We, members of the Film Desk of the Young Critics Circle (YCC), join the film community in condemning the recent disqualification of Emerson Reyes’s entry, MNL 143, from the 8th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.
The organizing committee of Cinemalaya, composed of competition chair Laurice Guillen-Feleo, festival director Nestor Jardin, and monitoring head Robbie Tan made the move following a dispute with Reyes over his insistence on casting Allan Paule and Joy Viado as his leads in a love story—these choices, the committee claimed, “were not suitable to the material” and allegedly ran afoul of its concern with “competence, suitability to the role, and greater audience acceptability”.
Given that Tan has stated in an interview that he believes Paule and Viado to be “very competent” actors, the decision he reached with his fellow committee members registers as idiosyncratic at best and disingenuous at worst: Surely persuasive performances would garner precisely the “acceptability” sought after?
The strength of the indignation against Cinemalaya that Reyes’s disqualification has caused would seem to indicate that a number of grievous problems have been festering, unaddressed and unresolved, long before the current conflict.
Run by The Cinemalaya Foundation, a non-stock, non-profit, private entity that professes to be “committed to the development and promotion of Philippine independent film”, the annual Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival supposedly aims to stimulate the creation of “works that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity”. The matter at hand serves to strain the credibility of such projection, illustrating as it does the sad fact that the deplorable, cynical practices of commercial cinema, exercised with an eye on the bottom line, are hardly exclusive to it, regardless of what the legion of evangelists of independent cinema would have us believe as gospel truth.
What this unfortunate incident points up is just how fraught the endeavor of “independent” filmmaking is: production outside the dominant studio system—the main, and sometimes the sole, marker of independence—does not mean production in a space of pure, absolute freedom where lofty artistic aspirations are realized. And certainly it does not mean production that is somehow exempt from being contained and disciplined by the complex matrix of funding organizations, competitions, festivals, and awards, the mechanisms of which can guarantee the makers of a film continuous, ever-increasing flows of prestige and largesse—provided, of course, that the film advances specific agendas, colludes with particular interests, or follows pernicious habits purveyed by reactionary quarters who have managed to cling to power.
In view of the foregoing, the inability of much independent cinema at present to proffer a plurality of viable visions for remaking both cinema and society may well be telling.
Lest the situation devolve into unproductive name-calling and hate-mongering, as it has already begun to in social media, the YCC is calling for thoughtful, informed, self-reflexive engagement with the issues so that the necessary and arduous process of change can begin to take place. Cinemalaya as an institution must find the will to hold itself to the highest standards of transparency, integrity, and accountability if it wishes to remain relevant, but it is not indispensable to filmmaking. Neither does the responsibility of transformation belong to it alone: rather, it belongs to all of us who care about cinema and wish to cultivate an environment where emergent filmic and critical practices can flourish with vigor.
Established in 1990, YCC is composed of members of academe who, through the years, have become attentive observers of Philippine cinema. Coming from various disciplines, they bring an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of film. Current members are from the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University.
Members of the Film Desk include Eloisa May P. Hernandez (President), Tessa Maria Guazon (Vice President), Romulo P. Baquiran Jr., Flaudette May V. Datuin, Noel D. Ferrer, Patrick D. Flores, Eulalio Guieb III, J. Pilapil Jacobo, Skilty Labastilla, Nonoy L. Lauzon, Eileen C. Legaspi-Ramirez, Gerard R. A. Lico, JPaul Manzanilla, Jema Pamintuan, Choy Pangilinan, Jerry C. Respeto, Jaime Oscar M. Salazar, Neil Martial R. Santillan, and Galileo S. Zafra.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Statement of the YCC Film Desk on the disqualification of Emerson Reyes’s entry from the 8th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival
We, members of the Film Desk of the Young Critics Circle (YCC), join the film community in condemning the recent disqualification of Emerson Reyes’s entry, MNL 143, from the 8th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.
The organizing committee of Cinemalaya, composed of competition chair Laurice Guillen-Feleo, festival director Nestor Jardin, and monitoring head Robbie Tan made the move following a dispute with Reyes over his insistence on casting Allan Paule and Joy Viado as his leads in a love story—these choices, the committee claimed, “were not suitable to the material” and allegedly ran afoul of its concern with “competence, suitability to the role, and greater audience acceptability”.
Given that Tan has stated in an interview that he believes Paule and Viado to be “very competent” actors, the decision he reached with his fellow committee members registers as idiosyncratic at best and disingenuous at worst: Surely persuasive performances would garner precisely the “acceptability” sought after?
The strength of the indignation against Cinemalaya that Reyes's disqualification has caused would seem to indicate that a number of grievous problems have been festering, unaddressed and unresolved, long before the current conflict.
Run by The Cinemalaya Foundation, a non-stock, non-profit, private entity that professes to be “committed to the development and promotion of Philippine independent film”, the annual Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival supposedly aims to stimulate the creation of “works that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity”. The matter at hand serves to strain the credibility of such projection, illustrating as it does the sad fact that the deplorable, cynical practices of commercial cinema, exercised with an eye on the bottom line, are hardly exclusive to it, regardless of what the legion of evangelists of independent cinema would have us believe as gospel truth.
What this unfortunate incident points up is just how fraught the endeavor of “independent” filmmaking is: production outside the dominant studio system—the main, and sometimes the sole, marker of independence—does not mean production in a space of pure, absolute freedom where lofty artistic aspirations are realized. And certainly it does not mean production that is somehow exempt from being contained and disciplined by the complex matrix of funding organizations, competitions, festivals, and awards, the mechanisms of which can guarantee the makers of a film continuous, ever-increasing flows of prestige and largesse—provided, of course, that the film advances specific agendas, colludes with particular interests, or follows pernicious habits purveyed by reactionary quarters who have managed to cling to power.
In view of the foregoing, the inability of much independent cinema at present to proffer a plurality of viable visions for remaking both cinema and society may well be telling.
Lest the situation devolve into unproductive name-calling and hate-mongering, as it has already begun to in social media, the YCC is calling for thoughtful, informed, self-reflexive engagement with the issues so that the necessary and arduous process of change can begin to take place. Cinemalaya as an institution must find the will to hold itself to the highest standards of transparency, integrity, and accountability if it wishes to remain relevant, but it is not indispensable to filmmaking. Neither does the responsibility of transformation belong to it alone: rather, it belongs to all of us who care about cinema and wish to cultivate an environment where emergent filmic and critical practices can flourish with vigor.
Established in 1990, YCC is composed of members of academe who, through the years, have become attentive observers of Philippine cinema. Coming from various disciplines, they bring an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of film. Current members are from the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University.
