Notizie

“Citizen Jake” marked the return of Mike De Leon to directing movies after a hiatus of almost two decades, in a style, though, that was quite different from the movies that made him famous during the 80s, although the critique on the regime is here once more. “Citizen Jake” was meant as a tribute to the now defunct Lvn Studios which was run by his grandmother and father while also interesting is the fact that the protagonist, Atom Araullo, is a real life journalist and the film was his debut in cinema.

Citizen Jake is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinemas

Jake Herrera, although coming from a rich and powerful family, and his father, Jacobo Herrera Sr was a loyal Marcos Crony who still yields much authority, has distanced himself from him and his brother, Roxie, instead choosing to live in Baguio where he runs a blog that deals with corruption.

“Citizen Jake” marked the return of Mike De Leon to directing movies after a hiatus of almost two decades, in a style, though, that was quite different from the movies that made him famous during the 80s, although the critique on the regime is here once more. “Citizen Jake” was meant as a tribute to the now defunct Lvn Studios which was run by his grandmother and father while also interesting is the fact that the protagonist, Atom Araullo, is a real life journalist and the film was his debut in cinema.

Jake Herrera, although coming from a rich and powerful family, and his father, Jacobo Herrera Sr was a loyal Marcos Crony who still yields much authority, has distanced himself from him and his brother, Roxie, instead choosing to live in Baguio where he runs a blog that deals with corruption. In there, he has made his own life...

As I have mentioned many times before, violence has been repeatedly used in cinema as a medium of intricate commentary, mostly revolving around sociopolitical, psychological and philosophical themes. This tactic finds one of its apogees in “Batch 81”, a film that deals with the underground tactics of the university fraternities, but is also an allegory regarding fascism and the Marcos regime. The film premiered at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival during the Directors' Fortnight, screened alongside de Leon's 1981 “Kisapmata”. The Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (Filipino Film Critics) included it on their list of the Ten Best Films of the Decade. In 2017, it was digitally restored with the support of the Asian Film Archive, with a theatrical premiere at the 74th Venice International Film Festival as part of the Venice Classics section.

Also of note is the fact that Mark Gil, who plays the protagonist Sid Lucero, is the father of Timothy Mark Pimentel Eigenmann,...

“Kisapmata” is another notorious as much as significant movie in the history of Filipino cinema, for a number of reasons. For starters, the plot was inspired by the crime reportage “The House on Zapote Street” written by Nick Joaquin, with the piece chronicling the events leading up to the highly publicized familicide committed by Pablo Cabading, a retired policeman. The film included the first major treatment of incest in the history of the country's cinema, while its message was perceived to be against both patriarchy and the regime of then President Ferdinand Marcos, which expectedly led to issues with the Censorship Board. Despite all its issues, the film premiered at the 7th Metro Manila Film Festival, where it won 10 awards, including Best Film, while it was also screened at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival during the Directors' Fortnight. Furthermore, the Filipino Film Critics included it in their list of Ten Best Films of the Decade,...

Cannes Prix de la mise en scène winner Brilliante Mendoza is, arguably, today's most acclaimed Filipino director. I'm not a fan, but I already started to watch his movies. In some ways, he is like Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal and Mike de Leon in how he portray the lives and struggles of Filipinos, but others will certainly disagree with the comparison.While two of these filmmakers- Brocka and de Leon also went to Cannes to compete, it was Mendoza's Kinatay who got to receive an award - and a major one at that. - - -

- - - When it was announced that Brilliante (his name means brilliant in English) has won the Best Director, I felt a mixture of pride and despair - pride because it was a major recognition for a filmmaker coming from a third world country and despair because the three filmmakers I mentioned above...

Cannes Prix de la mise en scène winner Brilliante Mendoza is, arguably, today's most acclaimed Filipino director. I'm not a fan, but I already started to watch his movies. In some ways, he is like Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal and Mike de Leon in how he portray the lives and struggles of Filipinos, but others will certainly disagree with the comparison.While two of these filmmakers- Brocka and de Leon also went to Cannes to compete, it was Mendoza's Kinatay who got to receive an award - and a major one at that. - - -

- - - When it was announced that Brilliante (his name means brilliant in English) has won the Best Director, I felt a mixture of pride and despair - pride because it was a major recognition for a filmmaker coming from a third world country and despair because the three filmmakers I mentioned above...

Cannes Prix de la mise en scène winner Brilliante Mendoza is, arguably, today's most acclaimed Filipino director. I'm not a fan, but I already started to watch his movies. In some ways, he is like Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal and Mike de Leon in how he portray the lives and struggles of Filipinos, but others will certainly disagree with the comparison.While two of these filmmakers- Brocka and de Leon also went to Cannes to compete, it was Mendoza's Kinatay who got to receive an award - and a major one at that. - - -

- - - When it was announced that Brilliante (his name means brilliant in English) has won the Best Director, I felt a mixture of pride and despair - pride because it was a major recognition for a filmmaker coming from a third world country and despair because the three filmmakers I mentioned above...

Cannes Prix de la mise en scène winner Brilliante Mendoza is, arguably, today's most acclaimed Filipino director. I'm not a fan, but I already started to watch his movies. In some ways, he is like Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal and Mike de Leon in how he portray the lives and struggles of Filipinos, but others will certainly disagree with the comparison.While two of these filmmakers- Brocka and de Leon also went to Cannes to compete, it was Mendoza's Kinatay who got to receive an award - and a major one at that. - - -

- - - When it was announced that Brilliante (his name means brilliant in English) has won the Best Director, I felt a mixture of pride and despair - pride because it was a major recognition for a filmmaker coming from a third world country and despair because the three filmmakers I mentioned above...

Cannes Prix de la mise en scène winner Brilliante Mendoza is, arguably, today's most acclaimed Filipino director. I'm not a fan, but I already started to watch his movies. In some ways, he is like Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal and Mike de Leon in how he portray the lives and struggles of Filipinos, but others will certainly disagree with the comparison.While two of these filmmakers- Brocka and de Leon also went to Cannes to compete, it was Mendoza's Kinatay who got to receive an award - and a major one at that. - - -

- - - When it was announced that Brilliante (his name means brilliant in English) has won the Best Director, I felt a mixture of pride and despair - pride because it was a major recognition for a filmmaker coming from a third world country and despair because the three filmmakers I mentioned above...