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By Matthew Ordonez

This review contains important plot details and potential spoilers of the film.

Certain places inspire certain kinds of movies. In the same way iconic cities like New York, Paris, and London have their own aesthetic, so does Manila. Manila has been portrayed in many masterpieces like Lino Brocka‘s “Manila in the Claws of Light” and Ishmael Bernal‘s “Manila by Night“, among many others. Throughout these films, Manila is a dark, decaying city of vice and danger. Its characters are often worn down and consumed by the city, forever changed, corrupted, scarred.

Director Petersen Vargas contributes to this tradition through the queer perspective in his latest feature,...

Our decision to declare Miami Vice this century’s greatest action film some eight years ago was neither made lightly nor received unanimously, but fortune favors the bold. Part and parcel of its canonization, Michael Mann’s classic streams on Criterion this July as part of Miami Neonoir, a set boasting Larry Clark’s Bully, the recently departed George Armitage’s Miami Blues, Out of Sight, Body Heat, and John Bailey’s lesser-seen China Moon. Series-wise, films about David Lynch, Picasso, and Basquiat fill out Portraits of Artists, while Summer Romances arrives just in time for you to imagine a better life than watching movies on your laptop.

July is a retrospective-heavy month: the recently restored, totally essential films of Jacques Rozier, works directed and shot by D.A. Pennebaker, shorts by Suzan Pitt, and Lino Brocka, Moustapha Alassane, Michael Haneke, and Hou Hsiao-hsien programs are complemented by an exposition of the Rolling Stones on film.

This coming June 20 to 21, 2025, a film program titled “Fathers of Circumstances” will be held at the Cine Adarna, University of the Philippines Film Institute (Upfi) Film Center, Quezon City, Philippines. This two-day event is organized by Elevated Frames, in collaboration with the Japan Foundation Manila and Upfi.

Curated by Eunice Helera from Elevated Frames, the lineup includes the following five films from Japan and the Philippines, which will prompt viewers to reflect on and challenge traditional notions of fatherhood:

Like Father, Like Son by Hirokazu Koreeda Close-Knit by Naoko Ogigami Dear Etranger by Yukiko Mishima Ang Tatay Kong Nanay by Lino Brocka Kinakausap ni Celso ang Diyos by Gilb Baldoza

These five films present different forms and challenges of fatherhood as influenced not only by biological and social kinships but also by various factors such as class and gender, among others.

Ms.Helera describes her work as “a meditation on the fathers we inherit,...

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. To keep up with our latest features, sign up for the Weekly Edit newsletter and follow us @mubinotebook on Twitter and Instagram.NEWSEyes Wide Shut.Favorable tax breaks, a sturdy filmmaking infrastructure, and a more stable political climate have made London a new locus for film production, especially in the wake of American post-strike budget reductions and the recent spate of wildfires. However, it’s unclear whether President Trump’s ever-changing tariff policy will affect London’s status as a haven for American productions.On the eve of the Cannes Film Festival, over 100 film and television organizations appealed to various governments and organizations to “stand firm and safeguard the systems that support independent film and audiovisual creation” in light of President Trump’s proposal to impose tariffs on film imports. Hundreds of actors and filmmakers have signed a letter condemning...

Taiwan industry icon Sylvia Chang will receive the Golden Mulberry lifetime achievement award at the 27th Far East Film Festival, which has set Chinese comedy “Green Wave” as its opening film.

The Far East Film Festival is set to once again transform the Italian city of Udine into a vibrant Asian cultural hub with its most expansive edition yet, showcasing 75 titles from 11 countries, including 7 world premieres, 15 international premieres, 20 European premieres, and 19 Italian premieres.

This year’s lineup specifically examines “time and society through cinema,” with selections that reflect current Asian social phenomena. The opening film, Chinese comedy “Green Wave” from director Xu Lei, explores the “tangping” movement (young people metaphorically “lying down” in rejection of ultra-competitive career paths), while films like “Upstream” address the gig economy. Female directors Yihui Shao and Yin Lichuan bring stories of gender equality with “Her Story” and “Like a Rolling Stone.”

