The 22nd Singapore International Film Festival will take place on April 14 to April 19, 2009 and a few Filipino films will be featured: Aureus Solito’s Boy, Francis Xavier Pasion’s Jay, Roxlee’s Cesar Asar and Lav Diaz’s Melancholia.
BOY
(Producer: Auraeus Solito, Endi “Hai†Balbuena, Screenplay: Jimmy Flores, Arturo Calo, Cast: Aeious Asin, Aries Pena, Madelaine Nicolas. Schedule: 19th Apr, 11:30am and 24th Apr, 7:15pm at The Substation)
Boy is a coming-of-age story about a boy who falls in love with a macho dancer:
A young budding poet, who is unnamed, observes lip-synching drag-queens and dancing rent-boys in a gay bar one evening and finds himself attracted to Aries, who comes from a poorer part of town. Selling his action heroes and comic books so as to be able to afford Aries for one night, he buys Aries at the bar and brings him home for the new year. Sparks fly while celebratory fireworks go off outside the house and the boys forge a fragile connection that neither of them is certain will last. This is an idealistic, coming-of-age tale of a sensitive boy who arrives at his first lesson about love and who learns to grow confidently into his own sexuality.
Boy is a finalist for the Asian Feature Film Competition.
Cinema Today is a section of the festival about films of today that will become tomorrow’s classics. From drama to comedy to documentaries, presenting the realities of today in this scope of films by some of the most watched filmmakers. The following Filipino films are featured:
If you like the trailer, forward this message to everybody in your mailing lists and egroups, advertise in your blogs or websites. Better yet, DRAG THEM TO WATCH THE FILM WITH YOU! =))
“You’ll feel more at home here than in any previous drag-queen movie. If you don’t, you’ll laugh, you’ll gasp, you may even hurl. But you’ll come out a better person.” – Vancouver International Film Festival
Missed out on some of the gay films this year? Well fret not for the UP Film Institute is holding a series of special screenings this semestral break!
Fresh from a slew of international prizes and added festival engagement, Brillante Mendoza’s Serbis continues its maximum extensive run.
A countdown-to-Halloween special billed “Beatitudes for the Dead” hallmarks Aloy Adlawan’s Signos to alternate with Neal Buboy Tan’s Ataul for Rent.
Taking turns for a special full run are such prime titles as Paupahan, Vhagetz; Tiltil; Sun Kissed, Gay Sex in the 70s; Project X; Eskandalo.
Forming a special of its own is a selection of Jowee Morel full-length features, namely, Ec2luv (2005); Mga Paru-parong Rosas (2006); When a Gay Man Loves (2007); Latak (2008) and Moving Dreams (2008).
The last join the rest of the premiering productions within the given screening period: Jigz Recto’s Tutok; Joel Lamangan’s Walang Kawala; Roni Bertubin’s Kurap.
I am glad that there are many Filipino independent films that have homosexuality as a running theme. However, I noticed (like many of you have), that many of these films are usually too tragic, too gory, too predictable, and have too many unnecessary nude scenes. Whenever “Gay Indie” is mentioned, people would easily associate it with either scenes of death or scenes of men in various states of undress.
Then comes, The Thank You Girls!
I know I have posted about it previously, but I just couldn’t help posting about it again since the premiere night already has a definite date and that it will be shown really soon! The Thank You Girls will have its premiere night on August 28, 2008 at the UP Cine Adarna (formerly UP Film Center), UP Diliman at 6:30 PM.
The Thank You Girls, written and directed by Charliebebs Gohetia (writer of the hit Daybreak), is about beauconeras (beauty contestant veterans) from Davao City who got tired of losing beauty competitions there. These queens of the backstage decide to travel to Cagayan de Oro City in hopes of conquering the grandest competition of beauty, personality and brains in the province. (Trailer after the jump)
The movie uses Bisaya/Cebuano as its primary language combined with variations of gay lingo! (For those of you who are not aware, gay lingo/swardspeak also differs from one are of the Philippines to another). Of course there are subtitles, but with or without them, this film still promises to be one heck of a laugh trip as it also introduces very catchy and witty lines, in English and in local swardspeak. Take these lines from the trailer as an example: Read the rest of this entry »
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