A New Golden Age: Contemporary Philippine Cinema June 1 25, 2017 The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters Screening Schedule

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1 A New Golden Age: Contemporary Philippine Cinema June 1 25, 2017 The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters Screening Schedule Motherland USA/Philippines. Directed by Ramona S. Diaz. In Filipino; English subtitles. 94 min. Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, in Metro Manila, is called the busiest maternity hospital in the world. Overcrowded, noisy, frenetic, and fast-paced, the hospital offers a rare safety net for poor women, where they can give birth under the care of professionals. This vérité-style documentary provides an immersive, revealing look into an active ecosystem and a complex society. Beyond stories of poverty, domestic hardship, and lack of family planning, the film shows women pregnant women, mothers with newborns, nurses, social workers, and administrators banding together to extend support, comfort, and laughter to each other. Filmmaker Ramona S. Diaz (Imelda, Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey), known for her character-driven documentaries, demonstrates an intimate bond with her subjects and delivers a firsthand glimpse into the guts of Philippine society. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Commanding Vision. Thu, Jun 1, 7:00 T2 (New York premiere, Q&A with Ramona S. Diaz) Wed, Jun 14, 7:00 T2 Ma Rosa Philippines. Directed by Brillante Mendoza. With Jaclyn Jose, Julio Diaz, Felix Roco, Jomari Angeles, Andi Eigenmann. In Filipino; English subtitles. 110 min. Rosa and Nestor run a small convenience store in a shantytown in Metro Manila, where they deal drugs on the side to help make ends meet. Arrested during a police raid, they face corrupt cops who attempt to extort money from them, setting off a nightmarish chain of frenzied efforts by the couple s children to raise funds. Shot with a handheld camera in grimly lit environments, this documentary-like drama offers an unabashedly realistic portrayal of life on the edge. Ma Rosa was Mendoza's third film to enter competition at Cannes following Service (2008) and Kinatay (2009) and Jaclyn Jose nabbed the festival's Best Actress award, a first for a Southeast Asian, for her powerful performance as the resourceful matriarch. Completed shortly before the election of President Rodrigo Duterte, Ma Rosa is a slice of life at ground zero in the president s controversial war on drugs. New York premiere. Sat, Jun 3, 7:00 T2 Thu, Jun 15, 7:00 T1 Thy Womb Philippines. Directed by Brillante Mendoza. With Nora Aunor, Bembol Roco, Lovi Poe. In Filipino; English subtitles. 105 min. What can be more punishing for a midwife, who greets countless babies to life, than to face her own infertility? Such is the story of Shaleha, a Muslim woman in the Tawi-Tawi island community in southwest Philippines. To satisfy her husband s desire for an offspring, Shaleha takes the painful initiative to find him a younger wife. Known for his gritty portrayals of the perils of urban life, director Brillante Mendoza takes an unusual turn to tell this story, set in a far-flung community where the sky is expansive and life moves at a much slower pace. He continues, however, to employ his signature vérité style (though tamer than usual), injecting a sense of immediacy into Shaleha s world of natural, cultural, and social constraints. Grande dame of Philippine cinema Nora Aunor gives a spontaneous, heartfelt performance as the quiet heroine of this award-winning picture. Tue, Jun 13, 7:00 T2