Japan’s “Teki Cometh...

CinemAsia Film Festival 2025 presents its full program for the 17th edition, running March 6-11 in Amsterdam. Featuring 38 handpicked films – of which 27 feature films and 11 shorts, including 1 world and 4 European premieres – the lineup spans blockbusters, art-house gems, and independent productions.

Hosted at Eye Filmmuseum, Studio/K, Rialto De Pijp, and Rialto Vu, CinemAsia invites audiences on a cinematic journey through Asia’s rich storytelling, stunning visuals, and diverse cultural perspectives.

Grand Opening & Closing Films

Opening Film – Happyend by Neo Sora (Dutch premiere) – Director present at the festival.

The festival opens with the highly anticipated Happyend by Japanese-American filmmaker Neo Sora. Set in a dystopian near-future Tokyo overshadowed by an impending catastrophic earthquake, this visually stunning film explores identity and friendship in a world dominated by control and uncertainty.

Closing Film – Fly Me To The Moon (Hong Kong 2023) by Sasha Chuk (Dutch premiere) – Director present.

CinemAsia 2025 closes with Fly Me to the Moon,...

Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver is hailed as one of the greatest movies ever made, as the neo-noir psychological drama about a man's descent into madness within an equally maddening city continues to influence cinema decades after its release. However, Taxi Driver wasn't the only film from the 70s to explore the sinister truth about a city's corruption beneath its bright lights—and it's arguably not even the greatest. In 1975, a year before Taxi Driver was released, a film with a kindred spirit premiered thousands of miles away in the Philippines: Manila in the Claws of Light, a neo-noir mystery and drama that shares similar narrative elements with Scorsese's seminal piece. Directed by Lino Brocka, considered the most influential auteur in Philippine cinema, Manila in the Claws of Light is a heart-wrenching tragedy that explores the conflict between humanity's generosity and greed, set in the shadowed underbelly of a hustling metropolis.

Exclusive: Veteran Philippine actress Hilda Koronel, known for her collaborations with Lino Brocka and other leading filmmakers, is returning to the big screen in Jun Robles Lana’s historical thriller Sisa, which started shooting in the Philippines this week.

The exclusive first look image above shows Koronel in the role of Sisa – a woman who wanders the land as a madwoman after surviving a brutal massacre of her village and family during the Philippine-American War. But her madness is a disguise, concealing her true identity as a spy driven by a burning desire for vengeance.

Lana said: “This story elevates the voices and experiences of marginalized women, challenging traditional gender roles and highlighting their crucial role in resistance movements. Despite the brutality and oppression they face, the characters in the story demonstrate the resilience and unwavering spirit of the Filipino people in their struggle for freedom and self-determination.”

The film...

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Museum of the Moving Image

See It Big! Let It Snow brings 35mm prints of Kurosawa’s Dersu Uzala, 1994’s Little Women, and McCabe & Mrs. Miller.

Film at Lincoln Center

Mike Leigh’s Secrets & Lies shows on Saturday with an introduction from Marianne Jean-Baptiste.

Film Forum

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Wages of Fear play in 4K restorations.

Metrograph

La Dolce Vita, Permanent Vacation, Death By Hanging, and The Art of the Steal show on 35mm and Lino Brocka’s Bona starts screening; Ed Lachman’s Report from Hollywood and Urban Ghosts begin while Absconded Art, The World Is a Stage, and Crush the Strong, Help the Weak continue.

IFC Center

It’s a Wonderful Life and a 4K restoration of Carrie plays daily; 2001, Spider Baby, Threads, and Alien show late.

Museum of Modern Art

A Robert Frank centennial continues.

