Page 27 - NOVEMBER 2017 'A' ISSUE

November 2017 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition ENTERTAINMENT
‘Balangiga:
leads QCinema 2017 winners
DESPITE a ratings dispute with
festival organizers, Khavn dela Cruz’s
wartime drama, “Balangiga: Howling
Wilderness” won four Pylon awards
to lead all winners at the QCinema
International Film Festival’s awards
night held Thursday at Novotel Manila
Araneta Center.
In winning the Circle Competition
Best Picture award, “Balangiga” was
cited for its “solid vision, with sensitive involved in the making of “Balangiga”
performances paired with strong visual,
aural and poetic narrative. It is an elegy
to the tragic history of the Philippines
as seen through the eyes of a boy that
is both a celebration and a lamentation
of humanity.”
The film also won Best Director, Best
Actor for child performer Justine Samson
and Best Supporting Actor for Pio del
Rio, who Khavn said he discovered
during the film’s location shoot.
Set against the backdrop of the
infamous Balangiga massacre of 1901
during the Philippine-American war,
“Balangiga” became controversial
when its self-imposed rating of GP
or General Patronage was changed
A scene from ‘Balangiga:
Howling Wilderness.’
Mike de Leon says will not submit ‘Citizen Jake’
to MMFF, calls selection process ‘anomalous’
IT’S final. Mike de Leon will
not submit “Citizen Jake,” his long-
awaited comeback film, to the Metro
Manila Film Festival.
De Leon himself made a
categorical “message” to this effect
on the film’s Facebook page Tuesday.
“I can categorically state that
CITIZEN JAKE is not joining, better
still, not even considering joining the
Metro Manila Film Festival in 2017.
Ever since the anomalous selection
process that occurred months ago
that resulted in 4 films being selected
based on scripts, I realized that any
reforms well-intentioned filmmakers
may clamor for are only doomed to
failure,” De Leon wrote.
The reclusive filmmaker also
revealed that should he consider
otherwise, a “reliable source” told
him that “Citizen Jake” would be a
shoo-in for one of the remaining four
slots for the annual Christmas season
film festival.
“It was recently intimated to me
& Scoop CELEBRITY
Howling Wilderness’
by QCinema to R-13 after only two
screenings. Festival organizers later
explained that the rating was “due to
the film’s mature theme and to several
scenes depicting nudity, violence, gore,
and frequent use of mature language
and expletives.”
Khavn himself received the awards
on behalf of his film’s winners and
was mostly calm and thankful to those
but lamented, “I wish I could receive
this award under better circumstances”
during his Best Director acceptance
speech.
In an interview with InterAksyon and
other media after the awards ceremonies,
the maverick director dubbed as “the
father of digital filmmaking” and known
for his unconventional style reiterated
his desire to have “Balangiga” seen by
young children.
“We want this film to be seen by the
kids, the Waray kids, mga taga Samar,
pati mga taga Manila, buong Pilipinas,
mga anak ko, sa mga kaklase ng mga
anak ko. I want kids to see this as we
intended this to be a children’s film. We
Khavn dela Cruz and co-producer Edong Canlas accepting
the Best Film award for ‘Balangiga: Howling Wilderness’. Best Actress for Jally Nae Gilbaliga.
Photo courtesy of producer Achinette Villamor
from a reliable source that should I
wish to join, ‘sigurado na ako’ or words
to that effect. Corruption has returned
in full force to this festival that purports
to make children happy during the
holiday season, a euphemism for profit
and greed,” De Leon lamented.
Corruption has returned
in full force to this festival
that purports to make
children happy during the
holiday season
“My film may be fiction but it is
based on truths we ignore at our own
risk. It should be seen by its audience
in its original version, without cuts and
without compromise. The film is not
perfect, far from it, but it is a good,
honest film that is seeking an audience
that I am convinced is out there.”
De Leon has previously participated
in the MMFF on two occasions: in 1977
with “Kung Mangarap Ka’t Magising”
and in 1981 with “Kisapmata” where
QCinema honors the filmmakers of The Circle
Competition entries. At center is Quezon City
Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte and QCinema festival
director Ed Lejano. Photo courtesy of QCinema
don’t think Filipino children are stupid,” “Dormitoryo (Mga Walang Katapusang
he pointed out.
In its post-review of “Balangiga,”
QCinema noted that the film’s “gory
scenes in context with the mature theme
may be too disturbing and traumatizing
for young children. Therefore, only
viewers 13 years old and above can be
admitted into the theater.”