2 Thu, Jun 22, 7:00 T1 Serbis (Service) Philippines. Directed by Brillante Mendoza. With Jaclyn Jose, Gina Pareño, Coco Martin, Julio Diaz, Kristoffer King, Mercedes Cabral. In Filipino; English subtitles. 87 min. Bedmates, Frolic in the Water, and Young Screw Pine are some of the pornographic titles screened in a dilapidated Art Deco movie theater incongruously named "Family." Family-friendly it most certainly is not, but it is family run. Members of the extended Pineda family operate the concession stand, sell tickets, project films, and paint old-fashioned movie billboards. Art imitates life and vice versa; there s no shortage of lust, sex, flirt, and adultery both on and off screen. The handheld camera follows characters up and down stairs and through hallways to reveal secrets and dramas, while male prostitutes are seen offering moviegoers service in semi-dark spaces. Compared to Tsai Ming-Liang's nostalgic, emotionally distant Goodbye, Dragon Inn (2003) also about an old movie theater with a gay subculture Service is the in-your-face counterpart, dealing with spiritual crises of the moment. It's also the first Cannes competition entry from Brillante Mendoza, who has since become a regular at the festival. Fri, Jun 9, 5:30 T2 Mon, Jun 12, 7:00 T1 Independencia Philippines. Directed by Raya Martin. With Tetchie Agbayani, Sid Lucerto, Alessandra de Rossi. In Filipino; English subtitles. 77 min. The struggle for independence was a hard-fought journey in the Philippines, with nearly four centuries of Spanish colonization ( ) followed by an additional half century of American occupation ( ). Set in the early 20th century, Independencia tells the story of a family living a life of seclusion in the forest after fleeing American forces. Here, life returns to the basics, and traditional Filipino folklore, myth, and witchcraft re-enter consciousness. Shot in 16mm monochrome on a set with painted backdrops, the film evokes the look of early Hollywood to conjure a statement of resistance. This audacious work became an instant classic when it premiered at Cannes Un Certain Regard section, and 33-year-old director Raya Martin, known especially for his inventive, experimental work, is already among the most established Filipino filmmakers. Fri, Jun 9, 7:30 T2 (Q&A with Raya Martin) Sun, Jun 18, 7:00 T2 How to Disappear Completely Philippines. Directed by Raya Martin. With Ness Roque, Shamaine Buencamino, Nonie Buencamino. In Filipino; English subtitles. 79 min. I want to kill you. I want to kill all of you. I want to kill my feelings, intones a teenage girl in the film's opening scene. Blood is shed, children are assaulted, and shots are fired, but extreme violence is more suggested than shown in How to Disappear Completely. The teenage girl lives in a dysfunctional family with her joyless mother and alcoholic father, and abuse is just a matter of time. Then a spirit, in the form of an old lady with long white hair, visits the girl at night but what are her intentions? The pulsating electronic score, by Eyedress, seems more like a character than an accompaniment, unleashing an atmosphere of distress and menace. Raya Martin's film deftly combines horror and experimentalism to critique Philippine society and uncover its subconscious. Sat, Jun 10, 7:00 T2 (Q&A with Raya Martin) Fri, Jun 16, 5:30 T2 Manila Philippines. Directed by Raya Martin, Adolfo Alix, Jr. With Piolo Pascual, Alessandra de Rossi, Anita Linda, Rosanna Roces, Lav Diaz. In Filipino; English subtitles. 85 min.

3 Paying homage to a pair of Philippine film classics Ishmael Bernal s Manila by Night (1980) and Lino Brocka s Jaguar (1979) Raya Martin and Adolfo Alix, Jr.'s two-part work reconsiders the legacy of their forebears. In Martin s first half, a young man grapples with drug addiction and his mother s disappointment. In Alix s section, a bodyguard who kills someone while protecting his boss is abandoned to fend for himself. The opening credits, amusingly, appear in between the two black-andwhite halves, set against a curious full-color montage sequence showing champion of slow cinema Lav Diaz on an elaborate movie set directing a romantic drama titled City of Love. Similarly, the ending credits don t end the film a trick played on audience members who leave the theater prematurely. Heartthrob Piolo Pascual, who is also an executive producer on the film, shines as the main characters in both segments. Manila is a multigenerational dialogue on film, Philippine cinema, and Manila. Sat, Jun 10, 4:30 T2 Fri, Jun 16, 7:30 T2 On the Job Philippines. Directed by Erik Matti. With Piolo Pascual, Joel Torre, Gerald Anderson. In Filipino; English subtitles. 118 min. A pair of hitmen, veteran Tatang (Joel Torre) and young apprentice Daniel (Gerald Anderson), murder a man execution-style in broad daylight in a busy market. No ordinary gangsters, they are in fact prison inmates who are regularly let out of jail to perform dirty jobs. Meanwhile, young, high-flying federal agent Francis (Piolo Pascual) is investigating criminal acts at the highest level of government. As an ever-expanding web of shady connections reveals a system entirely corrupted from top to bottom, it becomes clear that no one can be trusted and everyone must watch his own back. An instant success when it premiered at Cannes Directors Fortnight, this high-octane, propulsive crime thriller established Erik Matti as one of the most exciting genre directors in recent years. Tue, Jun 6, 7:00 T2 Sat, Jun 17, 4:15 T2 Expressway Philippines. Directed by Ato Bautista. With Alvin Anson, Aljur Abrenica. In Filipino; English subtitles. 93 min. Silent night is no holy night as Ben (Alvin Anson), a quiet, reserved middle-aged hitman, sits in the dark, lit only by blinking lights from a Christmas tree, awaiting his next target. Fed up with this unredeemable life, Ben promises his boss one final assignment. He is paired with the most unlikely partner, the young, reckless, overly chatty, Morris (Aljur Abrenica), who seems more like a threat than an accomplice during a road trip that proves to be anything but a peaceful exit. While this engaging thriller might bring to mind Erik Matti s widely lauded On the Job (2013), also about two hitmen (and featured in this series), it shares a closer kinship with the highly stylized, morally conflicted Hong Kong gangster films of the 1980s and '90s. The young, prolific director Ato Bautista is proving to be an electrifying addition to genre filmmaking. Fri, Jun 2, 7:00 T2 (North American premiere, Q&A with Ato Bautista) Wed, Jun 21, 7:00 T2 Gemini Philippines. Directed by Ato Bautista. With Sheena McBride, Brigitte McBride Bonus, Mon Confiado. In Filipino; English subtitles. 83 min. Julia is tormented by old demons. When she looks into the mirror, she sees not herself but her identical twin, Judith. Speaking to a detective, she recounts memories of interdependence, twin rivalry, and a gruesome murder. Switching between black-and-white and color imagery awash in a chilling bluish tone, director Ato Bautista takes us on a hallucinatory ride through a mindscape filled with mysteries and trauma. Real-life identical twins Sheena McBride and Brigitte McBride Bonus put on

