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misses
We are six students, taking up the subject Film Appreciation at St. Scholastica's College - Manila. Suzanne Natividad, Trishika Medina, Francel Festin, Grace Manongtong, Kimberly Sicutad and Vanessa Estinozo make up the 5th group of that particular course.
Posted here are some of the activities we do for the subject.
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A Photo Essay
by Trishika Medina & Suzanne Natividad
The story takes place in a great school.
The main character goes to her class
and invites her friends to a party she will be hosting.
She is in charge of the music and sound system during the party.
Her friends comes to the party,
but the girl is having so much fun and gets wild even before her friends come. She starts drinking
and smoking a lot of weeds
until she passes out.
And then she wakes up
and realizes that she's already in jail.
Her friends come to visit her to help her sneak out of jail.
They think of a way on how to take her out, and decides to take the underground path.
Desperately, using stones, they start digging,
and digging a little more...
They get out of the underground path and see freedom.
They end up in a far away river.
They start walking and reach the far end of the river,
and reached a place where they live differently from the others.
They lived alone,
could only look at people from afar,
and together, continued to live with their shadows stained with the darkness of the past that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.
❤ Suzanne
Credits:
Trishika Medina and Suzanne Natividad for the idea.
Trishika Medina, Suzanne Natividad, Grace Manongtong and Vanessa Estinozo for photos.
Suzanne Natividad for the blog entry.
Anyway...
As for me, it was the first time I attended the annual event, and personally, I found it amusing. Almost everything about it was new to me: the names of the directors, the title of the past Cinemalaya entries, and the faces of the characters from several films(which were cosplayed).
Our group weren't really together during the entire program, but we were able to take a few photos together after the screening of Ang Babae Sa Breakwater.
Our friends from different schools came too, which is the main reason why the members of our group weren't together.
It was such a thrilling night, and I swear I will attend next year's as well. Still and all, the major purpose of this entry, to show that everybody in our group attended the opening ceremony, is served. 'Til the next Cinemalaya!
❤ Suzanne
Intoy Syokoy
Lemuel Lorca
Having watched the Ang Babae Sa Breakwater during the opening ceremony of Cinemalaya and Intoy Syokoy after a few days, I quickly noticed the resemblance between the two. Well Intoy Syokoy's probably the modernized version and I swear, there's never a dull moment with this film.
I felt different kinds of emotion while watching the film and I'm telling you, so many heartbreaking events were put on show. Disturbing scenes were also present, but I guess that's no biggie when it comes to indie films. By the way, have I already mentioned that the actors were smashing? Seriously, they were! Especially the heaven-sent JM de Guzman that did an excellent job, who I thought wasn't that good in acting.
They did a marvelous job in choosing the setting. The wardrobe was also carefully chosen, it made me feel like it was real; that the story was actually based on the life of someone or a group of people who lives in such community.
I think the movie's ending needs justice, though. I was in distress for a few minutes for my fragile heart cannot accept how the film ended. Even so, I love the flow of the movie. The director has caught my heart. Hands down to Lemuel Lorca and the staff!
❤ Suzanne
Credits to Intoy Syokoy FB Page
Kamera Obskura
Raymond Red
Visually intriguing. I chose to watch this, among the other films under the Director's Showcase, because its poster caught my eye and found the synopsis engrossing. That very moment, I checked the time of its screenings and finally decided on a day which was last Friday, July 27. Kamera Obskura is one of the films that have really surprised me. Based on its summary printed on the flyer, I didn't expect that it will be a silent movie.
The first few scenes were funny, like how the the old man, Juan, crawled randomly in the dark and how a hole mysteriously appeared from nowhere with a light that shone so bright that it hurt Juan's eye which has been so used to the darkness. Also there were bicycles running up in the sky that I found weird. The succeeding scenes were mundane that I fell asleep.
Honestly, I wasn't able to appreciate the movie. My eyes has defied me for I couldn't keep it open, until a scene where a naked woman was shown, which swiftly awakened me. I wondered what was the connection of the naked woman to the previous incidents, but the ending drew closer and I still haven't seen the answer I was looking for.
Only after reading reviews for this film from the internet and its synopsis from Cinemalaya's official website have I understood the film's profound message, and realized that Kamera Obskura is something big. Something worth watching.