Following their intial announcements, the 62nd New York Film Festival has now unveiled its final film section: Revivals, featuring significant works from renowned filmmakers that have been digitally remastered, restored, and preserved with the assistance of generous partners. Highlights include World premieres of restorations of Ardak Amirkulov’s The Fall of Otrar, Zeinabu irene Davis’s Compensation, Raymond Depardon’s Reporters, John Hanson and Rob Nilsson’s Northern Lights, and Robina Rose’s Nightshift as well as works by Chantal Akerman, Clive Barker, Robert Bresson, Lino Brocka, Marguerite Duras and Paul Seban, Marva Nabili, Ousmane Sembène and Thierno Faty Sow, and Frederick Wiseman.

Check out the the lineup below.

Bona

Lino Brocka, 1980, Philippines, 85m

Filipino and Tagalog with English subtitles

U.S. Premiere of 4K Restoration

A fierce work of quasi-neorealist melodrama that melds pop cinema instincts and political indignation, Lino Brocka’s 1980 feature endures as a lively, searing parable...

International auteurs Miguel Gomes, Wang Bing and Roberto Minervini will be part of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival’s Wavelengths program, TIFF organizers announced on Thursday.

The festival will present the North American premieres of “Grand Tour,” a period piece for which Gomes won the Best Director award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival; Minervini’s “The Damned,” a Civil War-era drama that screened in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section; and two films by Chinese documentarian Wang Bing, “Youth (Hard Times)” and “Youth (Homecoming).”

The Wavelengths section, which is devoted to daring cinema and contemporary art, will also include “exergue – on documenta 14,” a 14-hour documentary by Greek director Dimitris Athiridis that will be presented over three separate screenings.

Wavelengths is divided into different sections – one consisting of 11 feature films, another with a special presentation of Egyptian director Wael Shawky’s “Drama 1882” and another showcasing 13 different short and medium-length films grouped into thematic programs.

Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has announced its Wavelengths programme highlighting visionary work including Dimitris Athiridis’s 14-hour documentary exergue - on documenta 14, and a Classics line-up featuring work from Atom Egoyan and Frederick Wiseman.

The Wavelengths programme comprises 11 features, three shorts programmes, and an in-cinema looped presentation of Egyptian artist Wael Shawky’s Drama 1882.

The features selections includes Cannes entries Viêt And Nam by Trương Minh Quý, Grand Tour by Miguel Gomes and The Damned by Roberto Minervini, and Berlin selection Pepe by Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias.

exergue - on documenta 14 receives its North American premiere after...

The Toronto Film Festival has unveiled its Wavelengths program for artist-driven experimental work that includes films by avant garde directors Wang Bing, Roberto Minervini and Miguel Gomes.

With 11 features on offer, the Wavelengths section includes a 14-hour documentary, exergue – on documenta 14, from director Dimitris Athiridi set to be presented over three screenings.

The section will also feature North American premieres for the remaining chapters of Wang Bing’s Youth trilogy: Youth (Hard Times) and Youth (Homecoming); Miguel Gomes’ Grand Tour, which won best director at Cannes; The Damned by Roberto Minervini, an American Civil War drama that won best director in the Un Certain Regard section in Cannes; and Pepe, by director Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias, about the life and death reflections of a hippo with connections to Pablo Escobar.

Wavelengths last year in Toronto screened Wang’s Youth (Spring), the Cannes competition title about Chinese garment workers.

Produced by Aunor's production company Nv Productions and released as one of the official entries to the 6th Metro Manila Film Festival on December 25, 1980, the film was also shown at the Directors' Fortnight of the 1981 Cannes International Film Festival. This year, the iconic film which is considered one of the country's best of all time, is screening in Cannes, in a restored version.

Bona is screening in Cannes Film Festival

Bona is a middle-class schoolgirl who is besotted with a bit actor, Gardo, desperately trying to get his attention. Eventually she manages to do so, despite the fact that the man always seems to be in the company of another woman. The two, however, do not become a couple exactly, since she ends up in his house in the slums, essentially acting as his maid, cooking, ironing and cleaning his clothes and helping him with his baths. When her father...

Winner for Best Director – Short Film from Cinemalaya, “As He Sleeps” is a very intriguing, bordering on blasphemous one could say, short that deals with the concept of the ‘sanctity of marriage” in a rather unusual way.

