| Start: | Dec 5, '07 7:00p |
| End: | Dec 11, '07 10:00p |
| Location: | Indie Sine Robinson's Galleria, Ortigas |
KONTRA-AGOS RESISTANCE FILM FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
5-11 December, Indie Sine Robinson's Galleria, Ortigas
5 December, Wednesday
OPENING NIGHT PROGRAM
FREE ADMISSION
7-7:30 PM cocktails
8 PM
National Anthem: Tao Aves with Anino ShadowPlay
Collective
Welcome Remarks:
Independent Filmmakers Cooperative - Chits Jimenez
Kontra Agos Organizers - Sunshine Matutina
Special Guest Performance
Introduction of Walai: Adjani Arumpac
9 PM Screening of Walai by Adjani Arumpac
SHORTS 1 – Mindanao shorts (Programmed by TENG
MANGANSAKAN)
7 PM December 6 (Filmmakers' Reception), 3 PM December
8, 10 PM December 9, 1 PM December 10
ME'GUYAYA (Documentary)
By Eduardo C. Vasquez, Jr.,
Me'guyaya is a Te'duray term for merry-making or
thanksgiving. In 2003, an active and concerned group
of people in Upi, Shariff Kabunsuan initiated a
festival that would unite all residents in thanking
God for the abundant harvest. Since then, it has
become a big town event that celebrates the richness
and diversity of the Muslim, Christian and Lumad
peoples of Upi.
The documentary delves on how the Me'guyaya serves as
a catalyst for cultural unity as everyone gets
involved in the festivities.
TRANQUIL TIMES (documentary)
By Loren Hallilah I. Lao
The documentary delves on the good governance efforts
of the private sector, civil society and the local
government unit of Wao, Lanao del Sur working together
to erase remnants of the religious and ethnic clashes
of the 1970s. It explores how peace has been achieved
in this multi-ethnic town, propelling the
once-turbulent municipality into its present
agricultural renaissance.
GEORGE'S TOWN (Documentary)
By Moises Charles Hollite
George Sabandal is one of about 2,500 internally
displaced persons (IDPs) who have sought refuge in the
town of Buluan, Maguindanao as a result of the
"all-out war" in 2000. Refusing to go back to the
place of his origin, he has created a new life for
himself and his family in their ideal town.
SULU (Documentary)
By Al Jacinto
Born of a Muslim mother, young writer Arthur Sakaluran
Abasalo decides to visit Sulu despite the perceived
strife and presence of Muslim rebels and Abu Sayyaf
terrorists. In Sulu, he meets a former Muslim
rebel-turned policeman who tells him about his life
story and how he got separated from his family for
more than a decade. He returns to Sulu to start a new
life after being reunited with his family.
Arthur returns to Manila after a short stay in Sulu,
bringing with him memorable stories and truths about
the island feared by many as a dangerous place to go.
BINITON (Narrative)
By McRobert Nacario
A story depicting the process of preparation and
cooking of a dish called Biniton that is particular to
the community of Saniag, Ampatuan. The process of
cooking, in the eyes of an old woman, brings to life
the hardships they experienced amidst armed conflict
at the same time the process of preparation, through
the experience of Amel, her grandson walks us through
the current situation of their community. How amidst
the hardships and diversity in culture they had all
managed to bounce back and become united.
A STEP FOR MY DREAM (Narrative)
By Mona Labado
Seven-year-old Abdul dreams of becoming a leader of
his town. He has natural charisma and easily becomes
friends with people even if he hasn't known them for
long. But his grandmother reminds him of their peasant
roots which is no match to the traditional ruling
family. Undaunted, Abdul sees it as a challenge
envisions his future.
DREAMS (Narrative)
By Sheron Dayoc
Nine-year-old Satra has been mute for as long as she
could remember. But her determination to secure a good
education reverberates clearly amid the strictures of
her Yakan culture.
SHORTS 2
Screenings: 7 PM December 7 (Filmmakers' Reception), 1
PM December 9, 9 PM December 10, 4 PM December 11
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF GLORIA (animation/ 1 min.)
By RJ Mabilin
A satire on the different political and economic
issues the country faces under the Arroyo
administration.
THRESHOLD (experimental/ 15 mins.)
By Mikhail Red
Seeking the Threshold, the Wanderer, endures a dark
journey through the unknown and into the limits of the
human mind.
BINGO (documentary/ 16 mins.)
By Noriel Jarito
Bingo reveals life's monotony of rural existence.
People embrace almost anything: dull, inspiring, tame,
untamed, reputable, and even deceptive. Their horizon
is bounded by beliefs which sometimes manage to
mislead, mock, and misuse their fate. They surrender
and never question the path they trace. Thus, they are
lost. Submission is sweet, to do otherwise is bitter.
Their incomprehension is at the maximum level that
wrong becomes right, and what is right becomes wrong.
To play "Bingo" inside a church is never questioned
and is labeled licensed by some unprincipled Catholic
Church leaders. Christianity is the largest religion
and surely many of its followers are destitute enough
to consider "Bingo" inside their church as a source of
momentary abundance.
