MANILA – Sinag Maynila 2016 rolls out yet another batch of Filipino independent films to be staged from April 21 to 26, 2016.
Launched in March last year, the 2016 edition of the festival is premiering five full-length films. These five were selected out of over a hundred applicants that reflected Filipino culture, society, and illustrated a global resonance.
Sinag Maynila 2016 is headed by Wilson Tieng, CEO and owner of Solar Entertainment Corporation, as well as acclaimed international director Brilliante Mendoza. The festival granted filmmakers Jay Altarejos, Adolf Alix, Ato Bautista, Gino Santos, and Mes De Guzman P2 million worth of funding for their chosen entries.
Here’s a quick look at the films for this year’s festival:
Mrs. by Adolf Alix Jr.
Seventy-year-old Virginia shares the old ancestral house with Delia, her ever-loyal maid. Delia is marrying her long-time boyfriend, Rene, and tearfully confides to Virginia that she wants to go home to her parents in the province to start a new family life with him. Haunted by a past that Virginia tries to conquer (her only son disappeared years ago) what follows shows a portrait of a woman and a mother trying to juggle the sad realities of life amid a cycle of life and death. Mrs. stars Elizabeth Oropesa, Lotlot de Leon, Rosanna Roces, Anita Linda, and Mark Herras.
Expressway by Ato Bautista
A syndicate old-timer named Ben needs to do one last assignment before the boss he works for grants him his much delayed retirement. Assigned to be his partner is the neophyte Morris, a trigger-happy sadist who yearns to impress the syndicate boss. For Ben, this last assignment becomes a journey of introspection, self-healing, and redemption. With this awakening, he takes it upon himself to pull Morris out of the eventual hell of a life he says he has lived as a hitman. Expressway stars Alvin Anson, Aljur Abrenica, RK Bagatsing, Kiko Matos, Inez Bernardo, Japo Parcero, Arpee Bautista, Jim Libiran.
Dyamper by Mes De Guzman
Three friends wait along Dalton Pass every dawn to jump on the back of rice delivery trucks to steal the goods and sell it at the wet market as their means of income. One of them accidentally gets a pack of drugs in one of the trucks they jumped and they find themselves in jeopardy when the owners track them down to retrieve the stash. These same owners give them a chance to get off the hook by taking on a risky mission. Dyamper stars Carlo Aquino, Alchris Galura, Tim Mabalot, Kristofer King, Liza Dino-Seguerra, and Debbie Garcia.
T.P.O. (Temporary Protection Order) by Joselito Altarejos
Teresa is a battered mother in the hands of her husband, Miguel. When their son Miguelito starts to get hurt as violence erupts at its worst, Teresa seeks a Temporary Protection Order (TPO) against her husband. Meanwhile Miguel, together with their son, goes through the same long and arduous process of applying for the custody of their son on the town’s most festive and busiest day. When they see each other in the middle of the road, an accident ensues, leaving them both destroyed and on the losing end. The narrative will start repeating backwards, the truth will be revealed with scenes that have yet to unfold. T.P.O. stars Oliver Aquino, Mara Lopez, Micko Laurente, Menggie Cobarrubias, and Lui Manansala.
Lila by Gino Santos
Jess is a young woman running from her past and moves into the house of a warmhearted landlady. She finds a diary in her room that belonged to an old tenant. As days pass, strange things occur and the diary’s words take an eerie turn when Jess finds herself in the middle of a malevolent turn of events from a dark past not entirely her own. Lila stars Janine Gutierrez, Enchong Dee, Sherry Alingod, and Migs Cuaderno.
Aside from these screenings, a short film competition named “Cinefone” sponsored by Samsung will highlight student entries taken from any Samsung phone. The films should run only between 3-5 minutes. Students who wish to apply must not have directed any film prior to this. Script synopsis must be written with a maximum of 200 words.
Registration is free, but a certification from one’s school is needed. Once the entry is chosen, Samsung will lend a Galaxy Note 5 for the project.
The 2nd Sinag Maynila Film Festival is currently running until April 26, 2016. For more updates, look for Sinag Maynila on Facebook (SinagMaynila), Twitter and Instagram (@sinagmaynila). Subscribe to the official Sinag Maynila Youtube Account: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmZPI6kPKUCsbim9e_qByNQ.