Members of the Film Desk include Eloisa May P. Hernandez (President), Tessa Maria Guazon (Vice President), Romulo P. Baquiran Jr., Flaudette May V. Datuin, Noel D. Ferrer, Patrick D. Flores, Eulalio Guieb III, J. Pilapil Jacobo, Skilty Labastilla, Nonoy L. Lauzon, Eileen C. Legaspi-Ramirez, Gerard R. A. Lico, JPaul Manzanilla, Jema Pamintuan, Choy Pangilinan, Jerry C. Respeto, Jaime Oscar M. Salazar, Neil Martial R. Santillan, and Galileo S. Zafra.
The organizing committee of Cinemalaya, composed of competition chair Laurice Guillen-Feleo, festival director Nestor Jardin, and monitoring head Robbie Tan made the move following a dispute with Reyes over his insistence on casting Allan Paule and Joy Viado as his leads in a love story—these choices, the committee claimed, “were not suitable to the material” and allegedly ran afoul of its concern with “competence, suitability to the role, and greater audience acceptability”.
Given that Tan has stated in an interview that he believes Paule and Viado to be “very competent” actors, the decision he reached with his fellow committee members registers as idiosyncratic at best and disingenuous at worst: Surely persuasive performances would garner precisely the “acceptability” sought after?
The strength of the indignation against Cinemalaya that Reyes's disqualification has caused would seem to indicate that a number of grievous problems have been festering, unaddressed and unresolved, long before the current conflict.
Run by The Cinemalaya Foundation, a non-stock, non-profit, private entity that professes to be “committed to the development and promotion of Philippine independent film”, the annual Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival supposedly aims to stimulate the creation of “works that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity”. The matter at hand serves to strain the credibility of such projection, illustrating as it does the sad fact that the deplorable, cynical practices of commercial cinema, exercised with an eye on the bottom line, are hardly exclusive to it, regardless of what the legion of evangelists of independent cinema would have us believe as gospel truth.
What this unfortunate incident points up is just how fraught the endeavor of “independent” filmmaking is: production outside the dominant studio system—the main, and sometimes the sole, marker of independence—does not mean production in a space of pure, absolute freedom where lofty artistic aspirations are realized. And certainly it does not mean production that is somehow exempt from being contained and disciplined by the complex matrix of funding organizations, competitions, festivals, and awards, the mechanisms of which can guarantee the makers of a film continuous, ever-increasing flows of prestige and largesse—provided, of course, that the film advances specific agendas, colludes with particular interests, or follows pernicious habits purveyed by reactionary quarters who have managed to cling to power.
In view of the foregoing, the inability of much independent cinema at present to proffer a plurality of viable visions for remaking both cinema and society may well be telling.
Lest the situation devolve into unproductive name-calling and hate-mongering, as it has already begun to in social media, the YCC is calling for thoughtful, informed, self-reflexive engagement with the issues so that the necessary and arduous process of change can begin to take place. Cinemalaya as an institution must find the will to hold itself to the highest standards of transparency, integrity, and accountability if it wishes to remain relevant, but it is not indispensable to filmmaking. Neither does the responsibility of transformation belong to it alone: rather, it belongs to all of us who care about cinema and wish to cultivate an environment where emergent filmic and critical practices can flourish with vigor.
Established in 1990, YCC is composed of members of academe who, through the years, have become attentive observers of Philippine cinema. Coming from various disciplines, they bring an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of film. Current members are from the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University.
Members of the Film Desk include Eloisa May P. Hernandez (President), Tessa Maria Guazon (Vice President), Romulo P. Baquiran Jr., Flaudette May V. Datuin, Noel D. Ferrer, Patrick D. Flores, Eulalio Guieb III, J. Pilapil Jacobo, Skilty Labastilla, Nonoy L. Lauzon, Eileen C. Legaspi-Ramirez, Gerard R. A. Lico, JPaul Manzanilla, Jema Pamintuan, Choy Pangilinan, Jerry C. Respeto, Jaime Oscar M. Salazar, Neil Martial R. Santillan, and Galileo S. Zafra.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Critic of the month Eulalio R. Guieb III on Filipino independent cinema
From Indio to Indie: A Redreamt Indiehood and Indiegeneity
Many are of the opinion that independent cinema will save the current state of the Filipino film industry. However, I often lose hope as an academe-based critic in the promise offered by films that we label indie or underground or alternative cinema, or whatever category that fits into our notion of this type of films.
Independent films have undoubtedly contributed in transforming film production in the country, but this practice is only one aspect of filmmaking. I do not discount the substantial contributions of new festivals that focus on independent films, the generous financial support by various groups for films that they want us to believe are indie films, the current rate of film output coming from individuals and groups that call themselves indies, and the recognition that indie films get from various international festivals. Indeed, this phenomenon has paved the way for the production of new cinematic forms and aesthetics. In my view, however, many so-called alternative filmmakers have yet to produce social discourses that confront the discourses of the unjust holders of our society’s economic and political power.
I contend that there is no significant difference in terms of offering a plurality of visions and options for just and humane social relations from the current output of either alternative or commercial cinema. Except perhaps for the counter-discourses of the films of Kidlat Tahimik and committed filmmakers, particularly those who fought against the dictator – like Joey Clemente and Lito Tiongson – and the promise coming from a few filmmakers of the current generation, specifically Pepe Diokno, seldom do I see in the films of the present breed of independent filmmakers a clearly articulated and politically grounded social consciousness. In other words, there is no alternative social discourse coming from so-called alternative filmmakers. I argue that the struggle within the commercial film industry by Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal, Mike de Leon and Mario O’Hara made more sense – politically – to construct a ‘just alternative’ vision of social relations in Philippine society.
In recasting the experiences of the Filipino people in indie films, we – filmmakers and audiences alike – need to interrogate our place in the country’s current political and cultural struggle – and for whom, and why, we need to articulate and pursue this position. If these films – and the framework that guides our reading of these films – if all these do not fit into the alliance of communities of knowledge and interests based on social justice, our indiehood, our indiegeneity is a misnomer. In my view, we do not deserve our indiehood or our indiegeneity as filmmakers or film critics if our positions are no different from the discourse of the current holders of political power whose development agenda disregard social justice for the marginalized. In this sense, our indiehood, our indiegeneity is a negation of the nationhood of the powerless.
The power to create a just and humane world lies at the center of humanity itself – a collective of human beings that knows how to nourish life back to life. How to get there depends on how we ground ourselves in our contemporary social life. The possibilities of the future lie in neither a fossilized past nor in an aestheticized utopia. The possibilities of the future are always present in the present. How to translate this vision into economic, political and cultural terms is another struggle altogether. Part of that struggle is to rewrite and refilm the world, to reworld the world; not to redeem the world, but perhaps – to use the phrase by Ben Okri in his novel The Famished Road – to redream the world. In my view, that is what life and committed independent filmmaking, in general terms, are all about.
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Mula Indio Hanggang Indie: Kakaibang Kaindiehan
Marami ang nagsasabing ang independent cinema ang magsasalba sa kasalukuyang industriya ng pelikulang Filipino. Subalit bilang isang kritikong nagmumula sa loob ng akademya ay madalas akong mawalan ng pag-asa sa pangako ng tinatawag nating indie films o underground o alternative cinema, o ano pa mang kategorya natin sa mga ganitong uri ng pelikula.
