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Monday, November 18, 2019

PELÍCULA Spanish Film Festival Wraps Up In Iloilo



Wazzup Pilipinas!

The 18th PELÍCULA Spanish Film Festival concluded with the screening of Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “El reino” at the Cinematheque Center in Iloilo City last November 9.

For three days, starting November 7, Instituto Cervantes showed a selection of films from the festival, in their original Spanish version with subtitles in English, at the said venue for free.

The festival’s final leg kicked off with the Argentinean black comedy “El cuento de las comadrejas” (The Weasels’ Tale), which won the “Premio del Público” (Audience Choice Award) of PELÍCULA 2019 at Greenbelt 3 in Makati City last month.

The film, which was directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Juan José Campanella, tells the story of a famous actress, an actor, a film director and screenwriter who were popular during the Golden Age of Cinema, as they do the impossible to preserve the world they have created.







Last November 8, PELÍCULA screened Gastón Duprat’s “Mi obra maestra” (2018), which focuses on two friends with very different personalities: Arturo, a charming and unscrupulous art dealer, and Renzo, a sullen painter whose fame has declined.

In the film, Arturo tries to relaunch the artistic career of Renzo, but things get from bad to worse, until they come up with an extremely ludicrous plan. The film got the Audience Award at the Valladolid International Film Festival last year.

“El mejor verano de mi vida” (2018), directed by Dani de la Orden, was screened last November 9. The popular Spanish comedy delves into the life of Curro, an unlucky salesman burdened with debt, as he tries to fulfill his promise to his son to go on an unforgettable summer holiday.

PELÍCULA closed with the drama “El reino” (2018), which has received more than 30 awards worldwide. Highlighting a very interesting insight into contemporary politics and corruption, the film is about a Spanish politician who enjoys the good life, while enriching himself with public funds. When a friend and fellow member of his political party gets accused of corruption, he tries to cover up for him, against the directives of the leaders of his party.

The Spanish Film Festival was presented by Instituto Cervantes along with the Embassy of Spain, AECID, UP Film Institute, TurEspaña and the Film Development Council of the Philippines.



The event was also made possible by Rustan’s, The PTC Group of Companies, Cinematheque Center Iloilo, Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, TBA Studios, Netflix, and Spanish restaurants La Picara, Barcino, Bar Pintxos, Tapella and Pablo Bistro.

Benilde Film “Tahanan” Wins in California



Wazzup Pilipinas!

A capstone project from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Design and Arts film program recently bagged the Bronze award in the short film category of the 26th Annual Filipino International Cine Festival and Competition at the International Hotel Manilatown Center in San Francisco, California.

Alsen Estrella’s “Tahanan,” which tells the story of Sabel (Junyka Santarin) who searches for his younger brother Bert (Rein Matudan) as they escape from an evil entity inside their home, got the award from among 21 short films which were chosen as finalists to the competition.

Estrella shared that the story for his film was conceptualized during his first few years in film school. “It's just a concept that I never got to shoot, because I haven't figured out how to write the narrative for it just yet. When the time to shoot our thesis came, I was burnt out. It took me some time but eventually, it became a clear choice that I should use the concept for my thesis project.”

Arby and Christine Laraño’s “Liwanag,” Lawrence Fajardo’s “Memories of the Rising Run” and Ralph Quincena’s “Bisperas” won the Gold award, Juan Carlo Torobal’s “Nilalang” got the Silver, while King Abalos’ “Maria” shared the Bronze with “Tahanan.”

FACINE founder and artistic director Mauro Feria Tumbocon Jr. explained that the festival reconsidered its process of selection of awardees “as not exclusive to one film, but more than one, if need be, thus mitigating the idea of competition, but more of a continuing conversation. Hence, the categorization to levels of valuation – Gold, Silver, Bronze, as the case may be.”









“Tahanan” was also nominated for Outstanding Writing for the Screen (Estrella), Outstanding Lead Actress (Santarin), Outstanding Supporting Actor (Matudan) and Outstanding Supporting Actress (Mari Joy Cacho).

