by ledgelife May 22, 2013
Cannes: Philippines Cinema Comes to the Fore When asked about his reaction to hearing that his latest film, hitman thriller On The Job, was selected for Cannes, Erik Matti said he was surprised – first for having landed a berth at one of the world’s most prestigious festivals, and second because it would appear in the left-of-center Directors’ Fortnight sidebar. “We made On The Job mainly for our domestic market in the Philippines; but, of course, getting into the Director’s Fortnight was a welcome gift for all the hard work we poured into the making of the film – not to mention almost four years of finding a way to get it produced,” said the Manila-based filmmaker. Landing at Cannes alongside On The Job are two Un Certain Regard entries with aesthetics wildly different from Matti’s. Adolfo Alix Jr.’s Death March – which premiered on Sunday — is an eerie, black-and-white piece about U.S. and Filipino POWs being maimed and murdered by Japanese soldiers marching them across the Philippines during the second world war. Debuting on Thursday will be Norte, The End of History, the four-hour film about injustice (a simple-minded man jailed for a murder he didn’t commit) from Lav Diaz, the Philippines’ king of long takes (and films). “It is still difficult to get independent films to be released theatrically in the Philippines. The distributors are still keen on mainstream genre pics and Hollywood,” he said. “That is what we are working on now — for independent films to be released even just in a small number of theaters, especially now that there are more digital theaters here. For now, we do alternative venues, like schools and special screenings around the country.” “Hopefully, this entry to the Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight will open doors for us,” Matti said. “By expanding the market internationally with higher revenues, hopefully we can now attempt films that we wouldn’t normally be able to do in our small local market. With more resources come bigger themes and a bit more ambitious filmmaking.” Read more »

Cannes: Philippines Cinema Comes to the Fore

When asked about his reaction to hearing that his latest film, hitman thriller On The Job, was selected for Cannes, Erik Matti said he was surprised – first for having landed a berth at one of the world’s most prestigious festivals, and second because it would appear in the left-of-center Directors’ Fortnight sidebar.

“We made On The Job mainly for our domestic market in the Philippines; but, of course, getting into the Director’s Fortnight was a welcome gift for all the hard work we poured into the making of the film – not to mention almost four years of finding a way to get it produced,” said the Manila-based filmmaker.

Landing at Cannes alongside On The Job are two Un Certain Regard entries with aesthetics wildly different from Matti’s. Adolfo Alix Jr.’s Death March – which premiered on Sunday — is an eerie, black-and-white piece about U.S. and Filipino POWs being maimed and murdered by Japanese soldiers marching them across the Philippines during the second world war. Debuting on Thursday will be Norte, The End of History, the four-hour film about injustice (a simple-minded man jailed for a murder he didn’t commit) from Lav Diaz, the Philippines’ king of long takes (and films).

“It is still difficult to get independent films to be released theatrically in the Philippines. The distributors are still keen on mainstream genre pics and Hollywood,” he said. “That is what we are working on now — for independent films to be released even just in a small number of theaters, especially now that there are more digital theaters here. For now, we do alternative venues, like schools and special screenings around the country.”

“Hopefully, this entry to the Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight will open doors for us,” Matti said. “By expanding the market internationally with higher revenues, hopefully we can now attempt films that we wouldn’t normally be able to do in our small local market. With more resources come bigger themes and a bit more ambitious filmmaking.”

Read more »

by ledgelife May 20, 2013
Sarah Jessica Parker inaugurated 'illegally' built SM mall, BCDA says

The newly inaugurated mall of the SM group at the Bonifacio Global City - the same commercial center graced by Hollywood fashion icon Sarah Jessica Parker last week - was “illegally” built, according to the state agency tasked to commercially develop the country’s military bases.

Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), which owned the property where SM Aura Premier was built, said excavation for the property was done “without permission,” adding that “a poorly built retaining wall is jeopardizing the lives of nearby residents.”

“SM occupied the property forcibly after its request [to construct a road in front of the mall] was denied by the BCDA,” the agency’s president Arnel Paciano D. Casanova said.

Read more here

These are some 2013 Elections stories that you should be reading

by invisiboy May 15, 2013

theurbanhistorian:

Because we are too absorbed with the Senatorial Race that we ignore the local politics of the areas. So how some Political Dynasties fared in this elections?

In Olongapo City, the Gordons lost. I remember that Senatorial Candidate Dick Gordon is anti-Political Dynasty, I bet what Olongapo did is a feeler of what to do with political dynasties. As of this time, Senatorial Candidate Gordon is hovering in the 13th place. As the jokes in twitter tell us, “Konting push pa.”

In Camarines Sur, the Villafuerte clan lost big time, with only 23 year old Migz Villafuerte winning as the new Governor of the said province, and winning over his grandfather Luis Villafuerte. Leni Robredo delivered the biggest blow to Villafuerte clan with a landslide victory in her district. With a young and untested Villafuerte at the Capitol, its either he’s easy to manipulate or easy to topple.

The story is different in Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte, where the Singsons and the Marcoses are still in power.

In Cebu, the Garcias are also over, with only incumbent Governor Gwen Garcia winning as a Congresswoman.

It is interesting to note that the Political Dynasty issue is in the limelight in this 2013 Election. Let’s see how Political Dynasties will fare come 2016.

The best way to dismantle Political Dynasties is to dismantle them at the Local Level, as we should say: Nip it in the Bud.

(via little-icarus)

by dre May 10, 2013

image

Join us on May 25, 2013 at 10A Alabama for a night of delicious homemade artisanal food and good music!

We’ll be featuring food from the farm as prepared by the farmers, the shareholders, and friends (who love to cook!) plus roster of great performers to entertain guests as they taste and appreciate the goodies from the Good Food table  :)

Tickets @ 250 PhP are inclusive of the Good Food plate (which you can fill with as much as you want from the spread ) and one serving of ginger beer. 

All proceeds will go straight to helping out our farmers with their greenhouses and irrigation materials, as we prepare to battle the heat and the coming rainy season.

For tickets and other inquiries, please contact Tricia (0906-4332324) or Nick (0915-1916384) 

Click here to check out the event page (and confirm your attendance!)

by ledgelife April 30, 2013

Who Killed Philippine Cinema?

pepediokno: Here’s the talk I gave at TEDxADMU, about the “death” of Philippine cinema, who’s to blame, why we should support our film industry, and how Pinoy films are coming back to life.

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