Totoong nagpamalas ang mga sineng indie ng kapangahasan sa transformasyon ng produksiyong pampelikula, subalit ang ganitong gawain ay isang aspekto lamang ng sine. Hindi ko rin matatawaran ang mahalagang ambag ng pagsulpot ng mga bagong festival na nakafokus sa mga indie films, ang mahalagang suportang pinansyal para sa mga pelikulang nagpapakilala bilang indie, ang pagsulpot ng maraming pelikula buhat sa mga indibidwal at grupong nagsasabing sila ay indie, at ang pagwawagi ng maraming indie films sa iba’t ibang international film festivals. Totoong maraming pamamaraan at estetikang hinahawan ang mga penomenong ito. Subalit sa aking pananaw, maituturing na nasa iisang hulma pa rin ang kalakhan ng mga inaakalang alternatibong kamalayang binubuo ng sineng ito – na kadalasan ay siya ring diskurso ng mga kasalukuyang may hawak ng di-makatao at di-makatarungang kapangyarihan.
Maaari kong sabihin na hindi sapat ang nagaganap na produksiyon ng pluralidad ng mga pananaw at opsyon para sa isang makatarungan at makataong ugnayang panlipunan buhat sa mga pelikulang komersyal at indie. Liban marahil sa counter-discourse ng mga sine nina Kidlat Tahimik at ng mga committed filmmakers lalo na noong panahon ng batas militar sa bansa – tulad nina Joey Clemente at Lito Tiongson – at sa bagong pangako ng mangilan-ngilang filmmakers sa kasalukuyan, tulad ni Pepe Diokno – bihira akong makapanood ng mga indie films na may malinaw, lapat-sa-lupa at alternatibong kamalayang politikal. Sa madaling salita, pangangahasan kong sabihing hindi alternatibo ang diskurso ng kalakhan ng mga binabansagang sineng indie. Kung tutuusin ay tila mas makabuluhan pa ang ginawang pakikisangkot mula sa loob nina Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal, Mike de Leon at Mario O’Hara sa paglikha ng mga ‘makatarungang alternatibong’ pananaw sa buhay at lipunang Filipino.
Sa paglikha ng mga karanasan ng mamamayang Filipino na isinasapakete sa pelikulang indie, mahalagang tanungin ng mga manlilikha at tanungin nating mga manonood ng sine kung saang panig tayo kasangkot sa kasalukuyang pakikibakang politikal at kultural ng bansa – at para kanino, at bakit, isinusulong ang panig na ito. Kung ang mga pelikula – maging ang ating mga pamantayan sa panunuri ng pelikula – kung hindi sumasabay at nakalapat ang mga ito sa alyansa ng mga komunidad ng kaalaman at interes na nakabatay sa katarungan, walang kabuluhan ang ating pagka-indie o ang tinatawag kong kaindiehan, ang ating indiegeneity. Sa aking pananaw, hinding-hinding indie ang pelikulang indie, ang filmmaker na nagmamalaking siya ay indie at ang kritikong tulad ko na nagpapakaindie kung hindi lihis ang ating posisyon sa diskurso ng mga kasalukuyang nasa kapangyarihang politikal na ang agendang pangkaunlaran para sa bansa ay hindi nagtataguyod ng katarungang panlipunan para sa mga nasa laylayan ng kapangyarihan. Kung ganito ang kalakaran, ang kaindiehan, ang ating indiegeneity ay hindi pagkabansa ng mga walang kapangyarihan.
Ang kapangyarihang lumikha ng isang makatarungan at makataong mundo ay sentral sa ating hangad na maging ganap na tao – na isang kolektibo ng mga indibidwal na gustong muling ibalik ang buhay sa buhay. Kung paano ito magaganap ay nakasalalay sa kung paano tayo nakikisangkot sa ating mga kontemporaneong buhay. Ang mga posibilidad ng bukas ay wala sa isang fossilized na nakaraan o sa isang romantikong kinabukasan. Ang mga posibilidad ng kinabukasan ay lagi’t laging nasa sa kasalukuyan. Kung paanong isasapraktika ang pananaw na ito sa mga usapin ng ekonomiya, politika at kultura ay isang panibagong pakikibaka. Bahagi ng pakikibakang ito ay ang muling sulatin o isapelikula ang mundo, muling gawing mundo ang mundo; hindi kailangang iligtas ang mundo, ang kailangan marahil – ayon sa tinuran ni Ben Okri sa kanyang nobelang The Famished Road – ay muling mangarap ng makatuturang mundo. Iyon, para sa akin, ang ibig sabihin ng buhay at committed independent filmmaking.
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Eulalio R. Guieb III obtained in 2009 his Ph.D. in Anthropology from McGill University (Montreal, Quebec, Canada). He completed his M.A. in Philippine Literature and B.A. in Broadcast Communication at the University of the Philippines-Diliman. He has published two short story anthologies: Pamilya® (U.P. Press, 2003) and Pitada (Anvil, 1994). His artistic works have received recognition from the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, Cultural Center of the Philippines, New York Festivals, Sony Video Competition in Japan, the Catholic Mass Media Awards, and Gantimpalang Ani. His experimental films and video documentaries have been exhibited in Uppsala, Mannheim, Oberhausen, Torino, Osnabruck, New York, London, Montreal, Toronto, Tokyo, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur, among others. He teaches ethnography, development, criticism, teleplay and qualitative research at the U.P. Department of Broadcast Communication. His research interests include political ecology; ecological, development and legal anthropology; the history of the drama in Philippine television; and the politics of representation.
Friday, November 11, 2011
YCC Film Desk holds Annual Circle Citations in December
The Film Desk of the Young Critics’ Circle will hold the 21st Annual Circle Citations for distinguished achievements in film on December 6, 2011 at the University of the Philippines Jorge B. Vargas Museum in Diliman, Quezon City.
Leading the list of winners for film year 2010 is Raymond Red’s Himpapawid, which YCC cites for best film, best screenplay, best cinematography and visual design, and best editing. Best achievement in sound and aural orchestration will be awarded to Jerrold Tarog’s Punerarya. Best performance honors will be conferred on Raul Arellano for Himpapawid and Carla Abellana for Punerarya.
Only Himpapawid, Punerarya and Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria made it to YCC’s short list, which is composed of films that got the nod of majority of the members of the organization. Only short-listed films earn the privilege to be nominated for any of the six categories. YCC does not confer nominations on artistic or technical merit if the film does not qualify in the short list. This is one of the major departures of the YCC from all award-giving bodies in the country.