Bingo reveals all: People are born. People are being
baptized. People marry. People die. All these should
have been valuable and symbolic, yet have gone awry
and worthless instead. Why? Because of people's
shallowness and ignorance.
LUNES NG HAPIS (narrative/ 12 mins.)
By Nick Olanka
Virgie, an elementary school teacher, and Ismael, the
captain of the troop assigned to infiltrate the
rebels, are lovers in the midst of a military offense
in Filomena. Every Monday they meet and make love
passionately and violently. One day, due to the
disappearance of Virgie's student's father, she falls
into the situation to choose between her love for
Ismael and her love for her community.
DIVINE WIND (experimental/ 4 mins.)
By Sari Dalena-Sicat
A Japanese soldier hides in an island, in the belief
that the war has not ended.
UNCONVENTIONAL WARFARE (documentary/ 30 mins.)
By Herbert Docena and Anna Isabelle Matutina
This documentary contextualizes the issue of US
military presence in the country within the long and
bitter history of conflict in the south. Countering
the reductionist frame set by the narrative of the
"global war against terror," it examines the
historical conditions that led to the emergence of the
Moro separatist movement and the subsequent rise of
the Abu Sayyaf. It dissects the government's
contradictory attempts to downplay its threat while at
the same time justifying escalating military
operations in the region.
Against this backdrop, the documentary then probes
allegations of US military involvement in the war.
PUTOT (narrative/ 20 mins.)
By Jeck Cogama
Putot (Visayan for "small") is the heartfelt story of
a young boy growing up at a squatter colony by the
sea. Putot, aged 13, is a taciturn boy who takes care
of his mentally-ill father, and ekes out a living
selling mussels. He meets Mayang, a mysterious young
girl with secrets of her own. A friendship begins
between the two.
Shot on location near Manila Bay, this emotional story
premiered at the 2006 Cinemalaya Independent Film
Festival, where its director Emmanuel "Jeck" Cogama
won Best Director. Putot has been shown around the
world.
MENDIOLA (documentary/ 31 mins.)
By Sine Patriyotiko
Through the First Quarter Storm to Mendiola Massacre
to Calibrated Preemptive Response: from the very
start, Mendiola houses the eye of conflict. Fact is,
the road from Mendiola to the Palace is several
hundred meters away. Nevertheless, this still is a
great risk: to look directly at the center is to show
the strength to confront those in power. On the road
to Mendiola, one can tread across the history of our
continuous struggle for change.
SHORTS 3
Screenings: 2:30 PM December 7, 7 PM December 8
(Filmmaker's Reception), 4:30 PM December 10, 9:30 PM
December 11
ANG BAYAN KONG PAYAPA (experimental/ 5 mins.)
By Elvert dela Cruz Banares
This is the state of our nation cycle.
SIMULA (experimental/ 11 mins.)
By Ruelo Lozendo
A worm enters a man's ear and lives inside his body.
As the worm's metamorphosis unfolds, the man
experiences his own transformation.
PUSHING THE PARAMETERS (documentary/ 27 mins.)
By Kodao Productions
2006 was the worst year for the members of the bar,
with seven lawyers and judges reportedly killed within
the year. A significant number of these lawyers are
directly involved in human rights advocacy. Under the
administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 19 lawyers
and 12 judges were killed. And this can be seen in the
light of more than 850 victims of extrajudicial
killings from 2001 to 2007.
BINYAG (narrative/ 15 mins.)
By Mariami Tanangco
One night, two tragedies are about to take place. In
an abandoned warehouse, rookie policeman is tasked to
execute a suspected drug pusher. In the quiet suburbs,
a mother is worriedly waiting for her son to come
home. A social commentary on police-instigated
"salvaging" that was prevalent in the late 80s, the
film is intended as a personal elegy on lost
innocence.
RED SAGA (experimental/ 15 mins.)
By Gabriela Krista Dalena
Children of the Land faithfully guard the last harvest
from thieves. This poetic film offers a glimpse into
the passion and pain of the people's protracted war in
the countrysides.
MEDALAWNA (documentary/ 16 mins.)
By Apol Dating and Michael Cardoz
The story of a young girl named "Inday Liit" who helps
her family earn a living by happily sweeping
graveyards.
SA NGALAN NG TUBO (documentary/ 36 mins.)
By Tudla Productions
A video documentary that chronicles what happened on
November 16, 2004 when seven people died at the picket
lines of the Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac. Millworkers
and farm workers of the sugar refinery and plantation
owned by the Cojuangcos, one of the wealthiest, landed
families in the Philippines, went on strike. Their
demands were met with a volley of gunfire from
military and police. Beginning with the history and
background of the land issue, the film builds the
tension gradually, leading up to the actual footage of
the Hacienda Luisita incident, when even the filmmaker
holding the camera has to run for his life.