MGA MUNTING LIHIM (Director's Showcase)
Jose Javier Reyes
The Film is about the Untold Secrets, Insights of Mariel who died Because of Cancer. She left her diaries with her Best friend Carly. At first Carly was so curious why Mariel gave all her diaries to her she was afraid of reading those diaries because she thinks that those are private things of Mariel. But she was so confused and feel curious about it that's why she started reading it. While she was browsing and reading the diaries a lot of revelations came out about their friendship. Backstabbing, and the Things that they hate and also the negative sides of each of them. Despite of their differences they remain friends and they try to talk and discuss what Mariel wrote on her diary.I really enjoyed watching Mga Munting Lihim because it deals with friendship and i think it also happen in reality . We can easily understand and we can easily adapt certain situation in the film. This movie portrays how unrevealed things can ruined friendship. Just like in the movie they have different personalities, traits and Lifestyle but still they became friends. Friendship doesn't mean when you feel that their is something wrong with your friend you can just tell and slap it to their faces. There are things that you just don't want to open or tell so things won't be more complicated. Sometimes we need to express ourselves so people would know who we are as a friend. I learn so many things strategies in this movie. "Some friends come and go like a season. Others are arranged in our lives for good reason."---Sharita GadisonREquieme! (New Breed)Loy Arcenas
The film was about the chair of Sta. Maria named Swannie. Who uses the wake of a criminal turned celebrity killer to Gain Points for the Election. The story also deals with A runaway son who went away from his family named Joaanna. At first the story was about the Famous designer who had been killed in the other country and the killer was a filipino and Swannie claimming to be the relative of the killer. I had fun watching this film because i can see that it is more true to life because of some politician now a days who will just help other people when Election is near. They will use that strategies to gain fame and points so people will remember them and Vote them. I was also amaze with Joanna in the film Because despite that he really want to have a "Boobs" he gave some of his savings to his neighbor to have a proper Burial even though they are not related with each other. I like the flow of the story because i kept on guessing and analyzing what will happen next. The Film also show different kinds of people that we are going to met and also the reality of how other family can't accept their own child for being a gay.
-- Kimberly Anne P. Sicutad
202 C
Independent Film. What comes to my mind everytime I hear
this? Well, from the word independent, freedom, can present anything!
It was my very first time to enter CCP (yeah, I know) and be
part of the Cinemalaya. What a great experience! Anyway, I wanna share
something about the two movies I watched. One from the Newbreed and the other
is from the Director’s Showcase.
Lez’ start from the Newbreed entries, “REQUIEME!” a film by Loy Arcenas. This film tells a story something
about funeral.
Characters who are looking for something that can fill their unhappy lives.
The one deals with the Brgy. Captain of Sta. Maria named
Swanie Payapa, who has a husband that manages their business. Swanie wants to
bring to the Philippines the corpse of her distant relative who killed himself
after killing one of the most famous fashion designer named V.V. She has her
own intention why she really wants to bring home the dead body of Dolping, his
distant relative; it is for her political career. She did everything to have
the dead body but in the end she failed, she didn’t get anything neither saw
the shadow of it in the Philippines.
Another main character of this story was Joanna, who lives
in faraway land of manila. Joanna was very generous that he even sacrificed the
money he was saving, the money which is for his boobs, for the funeral of his neighbour
who died without any relatives.
The two main characters are related to each other, mother
and son. Swannie, who cannot accept her son as a gay.
I know everyone notice that the film ended in an unhappy
ending. Swannie and Joanna did not reconcile.
There are some scenes from the film that are not encouraging
I mean like the widowed lady who can’t get her husband’s corpse because it was
brought to or exchange to something.
How ironic the story was, Swannie was sperated to her own son yet she tries her best to have his dead distant relative who has long been estranged.
The Director gives out a lot of money for this film, he had
more than 35 people with speaking lines and the movie doesn't just happen in
one setting. A very aggressive film maker, an inspiring one. CLAP** CLAP**
CLAP**
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Mumunting Lihim. From the Director’s Showacase, the
first Indie film by Jose Javier Reyes.
The story is obviously about friendship, very applicable to all. It is about how
much do you know well your friend, how do you find each other in your own perspective,
and how to handle and keep the
friendship you have ever since.
Starring in the
Film are Iza
Calzado, Agot Isidro, Janice de Belen and Judy Ann Santos, the four ladies who
are long time best friends, whose lives changed after one of them died and traumatized
the string at connected their lives together.
The diary of Mariel (Judy Ann) was the object that was used
to tell the stories and personality behind each of every character. It was read
accordingly from Agot Isidro to the closest and her bestfriend whom she had
lots of grudge, Carla (Iza).
I've read a review that says that
bringing the mainstream stars to an indie spirit film; Reyes hopes to create
that happy median called “MAINDIE” that will carry the commercial audiences to
finally have an interest and love to independent films and to bring it back as
part of their daily culture.
Applause
to the film maker!
---FESTIN, Francel D. / 202C
 It started with a funeral-- the funeral of Mariel. Mariel has one best friend and she is Carla, and two other closest friends, Olive and Sandra. Mariel left a box full of her diaries addressed to Carla, Mariel and Carla has been best friends since high school, and shared plenty of secrets or untold stories from their other friends. When Olive and Sandra found out about the box of diaries, they quickly advised Carla not to read it because it was private and for Mariel and her family's eyes only. But Carla declined and chose to read it anyway because of curiosity. It surprised her when she started flipping through the pages of the diaries, the stories, emotions, comments that were kept from one another made their beliefs and views about friendship change. But in the end, They all forgave each other.  The film gave many reactions to many viewers some of my friends cried but many times we laughed.The movie showed how friends are when they are not honest to their feelings to each other. This kind of story happens in real life, there are those kind of people who would choose to hide their emotions about the other, and sometimes leads to "never talking to each other ever again" so I guess in friendship "Honestly is the best policy" is truly the best policy to have a good and strong relationship with other people. -ESTINOZO, MA.VANESSA L. ESTINOZO |