The organization departs from many conventions of other award-giving bodies both here and abroad in bestowing cinematic honors. For instance, the award for Best Film of the Year is reserved for the director such that no separate prize for direction is needed. The Best Performance award is most coveted as it is conferred on a screen performer whether male or female, adult or child, individual or as part of an ensemble, in leading or supporting role. To uphold a more dynamic and encompassing way of looking at films, technical honors refer to fusion of outstanding efforts in fields otherwise deemed apart. In this case, the Best Cinematography and Visual Design recognition covers both camerawork and art direction. Similarly, Best Sound and Aural Orchestration encompasses not sound engineering alone but musical score as well.
Established in 1990, YCC is composed of members of academe who, through the years, have become attentive observers of Philippine cinema. Coming from various disciplines, they bring an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of film. Current members are from the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University.
Members of the Film Desk include Eulalio R. Guieb III (chair), Romulo P. Baquiran Jr., Flaudette May V. Datuin, Noel D. Ferrer, Patrick D. Flores, Tessa Maria T. Guazon, Eloisa May P. Hernandez, Jayson P. Jacobo, Nonoy L. Lauzon, Eileen C. Legaspi-Ramirez, Gerard R. A. Lico, Jema Pamintuan, Choy Pangilinan, Jerry C. Respeto, Jaime Oscar M. Salazar, Neil Martial R. Santillan, and Galileo S. Zafra. New members include JPaul Manzanilla and Skilty Labastilla.
Here is the complete list of winners and nominees for this year’s YCC Annual Circle Citations:
Best Film of the Year:
Winner: Himpapawid directed by Raymond Red (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production; Raymond Red, David Hukom, Roger Garcia and Butch Jimenez, producers; Jimmy Duavit and Oli Laperal, associate producers)
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria directed by Remton Siega Zuasola (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures; Jiji Borlasa and Beverly Tañedo, producers; Ronald Arguelles, executive producer; Sherad Anthony Sanchez, supervising producer)
Punerarya (episode of Shake, Rattle & Roll 12) directed by Jerrold Tarog (Regal Entertainment; Lily Monteverde, executive producer; Roselle Monteverde-Teo, producer; Sarah Pagcaliwagan, associate producer; Manny Valera, supervising producer)
Best Screenplay:
Winner: Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – Raymond Red
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures) – Remton Siega Zuasola
Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Onay Sales and Aloy Adlawan
Best Performance by Male or Female, Adult or Child, Individual or Ensemble in Leading or Supporting Role
Winners:
Carla Abellana in Punerarya (Regal Entertainment); and
Raul Arellano in Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production)
No other nominees in Best Performance
Best Achievement in Cinematography and Visual Design
Winner: Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – Raymond Red, cinematographer; Danny Red, production designer; Cesar Hernando and Ronald Red, design consultants
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures) – Christian Linaban, cinematographer; Kaloy Uypuanco, production designer; Victor Villanueva, art director; Syrel Lopez, costume
Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Mackie Galvez, director of photography; Benjamin Padero, production designer
Best Achievement in Sound and Aural Orchestration
Winner: Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Lamberto Casas Jr., sound designer and engineer; Jerrold Tarog, musical scorer)
Nominees:
Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – Diwa de Leon, musical scorer
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures) – Vanya Fantonial, sound designer; Jerrold Tarog, musical scorer
Best Achievement in Editing
Winner: Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – David Hukom, Jay Halili and Raymond Red
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures)
Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Renewin Alano
Leading the list of winners for film year 2010 is Raymond Red’s Himpapawid, which YCC cites for best film, best screenplay, best cinematography and visual design, and best editing. Best achievement in sound and aural orchestration will be awarded to Jerrold Tarog’s Punerarya. Best performance honors will be conferred on Raul Arellano for Himpapawid and Carla Abellana for Punerarya.
Only Himpapawid, Punerarya and Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria made it to YCC’s short list, which is composed of films that got the nod of majority of the members of the organization. Only short-listed films earn the privilege to be nominated for any of the six categories. YCC does not confer nominations on artistic or technical merit if the film does not qualify in the short list. This is one of the major departures of the YCC from all award-giving bodies in the country.
The organization departs from many conventions of other award-giving bodies both here and abroad in bestowing cinematic honors. For instance, the award for Best Film of the Year is reserved for the director such that no separate prize for direction is needed. The Best Performance award is most coveted as it is conferred on a screen performer whether male or female, adult or child, individual or as part of an ensemble, in leading or supporting role. To uphold a more dynamic and encompassing way of looking at films, technical honors refer to fusion of outstanding efforts in fields otherwise deemed apart. In this case, the Best Cinematography and Visual Design recognition covers both camerawork and art direction. Similarly, Best Sound and Aural Orchestration encompasses not sound engineering alone but musical score as well.
Established in 1990, YCC is composed of members of academe who, through the years, have become attentive observers of Philippine cinema. Coming from various disciplines, they bring an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of film. Current members are from the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University.
Members of the Film Desk include Eulalio R. Guieb III (chair), Romulo P. Baquiran Jr., Flaudette May V. Datuin, Noel D. Ferrer, Patrick D. Flores, Tessa Maria T. Guazon, Eloisa May P. Hernandez, Jayson P. Jacobo, Nonoy L. Lauzon, Eileen C. Legaspi-Ramirez, Gerard R. A. Lico, Jema Pamintuan, Choy Pangilinan, Jerry C. Respeto, Jaime Oscar M. Salazar, Neil Martial R. Santillan, and Galileo S. Zafra. New members include JPaul Manzanilla and Skilty Labastilla.
