesome encounters (once, just once!), the set-up context in Suryatmoko's work confounded me. I wore the duncecap in defensive mode: I understood the stake-claiming and bragging about one's glory days of fighting the system, but in this scene, what was all the exchange for? Foreplay? I couldn't hear the sexual undertone. Maybe it's because of...

Reason 4: I'm not heterosexual. Who knows what's going on in the mind of this straight dude cruising in the Internet for a male third wheel; he's plain weird, said I, proud homeowner in the gay ghetto. Then again, I did get the gender sub-text of the emasculating sex-libbed female (just got slightly miffed that empowered female sexuality still had to be visualized as cigarette-smoking, red-lipped, loudly confrontational, all-over-the-place.)

I did gain insight about coming out heterosexual. I appreciated problematizing the popular notion about straights never having to come out. Sexual orientation is a world of personal meaning regardless. I also marveled at the quiet composure of a straight male character over his knowledge of a partner's infidelities - it's usually a role assigned to the suffering wife.

Even so, Banyaga Twinbill, in the end was like some exotically conjured hotel gourmet: it has unique flavor appeal but lacked the sweetness, saltiness or MSG-laced additive, which may be unhealthy but chemically inducing. Maybe there's a reason five: I'm really just an amateur with this theater stuff.

P.S. There is actually reason six: from time to time I got distracted, thanks to Eon's swooning and BFF confessed it here.

Beautiful ugliness

The second time I got the chance to see Virgin Labfest 6 at the CCP was for Set F, three of allegedly the best of Labfest 5: Isang Araw sa Karnabal (Nicolas Pichay), Boy-Gel ang Gelpren ni Mommy (Sheilfa Alojamiento) and Doc Resureccion, Gagamutin ang Bayan (Layeta Bucoy). Three very different approaches in terms of staging and ensemble but similar in evoking emotional perplexities in the audience. Eon and I went home feeling drained of emotions.

Choosing from the spectacles of a roller coaster horror ride, badminton swordplay and generous banters of invectives, I was more personally struck heart and mind by Bucoy's work. Maybe because we've just gotten through the elections ourselves. Most likely also because of the four national elections I've participated, this last one proved to be most difficult in making decisions. I only voted for a president, vice president (on the last minute), and four senators. Except for one senatorial, none of my choices won.

After the stagings, I told Eon that probably the amount of heaviness one would feel after experiencing Bucoy's Doc Resureccion depends on how much one also would "believe" in its reality (real-ness). As an afterthought, the quality of the heaviness one would feel could also depend on which subjectivity one chooses to be most offended by.

Clearly not a narrative which "celebrates" something, I think it's relatively fair to herald the Bucoy opus based on things a viewer would be repulsed by. The story could offend one's values on family-centeredness: What sort of a man could Pogi be (even his family) to forsake life of kin over the bribery of an unseen trapo reelectionist? Or it could offend one's perspective over the personal/parochial nature of a Filipino voter: What sort of a candidate could Doc be to express politico-verbosity such as "genuine" concern for the downtrodden and yet deny and reject his own childhood of misfortune? Or maybe one could also take a "high" human-to-ants point of view and remark how these people don't realize better things coming their way simply because they couldn't see beyond their immediate hungers. ("Oh, you people!")

Add all this to the other plays' narratives - women's rights backdropped by politics of human rights violence, and parenthood backdropped by gender dynamics of male privilege and same-sexual relationships - how's that for emotional perplexity? Courtesy of three one-act plays. I went to bed that night heaving a sigh, "Now THAT was one hell of a roller coaster horror ride."

Carmi Chameleon

After the set, I eavesdropped discreetly; I tried to get the drift of reactions from other people around me. While having a last smoke before braving the rain, I overheard two guys mutually spitting venoms about devil-spawn hustlers, somehow the play's outcome afforded them some sick sense of satisfaction a.k.a. "justice".

Somewhere else in the buzzing crowd, another pair mirrored the narrative to a tabloid creation of recent past, "gay serial killer". (Should that rather be a serial killer preying on gay men?)

Still somewhere else, elderlies talk about one's fortune of never having to go down so low as to cruise sex-for-pay. As if preventing sex premised on monetary exchange protects oneself from risk.

At all these, my thought was "ah, melodrama still could work its charms". The "formula" opened lively discourse to an audience, who probably were too weirded out by two earlier stagings: one which admitted to be "carnivalesque" was too much indirect dialog, and another which admitted to not having a story was too, er, "emo".

This was my first night at Virgin Labfest 6 (runs at the CCP 'til 04 July). Initially, as I left CCP, I felt disappointed for guessing early what the "twist" in the story was (the sniffing and spraying gave it away). But I wouldn't be writing this at all if my thoughts just ended there.

I got to thinking more about "Carmi" a.k.a. karma (also goes by Carmina, Carmela, Carmelite) - that cultural dynamic of every gay man's gallivanting ways. Well, a friend who's used to a lot of gallivanting called it a rumor.

