2 February 2012- The Philippine Embassy in Berlin strongly supports the participation of Philippine filmmakers and actors in the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), as part of its cultural diplomacy program.
Four Filipino films will participate in the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) which will be held from February 9 to 19.
This year's films will be fielded in four competitions. "Captive" by 2009 Cannes Film Festival Best Director Brillante Mendoza will compete in the Main Competition while "Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank", starring Eugene Domingo and the movie directorial debut by Marlon N. Rivera, will compete in the Forum Section. Rommel Tolentino's "Nono" will be the entry in the Generation Kplus Section while "Pusong Wazak!" by multi-awarded composer, writer and filmmaker Khavn de la Cruz will be the entry in the Short Film Section.
Around 22 films from all over the world are competing this year. The last time that the Philippines fielded an equally large number of films in Berlinale was in 2008.Director Mendoza's Captive hopes to once more gain Berlinale audiences' attention to the excellence of filmmaking in the Philippines.
For almost the past three decades, the Philippines has not had a film entry in the Main Competition section. The first and only time it did was in 1983 with the film 'Himala' by award-winning director Ishmael Bernal. However, this year, Captive is among the first batch of five films selected as official entries in the Main Competition. It is a fiction film which retraces real life events about a hostage drama in southern Philippines.Director Mendoza is the first and only Filipino so far to have won the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival for his film 'Kinatay' (2009). Director Mendoza, along with his production cast and crew, will be personally present in Berlin to promote his film.
Ang Babae sa Septic Tank, directed by Marlon N. Rivera, is an independent film about how to make (or not to make?) independent films. This film is a hilarious take on the Filipino indie film industry, its ups and downs, and the seemingly endless challenges that indie filmmakers face. This film already garnered the Best Director, Best Actress (Ms. Eugene Domingo) and Best Film awards at the 7th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival in Manila in 2011. It is Marlon Rivera's directorial debut.
For the young generation section, the film "Nono," is the Philippines' entry this year. Directed by Rommel Tolentino, the film is about a young child with a speech disability due to facial deformity, and his desire to join the oratorical contest during his school's National Language Week celebration.
According to the Berlinale's website, the Generation section is "home to works that are thematically and aesthetically linked to the experiences of children and young people, despite being originally intended for another target audience. Such films are often suitable for young people and can therefore be also marketed towards them."
In the short film category this year, 27 films from 22 countries will be competing for the Golden Bear and Silver Bear Jury Prize, the DAAD Short Film Award and a short film nomination for the European Film Prize.
Pusong Wazak! is the classic love story between a gangster and a prostitute. "Khavn de la Cruz deconstructs this often recounted tale of love ...." says the Berlinale Short Film press release.
Khavn de la Cruz sat as a member of the International Short Film Jury of the Berlinale in 2008. He is not only a filmmaker, but also a multi-awarded writer and composer, and is the festival director of .MOV, the first digital film festival in the Philippines.
Another Filipino film official will share the limelight of the 62nd Berlinale. Mr. Edward Cabagnot, Festival Programmer of the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival and Media Arts Director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, is invited to sit as a member of the International Jury for the competition. END