Here is the complete list of winners and nominees for this year’s YCC Annual Circle Citations:
Best Film of the Year:
Winner: Himpapawid directed by Raymond Red (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production; Raymond Red, David Hukom, Roger Garcia and Butch Jimenez, producers; Jimmy Duavit and Oli Laperal, associate producers)
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria directed by Remton Siega Zuasola (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures; Jiji Borlasa and Beverly Tañedo, producers; Ronald Arguelles, executive producer; Sherad Anthony Sanchez, supervising producer)
Punerarya (episode of Shake, Rattle & Roll 12) directed by Jerrold Tarog (Regal Entertainment; Lily Monteverde, executive producer; Roselle Monteverde-Teo, producer; Sarah Pagcaliwagan, associate producer; Manny Valera, supervising producer)
Best Screenplay:
Winner: Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – Raymond Red
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures) – Remton Siega Zuasola
Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Onay Sales and Aloy Adlawan
Best Performance by Male or Female, Adult or Child, Individual or Ensemble in Leading or Supporting Role
Winners:
Carla Abellana in Punerarya (Regal Entertainment); and
Raul Arellano in Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production)
No other nominees in Best Performance
Best Achievement in Cinematography and Visual Design
Winner: Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – Raymond Red, cinematographer; Danny Red, production designer; Cesar Hernando and Ronald Red, design consultants
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures) – Christian Linaban, cinematographer; Kaloy Uypuanco, production designer; Victor Villanueva, art director; Syrel Lopez, costume
Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Mackie Galvez, director of photography; Benjamin Padero, production designer
Best Achievement in Sound and Aural Orchestration
Winner: Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Lamberto Casas Jr., sound designer and engineer; Jerrold Tarog, musical scorer)
Nominees:
Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – Diwa de Leon, musical scorer
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures) – Vanya Fantonial, sound designer; Jerrold Tarog, musical scorer
Best Achievement in Editing
Winner: Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – David Hukom, Jay Halili and Raymond Red
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures)
Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Renewin Alano
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Ang Dalumat ng Kakayahan sa Pelikulang “Himpapawid” ni Raymond Red
Pamilyar na sa mga manonood kung paano karaniwang tinatalakay ang isyu ng kahirapan sa mga pelikula. Sa pamamagitan ng mga imahen ng gutom, pagtaas ng populasyon, polusyon sa kapaligiran, sakit, kawalan ng hanapbuhay, at iba pang mga larawan ng lunggati, binigyang-katuturan ng ilang mga pelikula ang kahulugan ng dahop na pamumuhay. Ang mga imaheng ito rin naman ang madalas sambitin ng ilang mga klasikal na teorista hinggil sa usapin ng kahirapan at kaunlaran. Binigyang-puna ni Dr. Firoze Manji, isang aktibista mula sa Kenya at visiting fellow sa Oxford University, ang mga klasikal na ideya sa ekonomiks, tulad ng sumusunod: “Ang pinakamahalagang tungkulin ng mga polisiya sa ekonomiya ay protektahan ang karapatan ng minoridad na makapangalap ng pinakamataas na halaga ng kita, at sa pamamagitan nito ay may posibilidad para sa pag-unlad ng nasabing minoridad.” (akin ang salin, sinipi mula sa http://socialtheoryblog.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/developmentasfreedom-by-manji.pdf. Accessed on 1 October 2011.) Isa umano ang nabanggit na sipi sa mga nakagawiang kumbensyon na ginagamit na salalayan sa pag-unawa ng mga konsepto hinggil sa pag-unlad, partikular, ang hindi pagtaas ng kita, o kawalan ng kabuhayan, bilang sanhi ng kahirapan.
May tesis ang ekonomistang si Amartya Sen hinggil sa kahulugan at sanhi ng kahirapan gamit ang ilang kaso at karanasan ng mga bansang nasa Ikatlong Daigdig. Sa kaniyang aklat na Development as Freedom (Sen, 1999), nilinaw pa ni Sen ang kabuluhan ng kaunlaran, na iniankla niya sa teorya ng kakayahan (capability theory). Ang depinisyon ng kahirapan, para kay Sen, ay ang kawalan ng kalayaang isangkot ang sarili sa lipunan, at kawalan ng kakayahang matamasa ang mga sumusunod: politikal na kalayaan, akses sa mga ekonomikong pasilidad, panlipunang oportunidad, protektibong seguridad.
Sa tesis na ito, palagay ko, uminog ang diskurso ng pelikulang “Himpapawid” ni Raymond Red hinggil sa pigil na partisipasyon at pagkatiwalag sa lipunan ng mga tauhan, bilang mga salik na tagapagpaandar ng kahirapan. Sa pelikula, lumampas pa sa mga nakasanayang imahen ng paghihikahos ang ginawa ng direktor upang makapaghulma at maitanghal ang kaibuturan ng isyu. Ang kahirapan, sang-ayon sa mga pinagdaanan ng pangunahing karakter na si Raul (Raul Arellano), ay kasingkahulugan ng pagiging talunan, ng kawalan ng akses sa anumang oportunidad, at ng hungkag na pakikisangkot sa anumang larangan. At ang patuloy na pagkonsumo nito sa indibidwal ay humantong sa destruksyon ng katinuan ng sarili. Mahalaga ang pelikula dahil sa mabisa nitong artikulasyon hinggil sa kawalan ng makabuluhang ambag sa lipunan bilang isa sa mga pangunahing tagapagtakda ng karalitaan.
Ang kulminasyon ng pelikula ay isang eksena ng hijacking sa eroplano. Ito ang nagluklok sa karakter sa pisikal na tugatog na katumbas din ng pagkabuwal nito sa katapusan ng pelikula. Idinetalye sa eksena ang desperasyon ng hijacker na si Raul (Raul Arellano), ang terorismo, na tinugunan ng matinding takot ng mga pasaherong nasangkot sa kriminal na akto, hanggang sa engrandeng pamamaalam ng hijacker na nagtanghal ng kaniyang kasawian. Bagaman batbat ng rubdob at tensyon ang bahaging ito, ang kapangyarihan ng pelikula ay higit na makakapa sa mga naunang inilatag na pangyayari sa buhay ng hijacker.
Malinaw na sa unang bahagi pa lamang ng pelikula, hindi paghingi ng dagdag na suweldo, o promosyon sa trabaho, ang pakiusap ni Raul sa kaniyang superbisor. Gusto niyang makauwi sa probinsya upang bisitahin ang amang maysakit, kasama na rin ang intensyong magpasa ng aplikasyon para makapaghanapbuhay sa ibang bansa. Ani ng superbisor, hindi nila pinapayagan ang day-off, at wala nang daratnang trabaho si Raul pagbalik nito. Alinsunod sa paradigma ng teorya ng kakayahan, naghain ng kataliwas na pamantayan ang karanasan ng tauhang si Raul. Nilumpo siya ng sunud-sunod na mga limitado, o higit, kawalan ng opsiyon at kalayaang kumilos at mapakinggan—mula sa mga balikong karanasan sa pagpapakopya ng dokumento, pagkaunsyami ng pagsumite sa aplikasyon, kapalpakan bilang tagabantay dapat sa ilegal na operasyon kasama ang mga kaibigan, at sa kalahatan, pangingibabaw ng mga bigong taktika.
Ang linsad na kapalaran ni Raul ay pinatingkad pa ng indibidwal na naratibo ng mga kasamang tauhan sa pelikula. Mabisa ang pagkatugaygay sa karanasan ng mga karakter na may kani-kaniya ring kuwento ng nakalundong kalagayan. Itinawid ng mga tauhang ginampanan nina Soliman Cruz, John Arcilla, Raul Morit, at Karlo Altomonte ang pagiging biktima ng pekeng recruiter at pagkalubog sa utang, ang pagkakasya sa maliit na kita bilang taxi driver, at ang uri ng buhay na tanging sa inuman lamang maaaring makapagsiwalat ng mga tanong at himutok. Ang malinis na editing ang nagsilbing aparato para sa pagtalakay ng baliktanaw ng mga dehadong nagsasalaysay (Soliman Cruz at John Arcilla) habang kinukumbinsi nila na walang tatamasahing anumang pag-asa si Raul sa kaniyang mga tangkang pagsisikap. Sa mga tauhang ito rin umangkas ang pesimistikong panukalang nagdiin hinggil sa direksyong pupuntahan ng kuwento ni Raul, at ng kuwento nilang lahat.