Was the outcome the referred karma, i.e. what has simply befallen the character "Adonis"? Could it be a more complicated karma pattern, i.e. series/cycle of deeds and consequences? Was this Adonis' karma for having suffered from an affair gone wrong? Or maybe this was also Gabriel's karma for having loved and lost a lover? Implications on gay relationships? The characters' clash of neuroses were mine fields of "sub-texts."

While we're talking about deeds and consequences, note that the characters were named Adonis and Gabriel. (Sub-text another?)

But then, just maybe, my thoughts are running wild, tossing and turning the story over and over because I couldn't let go of something else. Or someone. I was so taken by this "Adonis" character (performed by Paul Jake Paule); I think I held my breath while I watched. Now that's my sub-text. *wink*

* * * * * * * * * *

P.S. The play referred here is J. Dennis Teodosio's "Carmi Martin", part of Virgin Labfest 6's Set D, themed Pink Pestibal, also includes "Huling Habilin ng Sirena" (Layeta Bucoy) and "A Fist Full of Sand" (Arlo De Guzman).

P.P.S. Paul Jake Paule so "affected" me, I now know that he has a Facebook account.

Culture gastronomy, mid-year

"O, di ba mas maganda kung may ART sa buhay mo?" CCP once asked. And I agreed. So much so that one of my "resolutions" for 2010 was to increase on my "culture spending." And 2010 started free actually when BFF Eon and I went to Pasinaya, CCP's preview festival in February. Now the following months will definitely culturally gastronomic (see below).

22 June - 04 July
THE VIRGIN LABFEST VI
Untried, Untested, Unstaged Plays
A festival of new, unpublished, unstaged works by Philippine playwrights.

25 June - 27 June
PAMUNUAN: KARANGYAAN AT KADAKILAAN
Rituals of Leadership and Prestige in the Philippines
(Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group)

02 July - 04 July
WI-FI: INDEPENDENT CONTEMPORARY DANCE FESTIVAL 5
(The CCP and Choreographers’ Network)

09 July - 18 July
CINEMALAYA: Philippine Independent Film Festival 2010

23 July - 22 August
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “CATS: NOW AND FOREVER”
(Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, David Atkins Enterprises, Concertus and All Youth Channels in association with The Really Useful Company Asia Pacific.)

For the complete line-up of CCP events click HERE (June) and HERE (July).

Now, the remaining challenge is how to manage the moolah for all these. (Wala rin naman ganda kung walang pera.) And there are things that are simply way out of my league such as Cats. (Hindi kailangan mag-ambisyon ng sobrang kagandahan.)

I'm signature #645

To:  THE ADMINISTRATION OF BENIGNO "NOYNOY" AQUINO III

ARTS AND CULTURE SECTOR 

M A N I F E S T O 

We, artists, cultural workers, educators and arts administrators from the Arts and Culture Sector of Philippine society, commit ourselves to:

• Support the new administration in its pursuit of social, political, economic and cultural progress through the promotion of good governance, transparency and moral ascendancy that will lay the foundation for national development; 
• Unite as a sector, as we become more vigilant and determined to advocate for the development of a national Philippine culture we can all be proud of; 
• Be active catalysts in the moral transformation of our society through the promotion of Filipino values, customs and traditions; 
• Be formidable partners in forging national unity by addressing ethno-cultural problems and by using the arts as instruments for peace and development. 

We urge the Philippine Government, including its cultural agencies and concerned departments, to:

• Formulate a national vision and a unified plan for artistic and cultural development in consultation with the Arts and Culture sector. 
• Recognize the value of artistic and cultural development in the context of peace, national unity and progress; 
• Provide the necessary support structures and mechanisms for the development and promotion of arts and culture, including infrastructure for the arts, arts in education, creative industry, cultural promotion and cultural heritage conservation. 
• Consult our sector on a regular basis on the formulation and implementation of policies and programs related to arts and culture, including the choice of leaders of cultural institutions. 

Make your signature count, SIGN HERE. Read the whole Manifesto HERE.

[Posted at UP Film Institute mailing list, 2010-06-15]

Delirious, pink... and free

pelikula@titusbrandsma is a free monthly film screening with dialogue that features fine samples of world cinema. It is an offering of the Titus Brandsma Center (TBC) Media Program under the auspices of the Carmelites in the Philippines. This monthly event is aimed at giving a meaningful experience for film enthusiasts. See Pelikula Titus Website. 

Showing This Month

"Delirious in Pink"

June 26, Saturday, 1pm onwards (Free Admission)

A Jihad for Love (2007) - directed by Parvez Sharma; produced by Sandi Simcha DuBowski and Parvez Sharma; distributed by First Run Features (U.S.); running time 81 min; language English, Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Hindi, French, Turkish, etc.