In a visual style that reminds intently of Lino Brocka, the movie begins with a woman smoking in an apartment, while a voice condemning adultery is heard. The woman is named Christina, is in her 30s, and it turns out she has to take care of her paralyzed husband, Hector. As she cleans him with a sponge in his bed, a photo of them being happy in the past shows how their relationship was before he became bed-ridden. A man who has come to buy their TV arrives a bit later, taking the appliance with him. She has just also got rid of their goldfish, throwing them in the sink, perhaps in a...

The Filipino crime thriller has a unique approach that includes documentary-like realism in the narrative, in the style dictated by the likes of Lino Brocka, Mike De Leon, Brillante Mendoza and Erik Matti. Sonny Calvento, in his feature debut back in 2017, implemented a similar approach in “The Decaying” a film that won an award for its production design in the 2017 Cinemalaya.

The film begins with a man in a remote area witnessing a Westerner and a teenager throwing and burning parts of a bed in the same field, obviously trying not to be seen by anyone. A bit later on, the man, whose name is revealed to be Jason, buys a sack of cement and returns to his house, where the first thing he does is to fire the housemaid, Ingrid, who happens to be his wife's cousin. The woman is shocked but soon becomes suspicious as her cousin is nowhere to be found,...

by Yann Benarrous

Is it really worthwhile for me to comment further? Just imagine throwing into a defective Thermomix in no particular order Bruce Lee's early classics, (not-the-best) Blaxploitation undercover stories, few OSS177 and other cheap cold war spy fictions with just a drop of Nunsploitation to spice it up. Tempting, isn't it? No surprise to see the B-movies undisputed ruler Quentin Tarantino resurrecting this underground piece for an interview to the Straight Times while promoting “Kill Bill”.

on Amazon by clicking on the image below

Obviously, the name Cleopatra Wong is directly inspired form Jack Starrett's “Cleopatra Jones” (1973), just like the introductive “They call her… “ is a common pattern of the Exploitation scene, the most famous probably being the Spaghetti Western “They Call Me Trinity” (1970). Moreover seeing the coming-from-nowhere-soon-returning-to-nowhere leading actress Doris Young getting renamed Marrie Lee is certainly making her a sibling of King Bruce,...

Sometimes summer nights call out for a deep dive into nostalgic cinematographic homages. “Manila”, a 2009 movie directed by Adolf Alix Jr. and Raya Martin, might be just the perfect choice, accompanying us with an ode to Filipino cinema. The film was screened as part of unique, out-of-competition screenings at the 31st Moscow International Film Festival and the 62nd Cannes Film Festival.

By independent directors Raya Martin and Adolfo Alix Jr., the movie pays their homage to masterpieces of Filipino neorealism “City After Dark“, also known as “Manila by Night” (1980) by Ishmael Bernal and “Jaguar” (1979) by Lino Brocka. The project perfectly succeeds in its goal to open the door for a new audience to learn about the wonderful works of the old masters.

The social environment that Manila provided for those topics hasn't changed all that much in the last three decades, after all. A disconnected, dialogue-free montage separates the two short films,...

Our tribute to Filipino cinema proved a great idea, since we managed to discover a truly underrated and very rarely mentioned part of international cinema, with the 70s and 80 in the Philippines in particular offering a series of movies that could easily be described as masterpieces. In contrary to European or even American films, the rather intriguing aspect of these films is that they manage to combine intense social commentary with mainstream and occasionally even horror and exploitation elements, thus results in a series of titles that could have universal appear, also because they are also quite artful.

Without further ado, here are 13 of the titles that truly stood out.

1. Manila in the Claws of Light (1975) by Lino Brocka

The main element of Lino Brocka’s narrative is, evidently, realism, with him implementing a documentary-like approach to the social circumstances of Manila in the 70’s. In this effort, he benefits...

In selection, at the 29th Festival International des Cinémas d’Asie de Vesoul, 85 films including 38 new ones, from 31 countries.