Binalangkas din sa pelikula ang gradasyon ng mental at emosyonal na kalagayan ng pangunahing tauhan, na rurok ng karahasan at karalitaang nakalukob dito. Nagsimula ito sa pag-uulol ng pakiramdam (sa mga pabugso-bugso at taas-babang temperamento ni Raul), na humantong sa poot at desperasyon, gayundin, ginatungan at itinulak ng sinambit ng ilang tauhan: “Lahat ng tao dito sa Pilipinas ay nag-uunahan,”(mula sa tauhang ginampanan ni John Arcilla), “Tingnan niyo kung gaano kahirap makiusap?” (mula sa tauhang ginampanan ni Raul Arellano) at “Wasak!” (mula sa tauhang ginampanan ni Lav Diaz). Magtataka ba ang manonood kung bakit nag-amok si Raul, halimbawa, dahil lamang sa simpleng pagpapa-xerox ng mga dokumento? Sa mga tauhang sangkot sa eksena, oo, may sayad sa utak ang tingin nila kay Raul. Subalit sa mga manonood, ang resulta ng eleganteng paraan ng pagsasalaysay ay ang pag-unawa sa lohika ng unti-unting pagtakas ng bait ng tauhan. Nagsanib din sa paningin ni Raul ang tatlong tauhang babae, na may iisang anyo, senyal din ng demensiya ng karakter. Magkakaugnay, bagaman may malinaw na distinksyon, ang bukod-tanging pagtatanghal ni Marissa Sue Prado bilang prostitute, klerk, at flight attendant, at bilang obheto ng halu-halong pagnanasa, kahinaan, at kasawian ni Raul sa pelikula.
Sa unang pagkakataon sa pelikula, saka lamang tila naisangkot si Raul sa iba pang indibidwal bukod sa mga kainuman, at saka lamang siya “pinakinggan,” nang hawak na niya ang atensyon ng mga pasahero sa eroplano dahil sa kaniyang pagbabantang pasabugin ito. Tila nangangako ang eksena, at ang posisyong kaniyang kinalagyan, na sa unang pagkakataon ay mukhang naglarawan ng pag-iral ng kaniyang kontrol at kakayahan—posibleng makakolekta ng pera si Raul at mailapag nga siya ng eroplano sa hiningi niyang destinasyon, at sa wakas, mabisita na ang amang maysakit. Katulad ng mga kuwento sa mga balita tungkol sa pag-akyat at pahiwatig ng pagtalon mula sa matataas na gusali at billboard ng Maynila, sa mga pagbabanta na lamang nakakukuha ng lunan para makapagsalita at bakasakaling mapakinggan ang mga tulad ni Raul, na dahil sa pagkakalugmok ay, ayon nga kay Sen, “can make a person a helpless prey in the violations of other kinds of freedoms.” (Sen, 1999, 8)
Ang punto ng teorya ng kakayahan ay paglaan ng mga pangako at posibilidad, ng pagtalunton sa potensyal ng tao sa pag-unlad ng sarili at pagbahagi nito sa lipunan, at pagpapalawak ng kaniyang mga opsiyon upang maiangat, sa isang multi-dimensyonal na antas, ang kaniyang kalidad ng buhay. Sa pelikula, madalas ianggulo ang kamera at perspektiba (maaaring ng tauhan o manonood) sa himpapawid, at naroon ang ilusyon ng tangkang pagsibad na paitaas ang direksyon. Subalit ang katotohanang taglay na kasalukuyan ding nakabalabal sa lipunan, at matagumpay na ipinabatid batay sa konteksto at kalagayan ng iba’t ibang tauhan, institusyon, at sosyo-kultural na praktis sa pelikula, ay lihis sa anumang akto ng pagpailanlang. Hindi aliwalas, hindi rin luwang, ang sinasambit ng mga imahen ng kalangitan, bagkus, restriksyon at walang humpay na pagtatakda ng mga hangganan.
Jema M. Pamintuan obtained her Ph.D. in Philippine Studies from the University of the Philippines, Diliman. She is currently teaching at the School of Humanities, Ateneo de Manila University. Her essay, “Risk Management, Probability, and the Theory of Games in Segurista (Dead Sure) and Kubrador (The Bet Collector)” appeared in the Fall 2011 issue of Positions East Asia Critique, published by Duke University Press.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Raymond Red’s Himpapawid tops YCC honors for distinguished achievement in film in 2010
Raymond Red’s Himpapawid swept five of six categories of the annual awards of the Film Desk of the Young Critics’ Circle for film year 2010. The tragic drama of a deranged hijacker pushed to his limits by modernity’s dehumanizing and oppressive social relations was voted Best Film of the Year and conferred recognition for Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Visual Design, Best Film Editing and Best Performance for Raul Arellano. It won over two other nominees for the best film category: Remton Siega Zuasola’s Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria and Jerrold Tarog’s Punerarya (an episode of Shake, Rattle & Roll 12).
Tarog’s Punerarya, which garnered nominations in all categories, scored in Best Sound and Aural Orchestration, and the film’s lead performer Carla Abellana tied with Arellano for Best Performance. Zuasola’s Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria got nominations in all categories, except in performance.
YCC cites Himpapawid for intelligently plunging into the ironies and complexities of interstitial spaces left open by the tensive relations between social injustice and individual redemption. The film’s trope of escape, flying, fleeing and migration frames the desperation and angst of characters negotiating the countryside’s abjection, the city’s inhumanity, and society’s decaying institutions. While all characters are eventually trapped in several labyrinths of debilitating alienation, the film succeeds in investigating the poignant circularity of humanity’s convoluted fall – which draws us into reframing the materiality of the human condition, in general, and the impoverishment of Filipinos, in particular, all in terms simultaneously dialectic, cyclical and spiral.
Only Himpapawid, Punerarya and Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria made it to YCC’s short list, which is composed of films that got the nod of majority of the members of the organization. Only short-listed films earn the privilege to be nominated for any of the six categories. YCC does not confer nominations on artistic or technical merit if the film does not qualify in the short list. This is one of the major departures of the YCC from all award-giving bodies in the country.
Established in 1990, YCC is composed of members of academe who, through the years, have become attentive observers of Philippine cinema. Coming from various disciplines, they bring an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of film. Current members of the organization are from the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University.
The organization departs from many conventions of other award-giving bodies both here and abroad in bestowing cinematic honors. For instance, the award for Best Film of the Year is reserved for the director such that no separate prize for direction is needed. The Best Performance award is most coveted as it is conferred on a screen performer whether male or female, adult or child, individual or as part of an ensemble, in leading or supporting role. To uphold a more dynamic and encompassing way of looking at films, technical honors refer to fusion of outstanding efforts in fields otherwise deemed apart. In this case, the Best Cinematography and Visual Design recognition covers both camerawork and art direction. Similarly, Best Sound and Aural Orchestration encompasses not sound engineering alone but musical score as well.
Schedule for the awards presentations has yet to be arranged.