This is not the first time that “Tahanan” was selected in an international film festival. The short film was also screened at the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival in the non-competition section and was also a finalist in the student short film competition of the Cebu International Film Festival.

The jury is composed of director, producer and Sacramento International Asian American Film Festival award-winning actress Kristine Geolaga, actor, director and media workshop facilitator Theophilus Jamal, and curator and cultural organizer Lian Ladia.

“The finalists were selected based on their overall artistic achievement, and among a rare few, for the formal innovations introduced,” Tumbocon revealed.

Estrella hopes to get his film screened in more venues. “I've submitted it to some festivals. It's just a matter of getting accepted or not. Either way, my goal isn't to win awards but rather reach an audience that appreciate the genre and its underlying theme.”

FACINE, the largest and longest-running event of its kind in North America, has been the premier showcase of new works and Filipino film classics in the United States for the past 26 years. It is organized by the Filipino Arts & Cinema International, non-profit media arts organization based in San Francisco that aims to promote and develop Filipino cinema from the Philippines and the Filipino diaspora.

Harry Potter Merchandize Now Available at Museum Context Pop-Up Store in Mall of Asia



Wazzup Pilipimas!

This holiday season, Harry Potter fans have the chance to buy or even take a glimpse of their favorite Harry Potter merchandise without going out of the country.

The first-ever Museum Context pop-up store in the country can be found at the first level of Mall of Asia Main Mall (near National Bookstore).

Museum Context is the official home of curated magical Harry Potter merchandise which is headquartered in Edinburgh Scotland.







From November 9 until the whole month of December, customers can shop for books, pens, bags, hair accessories, scarves, film replicas, and other limited edition items such as the magical broom Nimbus 2000.

Apart from books and stationeries, here are other items that can be found in the pop-up store in MOA :

1. Character wands - Wands are everything in Harry Potter. Each wand possesses a specific build and power, making each one unique, and perfect for their chosen "master." There are two types of wands that
can be found inside the Museum Context Manila - curated wands or replicas and the wands that are actually used in the series of Harry Potter movies.

2. Fashionable Scarves - Colors of each Hogwarts scarf correspond to one of the four Hogwarts noble houses.
- Scarlet and gold for Gryffindor house
- Blue and Bronze for Ravenclaw house
- Yellow and black for Hufflepuff house
- Green and silver for Slytherin house.

3. Hedwig Sculpture - Hedwig is Harry's pet owl that plays a valuable role in Harry's life as messenger, companion and friend.

4. Wax Seals - These are used by sophisticated witches and wizards to
seal their owl post. Each metal seal is molded in tribute to Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, or Hogwarts itself. Each seal measures approximately 4" tall, and the set comes with sealing
wax in Hogwarts colors.

5. Harry Potter Final Challenge Chess Set - The 32 die-cast zinc chess pieces are exact replica of the set seen in the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The set comes complete with a striking plexiglass playing board measuring 20 x 20 inches.


There are more than a hundred or two of original and licensed products and collectibles from the Museum Context Scotland that were brought to Manila. This is very rare chance for Potterheads, Harry Potter geeks, Harry Potter fans (however they want to call themselves) to see and
feel these products that can only be found in stores in Scotland and Hongkong.

Don't forget to come by and get the chance to try the super amazing INVISIBILITY CLOAK, which operates together with a mobile app. Anyone who purchases any product from the store gets to try the cloak. They can have a copy of their video while they "disappear" sent via email.

More photos at our official Wazzup Pilipinas Facebook page

For more updates, do check out :

https://facebook.com/museumcontextuk/

or follow #MuseumContext on Instagram.

Written by Claire Santiago
Photos by Manuel Flores
Ang Pambansang Blog ng Pilipinas Wazzup Pilipinas and the Umalohokans. Ang Pambansang Blog ng Pilipinas celebrating 10th year of online presence
 
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