Khavn added that with only two days
left in the festival, he and his producers cinematographer Mycko David.
have already given up hope of regaining
the original GP rating of “Balangiga.”
They, however, vowed to appeal for a
GP or PG (Parental Guidance) rating
with the Movie and Television Review
Classification for the film’s regular
theatrical run that they will soon
announce.
Aside from “Balangiga,” three other
entries won two awards each. James
Robin Mayo’s tribal comedy-drama,
“The Chanters” won Best Screenplay
for Andrian Legaspi and John Bedia and
Emerson Reyes’ ensemble dramedy,
it won several awards including Best
Director.
It was speculated that “Citizen
Jake,” De Leon’s first feature film since
2000’s “Bayaning 3rd World,” would
be submitted in its finished form and
was predicted to be one of the top
contenders for the festival’s top awards.
But De Leon, in a display of disdain
for the MMFF’s selection criteria,
wrote this post in addition to his initial Ganda, Pia Wurtzbach and Daniel
message.
“May this old film director ask what
would happen if any of the first four
selected entries to the 2017 MMFF
turn out to be artistic duds? Oh, yes,
there’s another one of those nebulous
criteria—commercial viability…,” he
further wrote.
“Putting too much emphasis on
commerce over art” was cited as the
main reason for the resignation of
three members of the MMFF Executive
Committee namely broadcast journalist
Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala, academician
Rolando Tolentino and screenwriter
www.hello-philippines.com
Kwarto)” won Best Supporting
Actress for Sheenly Gener and the
festival’s Gender Sensitivity Award
for “its ensemble gathering of various
characters with diverse sexual leanings
and preferences that hilariously portrays
acceptance of reversals in stereotypes.”
Mikhail Red’s gritty film noir,
“NeoManila” won the Audience Choice
award and Best Artistic Achievement for
“Dapol Tan Payawar Na Tayug
1931 (The Ashes and Ghosts of Tayug
1931)” by Christopher Gozum won
the NETPAC Jury Award for “making
aware how important it is to recognize
and acknowledge a people’s history to
develop their identity and the nation as
a whole.”
The other Circle Competition
entries were Dominic Lim’s “The Write
Moment,” Pam Miras’ “Medusae,” and
Jobin Ballesteros’ “Kulay Lila Ang Gabi
Na Binudburan Pa Ng Mga Bituin.”
The Circle Competition jurors were
Mike de Leon and Atom
Araullo in a scene from
‘Citizen Jake’
Ricky Lee last July shortly after the first Jennylyn Mercado and Derek Ramsay
four official entries were announced.
They are “Ang Panday” topbilled
and directed by Coco Martin; “The
Revengers Squad” (originally submitted
as “The Revengers”) starring Vice
Padilla and directed by Joyce Bernal;
“Meant to Beh” (submitted as “Love
Traps #FamilyGoals”) starring Vic Sotto
and Dawn Zulueta and directed by Chris
Martinez; and “All of You” (submitted as
“Almost is Not Enough”) headlined by
27
The cast and crew of “Dormitoryo’
pose with their trophies at the
QCinema awards night Thursday.
Photo courtesy of QCinema
composed of director Erik Matti, actress
Bela Padilla, Malaysian new media
content strategist Najwa Abubakar,
French-Cambodian filmmaker Davy
Chou and international film festival
organizer Axel Estein.
In the QC Shorts roster, “Babylon” by
Keith Deligero, won Best Picture, “Gikan
Sa Ngitngit Nga Kinailadman” by Kiri
Dalena won the Jury Prize while Phyllis
Grande’s “Kun ‘Di Man” was presented
with the Audience Choice Award.
QCinema also raised a toast to
foreign female directors as it presents
an all-women slate of winners for its
international categories.
“Close-Knit” by Naoko Ogigami
was recognized as the Rainbow
QC Best Picture while the
Jury Prize” went to Eliza Hittman’s
“Beach Rats.” In the Asian Next Wave
section, Mouly Surya’s “Marlina the
Murderer in Four Acts” won Best Film
while Kiki Sugino collected the “Jury
Prize” for “Snow Woman.” n Edwin P.
Sallan, InterAksyon | October 27, 2017, 3:53 PM
directed by Dan Villegas.
As a result of the furor over the
selection, director Erik Matti said he
would not submit anymore his crime
drama “Buy Bust,” which he had
entered as script.
Despite his announcement, De
Leon is still asking the public to
support “Citizen Jake.” The man is
considered as one of the greatest living
Filipino filmmakers. n Edwin P. Sallan,
InterAksyon | October 31, 2017, 12:18 PM