Here is the complete list of winners and nominees for this year’s YCC film awards:
The Film Desk of the Young Critics’ Circle
21st Annual Circle Citations for Distinguished Achievement in Film for 2010
Best Film of the Year:
Winner: Himpapawid directed by Raymond Red (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production; Raymond Red, David Hukom, Roger Garcia and Butch Jimenez, producers; Jimmy Duavit and Oli Laperal, associate producers)
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria directed by Remton Siega Zuasola (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures; Jiji Borlasa and Beverly Tañedo, producers; Ronald Arguelles, executive producer; Sherad Anthony Sanchez, supervising producer)
Punerarya (episode of Shake, Rattle & Roll 12) directed by Jerrold Tarog (Regal Entertainment; Lily Monteverde, executive producer; Roselle Monteverde-Teo, producer; Sarah Pagcaliwagan, associate producer; Manny Valera, supervising producer)
Best Screenplay:
Winner: Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – Raymond Red
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures) – Remton Siega Zuasola
Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Onay Sales and Aloy Adlawan
Best Performance by Male or Female, Adult or Child, Individual or Ensemble in Leading or Supporting Role
Winners:
Carla Abellana in Punerarya (Regal Entertainment); and
Raul Arellano in Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production)
No other nominees in Best Performance
Best Achievement in Cinematography and Visual Design
Winner: Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – Raymond Red, cinematographer; Danny Red, production designer; Cesar Hernando and Ronald Red, design consultants
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures) – Christian Linaban, cinematographer; Kaloy Uypuanco, production designer; Victor Villanueva, art director; Syrel Lopez, costume
Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Mackie Galvez, director of photography; Benjamin Padero, production designer
Best Achievement in Sound and Aural Orchestration
Winner: Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Lamberto Casas Jr., sound designer and engineer; Jerrold Tarog, musical scorer)
Nominees:
Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – Diwa de Leon, musical scorer
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures) – Vanya Fantonial, sound designer; Jerrold Tarog, musical scorer
Best Achievement in Film Editing
Winner: Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – David Hukom, Jay Halili and Raymond Red
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures)
Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Renewin Alano
Film Desk of the Young Critics Circle 2011: Eulalio R. Guieb III (chair), Flaudette May V. Datuin, Patrick D. Flores, Tessa Maria T. Guazon, Eloisa May P. Hernandez, Jayson Jacobo, Jema Pamintuan, Choy Pangilinan and Jaime Oscar Salazar; on leave: Noel D. Ferrer, Nonoy L. Lauzon, Eileen C. Legaspi-Ramirez, Gerard R. A. Lico, Jerry C. Respeto, Neil Martial R. Santillan and Galileo S. Zafra.
YCC drew its selection from both regular and non-regular releases comprising the entirety of Philippine cinema output in 2010. Films considered for discussion were those that had three or more screenings before a paying or non-paying audience in any public venue. ###
Tarog’s Punerarya, which garnered nominations in all categories, scored in Best Sound and Aural Orchestration, and the film’s lead performer Carla Abellana tied with Arellano for Best Performance. Zuasola’s Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria got nominations in all categories, except in performance.
YCC cites Himpapawid for intelligently plunging into the ironies and complexities of interstitial spaces left open by the tensive relations between social injustice and individual redemption. The film’s trope of escape, flying, fleeing and migration frames the desperation and angst of characters negotiating the countryside’s abjection, the city’s inhumanity, and society’s decaying institutions. While all characters are eventually trapped in several labyrinths of debilitating alienation, the film succeeds in investigating the poignant circularity of humanity’s convoluted fall – which draws us into reframing the materiality of the human condition, in general, and the impoverishment of Filipinos, in particular, all in terms simultaneously dialectic, cyclical and spiral.
Only Himpapawid, Punerarya and Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria made it to YCC’s short list, which is composed of films that got the nod of majority of the members of the organization. Only short-listed films earn the privilege to be nominated for any of the six categories. YCC does not confer nominations on artistic or technical merit if the film does not qualify in the short list. This is one of the major departures of the YCC from all award-giving bodies in the country.
Established in 1990, YCC is composed of members of academe who, through the years, have become attentive observers of Philippine cinema. Coming from various disciplines, they bring an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of film. Current members of the organization are from the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University.
The organization departs from many conventions of other award-giving bodies both here and abroad in bestowing cinematic honors. For instance, the award for Best Film of the Year is reserved for the director such that no separate prize for direction is needed. The Best Performance award is most coveted as it is conferred on a screen performer whether male or female, adult or child, individual or as part of an ensemble, in leading or supporting role. To uphold a more dynamic and encompassing way of looking at films, technical honors refer to fusion of outstanding efforts in fields otherwise deemed apart. In this case, the Best Cinematography and Visual Design recognition covers both camerawork and art direction. Similarly, Best Sound and Aural Orchestration encompasses not sound engineering alone but musical score as well.
Schedule for the awards presentations has yet to be arranged.
Here is the complete list of winners and nominees for this year’s YCC film awards:
The Film Desk of the Young Critics’ Circle
21st Annual Circle Citations for Distinguished Achievement in Film for 2010
Best Film of the Year:
Winner: Himpapawid directed by Raymond Red (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production; Raymond Red, David Hukom, Roger Garcia and Butch Jimenez, producers; Jimmy Duavit and Oli Laperal, associate producers)
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria directed by Remton Siega Zuasola (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures; Jiji Borlasa and Beverly Tañedo, producers; Ronald Arguelles, executive producer; Sherad Anthony Sanchez, supervising producer)
Punerarya (episode of Shake, Rattle & Roll 12) directed by Jerrold Tarog (Regal Entertainment; Lily Monteverde, executive producer; Roselle Monteverde-Teo, producer; Sarah Pagcaliwagan, associate producer; Manny Valera, supervising producer)
Best Screenplay:
Winner: Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – Raymond Red
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures) – Remton Siega Zuasola
Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Onay Sales and Aloy Adlawan
Best Performance by Male or Female, Adult or Child, Individual or Ensemble in Leading or Supporting Role
Winners:
Carla Abellana in Punerarya (Regal Entertainment); and
Raul Arellano in Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production)
No other nominees in Best Performance
Best Achievement in Cinematography and Visual Design
Winner: Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – Raymond Red, cinematographer; Danny Red, production designer; Cesar Hernando and Ronald Red, design consultants
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures) – Christian Linaban, cinematographer; Kaloy Uypuanco, production designer; Victor Villanueva, art director; Syrel Lopez, costume
Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Mackie Galvez, director of photography; Benjamin Padero, production designer
Best Achievement in Sound and Aural Orchestration
Winner: Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Lamberto Casas Jr., sound designer and engineer; Jerrold Tarog, musical scorer)
Nominees:
Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – Diwa de Leon, musical scorer
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures) – Vanya Fantonial, sound designer; Jerrold Tarog, musical scorer
Best Achievement in Film Editing
Winner: Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – David Hukom, Jay Halili and Raymond Red
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures)
Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Renewin Alano
Film Desk of the Young Critics Circle 2011: Eulalio R. Guieb III (chair), Flaudette May V. Datuin, Patrick D. Flores, Tessa Maria T. Guazon, Eloisa May P. Hernandez, Jayson Jacobo, Jema Pamintuan, Choy Pangilinan and Jaime Oscar Salazar; on leave: Noel D. Ferrer, Nonoy L. Lauzon, Eileen C. Legaspi-Ramirez, Gerard R. A. Lico, Jerry C. Respeto, Neil Martial R. Santillan and Galileo S. Zafra.
