CONTEMPORARY ARTS

FROM THE REGION

PHILIPPINE
INDEPENDENT CINEMA

JOHN L. JABOYA III

11-MERCY
 Title: “NOY”

Director: Dondon S. Santos

Climax: Desperate to find means of support for his

family, Noy (Coco Martin) fakes his credentials to get a
job as a TV journalist. His assignment is to come up with
a documentary on the 2010

Title: “Die Beautiful”

Director:

Climax: Die Beautiful continues with this approach: the key

point of each transition of the scenes is rooted from Trisha’s
wake, and it stems out to give the audience direct but fairly brief
glimpses of her life—that if properly put together, appears to
mirror the life lived by most in the transgender community.

Title: “Boses”

Director: Ellen Ongkeko

Climax: Boses (Voices) is the story of a musician named Ariel who

offers violin lessons to a child of the slums. Through the violin, the
abused child Onyok is able to get back his voice from a mute,
desensitized existence.

Title: “Busong”

Director: Aureus Solito

Climax: “Busong,” which Solito said was based on stories his

mother told him as a child, is a mythical drama that revolves
around a young Palawanon‘s search for a healer to cure her sister
and the strangers who helped them along the way.
Title: “Babagwa”

Director: Jason Paul Laxamana

Climax: The film’s director, Jason Paul Laxamana, is overwhelmed that his work would
compete internationally. He dedicates it to his home province of Pampanga.
“Babagwa” is a story about an internet scammer who falls in love with a wealthy old maid while
trying to swindle her using a fake Facebook profile.

Title: “ANG KWENTO NATING DALAWA”

Director: Nestor Abrogena

Climax: It tells a story about a couple, Sam and Isa, who may or may not be in a
relationship. It may sound like your typical, modern day love story, but what sparked my
interest was the reason behind their hesitation in pushing forward with the relationship.

Title: ”THELMA”

Director: Paul Soriano

Climax: It's a simple story of a young girl Thelma (Maja Salvador), whose family is beset with
challenges when she discovers her gift of unimaginable speed. Her talent then opens the doors
for her to help her family and change the course of her life.

Title:”OTSO”

Director: Elwood Perez

Climax: Hoping to reconnect with his roots by returning back to Manila, Lex writes a screenplay
for an indie film based on the secret lives of his neighbors next door.

Title:”THIRD EYE”

Director: Aloy Adlawan

Climax: A young woman's supernatural ability to see ghosts is reawakened following the death
of her mother.

Title: “SWIPE”

Director: Ed Lejano

Climax : When a CCTV is installed in an apartment, it starts to record their activities and show the
tenant’s private lives. It tells th e story of Loida who is a lady g uard.
 1. How do film festival help the development in the film industry?

Film festival, gathering, usually annual, for the purpose of evaluating new or outstanding
motion pictures. Sponsored by national or local governments, industry, service organizations,
experimental film groups, or individual promoters, the festivals provide an opportunity for
filmmakers, distributors, critics, and other interested persons to attend film showings and
meet to discuss current artistic developments in film. At the festivals distributors can
purchase films that they think can be marketed successfully in their own countries

2. Differentiate independent cinema from mainstream cinema.

Mainstream films are described as films that are widely released in cinemas, examples of this would be
Hollywood movies and blockbuster movies. Typical Mainstream movies are released in cinemas for a short
period of time and are commercialized to attract customers and are then released for home use and sold in
usually popular stores.
Independent films are described as films that a produced outside a major film studio, independent films are
usually distinguished both by the style and the artistic way the director chooses to show them. Independent
films have a considerably lower budget than Mainstream films. Independent films tend to have a limited
release and are heard of by word of mouth usually and reach out to specific audiences.
EMERGING ARTISTS IN
THE PHILIPPINES

Kristian Henson Patrick D. Esmao

Jef Cablog Dandy Robosa

Mark Baretto Martin Maturan