Tropical Malady (Sud Pralad) - (Thailand, 2004) written and directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul; produced by Charles de Meaux and Axel Moebius; starring Sakda Kaewbuadee as Tong, Banlop Lomnoi as Keng, Sirivech Jareonchon, Udom Promma and Huai Deesom; distributed by TIFA, Kick the Machine, Anna Sanders Films; running time 125 minutes; language Thai

A Single Man (2009) - directed and produced by Tom Ford; written by Tom Ford and David Scearce based on Christopher Isherwood's novel; starring Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode, Ginnifer Goodwin, Nicholas Hoult and Jon Kartajarena; distributed by The Weinstein Company; running time 99 minutes

Where to find us

The Titus Brandsma Center is located at St. Elijah Hall, 26 Acacia St. Brgy. Mariana, New Manila, Quezon City. For inquiries and confirmation, please call Titus Brandsma Media Center at 723-0449 or 09184048502 (look for Joy). Email: pelikula_titusbrandsma-owner @yahoogroups.com, tbcmedia @yahoo.com or pelikula.tbc @gmail.com.

[Posted at UP Film Institute mailing list, 2010-06-21]

Dancin' in the moonlight

IllumiDANCE: The Lunar White Party

Task Force Pride Philippines brings you Manila's 9th Annual White Party on Maria Orosa strip 10pm, Saturday, June 26, 2010.

Celebrate LGBT PRIDE under the brilliant full moon! Come in your fiercest and most luminous white costumes and celebrate love, laughter and life in this annual and global celebration of PRIDE!

Donate and support Task Force Pride Philippines in making this year's Manila PRIDE in December the biggest, the bestest and the gayest PRIDE march ever!

Presented by eZ Lubricating Jelly and Frenzy Condoms

In Partnership with BED, Che'lu, Home, Lookal, O Bar, Silya , Smart Venue

For more info, visit Task Force Pride. Also on Facebook and Twitter.

[Received in Facebook inbox, 2010-06-21; helping out colleagues, in solidarity with the community.]

Heatwave homage

"Ang init!" We've always exclaimed since end of February this year. I'm always reminded of the heatwave every time I join the rush and crush of human traffic at the LRT to and from work. We've theorized it's definitely much hotter now than before - with unscientific claims of how "cooler" it felt this same season when we were so much younger (than today).

I was working for Tropical Disease Foundation when I discovered this "assemblage" somewhere along Salcedo Street last year. I felt some kind of absurdity as well as pondered at its strange aesthetic. Absurdity, perhaps, at how enforcing some building standard could result to a curious visual. Aesthetic? Well, I've seen "worse" in contemporary art movements.

(Reformatted from original, taken with SE K810i on 2009-02-16, filename=DSC03237.jpg, width=1536, height=2048, resolution=72dpi)

Hanging by "Pearl's"

Japanese-themed bargain stores are treasure troves for curiosities. This one is sold at one such in Robinson's Galleria. Strangely, when I saw this, the lyrics "like a string of pearls, pretty girls go sailing by" came into mind.

Of course, in addition to the visual humoresque, you just have to read the promotional copy; with this one, "For Kid's: Special use for satisfaction foreign-style clothing!" Sic. And mind the punctuation for maximum effect.

(Reformatted from original, taken with SE K810i on 2010-05-01, filename=DSC04610.jpg, width=1632, height=1224, resolution=72dpi)

In the eyes of the alien beholder

Purely WTF moment. Found them at a health and beauty outlet while BFF Eon and I were doing our weekend loitering in Greenbelt.

The packaging, in fairness, packs an impact. The visual elements have pleasant appeals: bright colors, smiling feminine lips, delicious objects, symmetric patterns. But put together, I found them "pretty scary" (nudge-nudge, chuckle-chuckle). We could use a similar treatment for a B-grade horror pic, say, for "The Invasion of the Skin Exfoliators."

(Reformatted from original taken with SE J10i2 on 2010-06-12, filename=DSC00032.jpg, width=2048, height=1536, resolution=72dpi)

Undecided

Here's what I wrote in my other blogs:

The writing's on the wall, so they say. I've a propensity for writing long stuff, but this last chance, I'll try my very best to keep it short and sweet. I'm closing doors to blogging. Maybe on this blog. Maybe for my other Liwaliws as well. Maybe temporarily. Maybe permanently. There's no big drama here. I'm just stopping. So there.

Then I found my way back here, Liwaliw at Blogger. Started in July 2003, it was the first of the Liwaliws. Last post was November 2008. Some stuff blogged elsewhere since then. But for most "happenings," no blog was written.

I couldn't decide. I was feeling sentimental. So from the very late hours of yesterday to the earliest few today, I was just fiddling with Blogger's new settings and layout features. Then I slept.

Woke up late today (actually, normal for me while in vacation mode). I've made some kind of decision. Not the kind that really settles the issue. I've decided to post this update. So there.