FEATURE LENGTH
WALAI (documentary/ 60 mins.) Opening Film – premiere
status
By Adjani Arumpac
Walai is an exploration of spaces.
It prods on the memories of four Muslim women who once
lived in the infamous White House in Cotabato City.
The documentary seeks narratives in "places...we tend
to feel without history." It traces the past through
the women's experience of what has happened inside the
wrecked home—nostalgia and fear, loss and love, and
birth and death.
Screenings: 9 PM December 5 (Opening Film), 1 PM
December 7, 3 PM December 10, 8 PM December 11
THE JIHADIST (documentary/ 75 mins.) – premiere status
By Teng Mangansakan
The Jihadist is an autobiographical documentary on the
filmmaker's struggle as an artist amid the backdrop of
the Moro revolution. His search for his rightful place
in the memory of his homeland yields questions that
require him to confront his identity as a Moro and
come to terms with his homosexuality.
Screenings: 9 PM December 6 (Filmmaker's Reception), 5
PM December 7, 1 PM December 8
STANDING UP (documentary/ 155 mins.) – premiere status
By Waise Azimi
Standing Up is a feature length documentary young
Afghan men training to become professional soldiers in
the new Afghan National Army. Situated at the Kabul
Military Training Center, Standing Up chronicles the
struggles and lives of these Afghan men from the
moment they arrive at the KMTC to the last day of
training of their training. Extensive access to the
KMTC training program has provided an insiders
perspective into one of the most underreported and
important stories in the War Against Terror, the story
of those who are Standing Up to the first line of
defense.
Screenings: 9 PM December 7 (Filmmaker's Reception),
3:30 PM December 9, 1 PM December 11
VOICES, TILTED SCREENS AND EXTENDED SCENES OF
LONELINESS: FILIPINOS IN HIGH DEFINITION
(experimental/ 100 mins.)
By John Torres
Voice, Tilted Screens is, at once, a meditation. It is
a meta-film that unravels a journey, a chronicle of
stories through foreign regions. It is a probing
letter from outside circles, an honest account of
illegitimate views from uneven terrain, and a
narrative-driven exploration of the nooks and
peripheries of the body, geography, and weather. As
the journey progresses, the film increasingly
traverses the countries of revelation, film, and heart
to where all journeys are meant to end with.
Screenings: 5 PM December 6, 9 PM December 8
(Filmmaker's Reception), 7 PM December 10
(DIFFERENT) WAYS AND MEANS
SUB-PROGRAM
HILO (experimental/ 90 mins.)
By JP Carpio
Originally conceptualized as a short film shot in 2004
and completed nearly three years later as a
full-length, the film charts the various emotional
courses during a dinner between Emerson, a university
professor, and Jenny, a university student.
Screenings: 1 PM December 6, 6:30 PM December 9
(Filmmaker's Reception)
THE SINGH FAMILY HOME VIDEOS (documentary/ 40 mins.)
By Emman dela Cruz
A documentary work in progress, "The Singh Family Home
Videos" charts an intimate look at the family life of
the filmmaker's neighbors, a Punjabi Indian family who
has assimilated into the Filipino culture and
community. Is nationality a matter of origin? Is
identity a matter of choice? Or is your "home" a
matter of where you are or where you'll be?
Screenings: 1 PM December 6, 6:30 PM December 9
(Filmmaker's Reception), 6:30 PM December 11
EHEM!PLO (documentary/ 43 mins.)
By Clodualdo Del Mundo, Jr.
'Lahat tayo ay nawawalan,' says Heidi Mendoza, a
conscientious auditor featured in this EheM!Plo
video-documentary. 'It is because of corruption that
there is poverty,' argues former Ombudsman Simeon
Marcelo. They are correct. Corruption ruins our
democratic institutions – tempting many to be angry
and hopeless. Young people, like Melonie Maglia of
Ifugao, are longing for leaders with conscience and
competence, not public officials who, according to Fr.
Vhong Navarro, invent projects for selfish interest.
Mayor Jesse Robredo and Allen Reondanga of Naga City
prove that good examples do exist. They employ
I-governance and community participation in their
struggle to uplift the condition of the Bicol region.
EheM!Plo shows that indeed corruption is violence. If
this is trure, then stopping corruption and spreading
integrity are now the new ways of working for peace.
Screenings: 1 PM December 6, 6:30 PM December 9
(Filmmaker's Reception), 6:30 PM December 11
OTHER KONTRA-AGOS EVENTS:
8 December, Saturday, 5-7 PM
PANEL DISCUSSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND ARTISTIC FREEDOM
IN PHILIPPINE CINEMA
FREE ADMISSION
PHOTO EXHIBIT AT THE LOBBY courtesy of the FREE JONAS
BURGOS MOVEMENT
Kontra-Agos is aninitiative of ST Exposure and Digital
Cheese in cooperation with UP Sining at Lipunan and
the Independent Filmmakers Cooperative. Visit
www.kontra-agos. blogspot. com. For inquiries about
the festival write to kontra_agos@ yahoo.com
Link: 