2 RP entries in Toronto film fest

Only in Hollywood
2 RP entries in Toronto film fest
By Ruben V. Nepales
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:35:00 09/10/2009



TORONTO—No two films could be as different from each other as the two Philippine entries in the ongoing Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF): Raya Martin’s “Independencia” and Mike Sandejas’ “Dinig Sana Kita (If I Knew What You Said).” But that’s a good thing. It is time for more variety in our country’s film festival entries.

When we commented via e-mail about his refreshing choices, Raymond Phathanavirangoon, TIFF’s Southeast Asia programmer, said, “I’ve seen quite a number of shaky handheld cams running-through-the-slums films in the last few years. I’m frankly looking for new angles and new stories coming from the Philippines. That said, if it’s done well, I’ll consider it.

“But I’ve even said this to indie filmmakers in Manila when I was there—in order to sustain the ‘Philippine New Wave,’ films must also be able to cross over into the mainstream. It’s been years since ‘The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros’ which made an impact internationally and became an indie local hit. ‘If I Knew What You Said’ is, to me, a crowd-pleasing film that really could move the audience, whether in Makati or in Toronto. I’m not sure if audiences here will be surprised or not, but they will hopefully enjoy it.”

We’ll find that out when the film—Mike Sandejas’ teen romance between a rebellious girl rocker (Zoe Sandejas, Mike’s own daughter) and a deaf boy who loves to dance (Romalito “Rome” Mallari, hearing impaired in real life) — is screened in Toronto on September 11, 3:30 p.m. (AMC 7), September 13, 4:30 p.m. (AMC 2) and September 19, 11:00 a.m. (AMC 10).

“Independencia,” which made history as the first Filipino film to be shown in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival last May, is a family drama set in the early 1900s that mimics the early silent films. Raymond is dedicating the screenings to Alexis Tioseco and Nika Bohinc, the film critics who were killed in Quezon City last week. The programmer said, “They deserve recognition for all they have done for cinema. Plus, they were very close to Raya and very much championed ‘Independencia.’ ”

Raya has decided not to attend the TIFF because of this tragedy. He also did not answer our questions about “Independencia” in the TIFF for this column—we understand.

The screening dates: September 12, 12:45 p.m. (Scotiabank Theatre 3), September 13, 6:15 p.m. (AMC 5) and September 17, 7 p.m. (Varsity 2).

“Independencia” producer Arleen Cuevas told me via e-mail that in the Philippines, the film will be shown back to back with Raya’s first feature, “A Short Film About the Indio Nacional,” at the UP Film Center from September 14 to 19. These two films are part of Raya’s planned trilogy.

On how he eventually chose “Dinig ... ” and “Independencia,” Raymond explained: “‘Independencia’ is an intelligent, beautiful formalist piece that questions the art of cinema itself. And it tackles a period that is rarely examined in Western media — the invasion of the Philippines by the Americans. That said, it is very accessible despite its deeper dimensions since it takes the guise of the Filipino melodrama ...

“As for ‘Dinig ... ’ the director (Mike) obviously understands young people well, and the two leads are really charming. Of course, the fact that it tackles the subject of the deaf and their struggles adds an important dimension as well.”

We asked Mike, whom we interviewed via e-mail before he left Manila for Toronto, what he thought of his work’s chances in international film fests since RP entries usually showed the gritty, seamy side of life. “Honestly, it was all we had — hope,” said the law school dropout who learned filmmaking by working as a producer/production manager for such Filipino filmmakers as Mike De Leon, Gil Portes and Lav Diaz. “We knew we were going against the flow. We were not out to prove anything about Filipino cinema. I just wanted to do something that expressed my passion for my craft and my advocacy for the deaf. I felt that I was being led to do this film because it was a mission of sorts ... ”

Bucking the trend

“I have nothing against films with darker themes,” said Mike of bucking the trend. “I just thought that maybe with this film, we can thematically widen the spectrum of Philippine independent films. We are happy to be going to the TIFF. Maybe we are opening a door of sorts to some Filipino filmmakers who share similar themes and sensibility. Maybe foreign audiences want to see something else. Maybe it’s time we did show something else.”

As the father of a teenage girl, we had to ask Mike—how challenging was it to direct Zoe? Raising a young daughter is a challenge in itself but to have to direct her as well? “It was challenging because we are both strong-willed artists and often disagree on things at home,” admitted the father of four girls (Zoe is the eldest). “Putting aside our relationship as father-daughter and bringing a professional attitude to the set was tough. I had to push her abilities in some scenes. I had to be her director. She had to grow up fast. She’s only 16.”

“The easy part of it was that I love my daughter so much,” continued the proud dad whose film “Tulad ng Dati (Just Like Before)” won the Cinemalaya Best Film prize in 2006 and went on to compete in the Pusan IFF New Currents Section. “Thus, the care and diligence I exercised in raising her was the same I did for her in the film. Every thought and emotion she had, I shared with her as we did the film. We learned so much about each other as we worked together. She knew my style and way of thinking in filmmaking and followed it. It was like being a basketball coach with a great point guard. Making the film made us much closer. I am happy that other filmmakers have been asking about casting her in their films.”

(To be concluded on Saturday)