YCC drew its selection from both regular and non-regular releases comprising the entirety of Philippine cinema output in 2010. Films considered for discussion were those that had three or more screenings before a paying or non-paying audience in any public venue. ###
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Review sa pelikulang “Senior Year” ni Jema Pamintuan
Review sa pelikulang “Senior Year” (Jerrold Tarog, 2010)
Buong ingat na hinalungkat at itinanghal ng direktor na si Jerrold Tarog ang mga alaala ng kolektibong karanasan ng mga estudyante ng ikaapat na taon sa high school, sa kaniyang pelikulang “Senior Year” (2010). Ang mga huntahan sa mga pasilyo, kuwentuhan tungkol sa buhay pag-ibig ng kanilang guro, panloloko ng kapwa kamag-aral sa comfort rooms, mga eksena ng biruan at tsismisan sa cafeteria, pag-eensayo para sa sayaw, obsesyon sa pagkapanalo sa intrams, antisipasyon sa resulta ng college entrance exams, at sa pangkalahatan, ang mga agam-agam ng yugtong ito ng kabataan, ay mahusay na hinabi ng maingat na direksyon ni Tarog.
Tinahi ng akto ng pagbabaliktanaw ni Henry Dalmacio (RJ Ledesma) ang kuwento ng kaniyang batch (senior batch 2010) sa high school. Naghahanap siya ng dahilan upang tumayo at lumabas na mula sa kaniyang sasakyan, at makisalamuha sa mga dating kamag-aral, para sa kanilang high school reunion. Sapagkat ilang taon makalipas ang kanilang high school graduation, hindi na nakiugnay pa si Henry sa mga kamag-aral. Aminado siyang hindi na niya lubusan pang nakikilala ang mga ito, o may mga sama ng loob at lamat sa mga ugnayan, na hindi na nakuhang bigyan pa ng artikulasyon, at resolusyon, hanggang pagkatapos ng kanilang graduation. Sa mga gunitang ito nakipagbunuan ang karakter ni Henry, na nagtawid sa mga pangyayari at magkakalingkis na buhay ng mga mag-aaral sa pelikula.
Kahanga-hanga kung paano ginawan ng pagbubukod-tangi ang bawat tauhan sa pelikula, nang hindi ito lubusang nauwi lamang sa mga istiryotipo, o representasyon ng mga istiryotipo. Higit pa sa nakakahong imahen ng popular na campus heartthrob ang tulad ng mga tauhan nina Bridget, Solenn, at Briggs, o komikerong bading tulad ni Carlo, o “ugly duckling turned beautiful swan” tulad ni Sofia, “batch bully” tulad ni Ian, at iba pang pamilyar na mga karakter ng high school. Masinsin ang ginawang pag-usisa sa mga tauhan, at pagsiwalat sa lahat ng detalye ng kaselanan ng mga ito. Maselan, pagkat nakapanlulupaypay naman talagang harapin at aminin ang mga palpak na diskarte at mga inakalang grandiosong plano (para sa sarili man, kapwa mag-aaral, o buong batch) pero hindi naman pala mapaninindigan. Ang mga inisip, ginawa, at inisip nating gawin noong high school, yaong mga gusto na lamang nating ilihim, pagkat kahiya-hiya, yaong mga ipinapalagay na nakatago na lamang dapat sa ating gunita at mga personal na journal, ay sensitibo ang pagkakabitbit at pagkakalatag sa mga manonood, na parang mga bagay na babasagin.
Nakatas din mula sa pelikula ang pamamangka sa pagitan ng mabibilis at maiikling eksena at masigla at orihinal na soundtrack, at tunay na masasapantaha ang high school bilang, ayon nga sa isang pahayag ng kritikong si Rabelais, “a maniacal scrapbook filled with colorful entries.” Mabisa ang paraan ng pagkakaedit sa mga eksena para umangkop sa kaligiran at temperamento ng high school---na pabugso-bugso, minsan pa-ekis, maraming kurba at paliko-liko at taas-baba—samantalang hindi nasakripisyo ang laman at linaw ng naratibo. Mainam na pinalaya ng pelikula ang sarili sa tradisyon ng mga palabas na halaw sa kulturang “teeny bopper” ng Hollywood, at nalampasan ang kombensiyonal na paglalahad sa mga karanasan ng mga bata sa paaralan. Sariwa at kaaya-aya ang pagiging natural ng pelikula, mula sa pagtatanghal ng mga artista, pagsambit sa mga diyalogo at gamit ng wika, at palitan ng kuro-kuro sa klase. Ibang-iba sa mga nakapapagod nang palabas sa telebisyon at ilang pelikula na batbat ng artipisyalidad, na ang layunin ay itanghal lamang ang pisikal na anyo ng mga artista nito.
Dumistansya ang pelikula sa tonong nangangaral, lalo na sa pagtalakay ng mga isyu hinggil sa uri at sexualidad, mga domestikong suliranin, at pagharap sa mga dilema ng realidad ng pagtanda. At ang birtud ng pelikula ay naging lunsaran ang magaan na teknik ng pagsasalaysay nito para sa mga nabanggit na paksa. Hindi lamang mga tagiyawat at maling postura ang simbolo ng mga angst ng teenager; sa mga tiim-bagang at buntong-hininga ng kabiguan ng mga kabataang karakter nagtunggali at nagsanib ang kani-kanilang kubling kamalayan.
Sa paggawa ni Henry ng valedictory speech noong high school ay naitanong niya sa sarili kung may kakayahan ba silang punan ang mga pagkukulang ng nakaraang henerasyon, sa pamamagitan ng pagsisikap ng kaniyang henerasyon. Lumulukob pa rin sa kaniya, kahit paano, ang bilin ng dating guro, na minsang naghimaton sa klase nito hinggil sa pangangailangan ng mga mag-aaral na isangkot ang sarili para sa pagbabago ng lipunan. Sa paglabas niya mula sa kaniyang sasakyan, at sa pagharap sa dating kamag-aral, naipamalas sa eksena ang kabatirang kayhirap pa ring makapa ng indibidwalidad, na alam nating labag sa ating loob ang magpanggap, ngunit laging may pangangailangan para rito. Ikinukubli ang sariling hindi naman pala malaki ang ipinagbago, nakatali pa rin sa mga nakamihasnang salimuot ng pandama, at nangangambang sa kabila ng lahat ng pagdanas, kimkim pa rin ang mga alinlangan ng hindi mabitiw-bitiwang kamusmusan.
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