4 stellar performances as the indistinguishable Julia and Judith in this bloodcurdling tale of twin horror. Sun, Jun 4, 4:00, T2 (Q&A with Ato Bautista) Sat, Jun 17, 7:00, T2 Aparisyon (Apparition) Philippines. Directed by Isabel Sandoval. With Mylene Dizon, Jodi Sta. Maria, Raquel Villavicencio, Fides Cuyugan-Asensio. In Filipino; English subtitles. 87 min. Tucked away in a remote forest, the convent of Adoration is inhabited by a group of nuns seeking a peaceful life of devotion and discipline, filling their days with nothing but mundane chores and prayers. But the wish for a life in isolation is threatened when President Ferdinand Marcos declares martial law, and political protests and chaos begin to infiltrate every corner of the archipelago. Suddenly, the nuns find themselves engulfed in violence and unrest that will eventually put their faith and conscience to the test. A rarity among the young generation of Filipino filmmakers, Isabel Sandoval favors a muted, serene aesthetic. The elegant work of cinematographer Jay Abello captures an eerie placidity that renders the film's stormy undercurrents all the more powerful and disturbing. Sun, Jun 4, 7:00 T2 (Q&A with Isabel Sandoval) Mon, Jun 19, 7:00 T2 Transit Philippines. Directed by Hannah Espia. With Irma Adlawan, Ping Medina, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Marc Justine Alvarez, Mercedes Cabral. In Filipino, Hebrew, English; English subtitles. 93 min. Janet and Moises are siblings and Filipino migrant workers in Tel Aviv. Both single parents, they provide support for one another as they raise their Israeli-born and Hebrew-fluent children Yael, a teenage girl with a Jewish boyfriend, and Joshua, a bubbly four-year-old who takes an interest in the Torah. A deportation law requires Joshua, under the age of five, to be sent to the Philippines, a country he has never visited. Everyday, the family lives in fear. Keeping Joshua out of sight aside, they must also confront intergenerational conflicts and identity issues. In her award-winning directorial debut, Hannah Espia craftily constructs the story told from each individual s perspective, augmenting the anxieties each faces and reaffirming a bond they share. Thu, Jun 15, 4:30 T1 Sat, Jun 17, 2:00 T2 Bunso (The Youngest) Philippines. Directed by Ditsi Carolino. In Cebuano; English subtitles. 63 min. If life behind bars in an overcrowded, unsanitary prison is hellish, imagine what it s like for children in mixed confinement with adult criminals. Three boys, aged 11 to 13, guide documentarian Ditsi Carolino through their prison complex to reveal horrendous living conditions and speak openly about their lives behind bars and back at home, including stories of poverty, domestic abuse, drug use, petty crime, and abandonment. One of the boys turns increasingly angry and confrontational as his mother refuses to help plead for his release. Another has already been in and out of jail several times despite his tender age. It looks as though their future is, sadly, already written. This damning hopelessness makes rare moments of innocence and joy even more heartbreaking to witness. Engkwentro (Clash) Philippines. Directed by Pepe Diokno. With Felix Roco, Daniel Madrana, Zyrus Desamparado. In Filipino; English subtitles. 60 min. City mayor Danilo Dularte Suarez is shown on television in the opening sequence posing as a tough leader of law and order. Though invisible later, he embodies an omnipresence throughout the film as his voice, as if on a broadcast, is heard pledging to fight crime. Richard, a young gangster, is plotting to flee town to avoid being killed by the city s crime-fighting death squad. Before he runs away, though, he must dodge the attack of a rival gang. The camera, making extensive Birdman-esque handheld long takes, tightly follows Richard and other characters as they move through a labyrinth of narrow, messy, and dangerous alleyways in a

5 slum that suggests no escape. While President Rodrigo Duterte s war on drugs has gained international attention since his inauguration in June 2016, this film is reminder that the Philippines has been grappling with state-sponsored violence for quite some time. Thu, Jun 8, 7:00 T2 Fri, Jun 23, 7:00 T3 The Woman in the Septic Tank Philippines. Directed by Marlon Rivera. With Eugene Domingo, Kean Cipriano, JM de Guzman, Cai Cortez. In Filipino and English; English subtitles. 87 min. A three-person indie filmmaking team all middle-class, English-speaking, young, and ambitious has grand plans to make it big in the film world. Philippine films have been well-received at glamorous international film festivals, and they have just the right story to satisfy the appetite of the global film elites: a desperate mother of seven kids in an urban slum who has no choice but to pimp out one of her kids initially a girl, but later switched to a boy for sure-win dramatic effect. On top of exploiting the "poverty porn" formula, the filmmakers experiment with every possible stylistic cliché, from heartwrenching docudrama to campy musical, to maximize the emotional response. This witty comedy, a box office success at home, proves that Filipino filmmakers are not afraid to poke fun at themselves and their colleagues. Sun, Jun 4, 2:00 T2 Sun, Jun 18, 5:00 T2 BalikBayan #1: Memories of Overdevelopment Redux VI Philippines. Directed by Kidlat Tahimik. With Kidlat Tahimik, George Steinberg, Kawayan de Guia, Lopes Nauyac, Katrin de Guia. In Filipino and English; English subtitles. 159 min. As the ultimate enfant terrible of Philippine cinema, avant-gardist Kidlat Tahimik refuses to settle on anything, whether it s the telling of a colonial past, or any version of this film, which he s been making and revising for nearly four decades. Balikbayan, which means "returnee" in Filipino, is partly about the homecoming of the historical figure Enrique of Malacca, a Malay who Tahimik first played and brought to the screen in As the slave of the 16th-century Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan he circumnavigated the Earth, before returning home as a free man. Old footage of Enrique, played by the young Tahimik, is mixed with the fictional story of a mysterious old man, played by the present-day Tahimik, and documentary footage of a contemporary artist community in Baguio, in northern Philippines. In this version, Redux VI, Tahimik continues his quest to reconsider the Philippines colonial legacy. Shot on 16mm ( s) and video (1990s 2017). Sat, Jun 10, 1:00 T2 Sun, Jun 18, 1:30 T2 Norte, the End of History Philippines. Directed by Lav Diaz. With Sid Lucero, Angeli Bayani, Archie Alemania, Mailes Kanapi. In Filipino; English subtitles. 250 min. Inspired by Dostoyevsky s Crime and Punishment, Norte is an equally epic and engrossing tale about the moral degradation of Fabian, a young, radical ideologue who proclaims, If we really want to clean up society, the solution is simple: kill all the bad elements. It is because of this conviction that a wealthy, heartless woman is murdered and an impoverished family is condemned to enormous suffering. Bearing a striking resemblance to the young Ferdinand Marcos, who put the Philippines under martial law for close to a decade, the character of Fabian also provides fresh insights into today s political discourse. At 250 minutes, Norte is one of the shorter films by the reigning champion of slow cinema, Lav Diaz, but its vision is no less ambitious. At once a cautionary tale, an indictment

6 of elites, and an expression of humanistic compassion, Norte is a masterpiece of cinema. Note: this film is screened without an intermission at the request of the filmmaker. Sat, Jun 3, 1:30 T2 (Q&A with Lav Diaz) Sun, Jun 25, 2:30 T3 From What Is Before Philippines. Directed by Lav Diaz. With Perry Dizon, Hazel Orencio, Karenina Haniel, Roeder, Reynan Abcede. In Filipino; English subtitles. 338 min. Strange happenings in a remote seaside community huts are mysteriously set on fire, cows are hacked to death, a man with a bite on his neck dies at a crossroads, wailing is heard in the forest leads someone to declare, These are cursed times. The villagers are devout Catholics, but they also turn to shamans, supernatural healers, tree spirits, and mystical objects for protection. Yet of all the things to fear, it is the arrival of the military and the proclamation of martial law that bring true horror to the land, and ultimately there is no protection. Director Lav Diaz painstakingly sculpts this blackand-white saga to bear witness to history, existence, love, pain, and crime. The film won five awards at the Locarno International Film Festival, including the Golden Leopard for Best Film. Note: this film is screened without an intermission at the request of the filmmaker. Sun, Jun 11, 1:30 T2(Q&A with Lav Diaz) Sat, Jun 24, 1:30 T3

THE END OF NATIONAL CINEMA IN THE PHILIPPINES?

Mai / The End of National Cinema in the Philippines? 305 THE END OF NATIONAL CINEMA IN THE PHILIPPINES? Nadin Mai Independent Scholar nadin.mai@tao-films.com (It) is now practically impossible to imagine