The president of the Jury will be Mr Lee Yong-kwan (Korea), president of the prestigious Busan festival, the Cannes of Asia.

A tribute will be paid to the Turkish director Semih Kaplanoglu, in his presence. The entirety of his work will be presented, from his first film Away From Home, in competition at Vesoul 2002, to his latest opus Hasan’s Promises, Cannes 2021, including Honey, Golden Bear Berlin 2010.

20 films in competition, in French, European, international or world premiere, will be judged by 7 juries. The competitive sections are composed of films from rare cinematographies, and films from major cinematographies.

Replay of award-winning films at the Guimet Museum of Asian Arts in Paris on April 21, 22 and 23, 2023 and at the Inalco (Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales).

To celebrate the 75th anniversary...

Continuing an effort to archive films in a way that constitutes art, Khavn’s second feature screening in Rotterdam this year, focuses on the films of Lino Brocka, through an experimental approach that seems to follow, this time, a kind of form.

National Anarchist: Lino Brocka is screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam

Lino Brocka is probably the most famous filmmaker of the Philippines internationally, with the inclusion of “Manila in the Claws of Light ” in Martin Scorcese’s World Cinema Project helping the most in that regard. Brocka directed over sixty fiction features between 1970 and 1991, the year he died in a car accident. Khavn’s “tribute” actually begins with his death, with the intertitles hinting that, considering his continuous criticism of the various governments of the country, this might as well not be an accident. Khavn, who has frequently dealt in various ways with Brocka in his films, took...

The Berlin Film Festival has revealed a raft of titles across strands and also 33 film projects vying for coin at the coproduction market.

Selections for the topical Perspektive Deutsches Kino strand from emerging German talent include “Seven Winters in Tehran” by Steffi Niederzoll, “Elaha” by Milena Aboyan, “Ararat” by Engin Kundag, “The Kidnapping of the Bride” by Sophia Mocorrea, Fabian Stumm’s “Bones and Names,” “Long Long Kiss” by Lukas Röder, Tanja Egen’s “On Mothers and Daughters,” “Ash Wednesday,” by João Pedro Prado and Bárbara Santos, “Nuclear Nomads” by Kilian Armando Friedrich and Tizian Stromp Zargari and “Lonely Oaks” by Fabiana Fragale, Kilian Kuhlendahl and Jens Mühlhoff.

All the selected films in the strand will compete for the Heiner Carow Prize and the Compass-Perspektive-Award, both of which are endowed with €5,000.

A 4K restoration of David Cronenberg’s “Naked Lunch” will open the Berlinale Classics section, which also includes Oliver Schmitz’ “Mapantsula,...

Corruption and the way it usually connects the police with the politicians and the “capital” has always been a source of inspiration for filmmakers, with a number of titles presenting its blights in their respective countries, with particularly Korean cinema leaning heavily on the subject.. The result is frequently masterful, with a number of great films of all time having the particular concept as their main theme. 24 of those are amassed in this list, in alphabetical order, as usually, with a focus on diversity.

1. A Dark, Dark Man

The most evident element here is the direct accusation Yerzhanov points towards the Kazakh system, particularly in rural areas, with the ways the police conduct their business in cooperation with politicians essentially deeming them even worse criminals than the ones they are supposed to deal with. At the same time, this comment allows for the two protagonists to stand out, through a rather thorough character analysis,...

Rumored to have been salvaged from a commercial movie studio dumpster, “Riddle: Shout of Man” (original title: Original title: Bugtong: Ang sigaw ng lalake) is a commentary on Filipino on-screen macho culture, in the form of an optically printed film collage of deteriorating found footage. It was a product of the last Christoph Janetzko film workshop, with a focus on experiments with optical printers, held in 1990, and one of the rare surviving works in the brief filmmaking career of the now deceased Ramon ‘Rj’ Leyran.

“Riddle: Shout of Man” is streaming on Metrograph, as part of the Kalampag Tracking Agency Shorts Program

Essentially a collage of action/exploitation film of the 70s and 80s, some of them by Lino Brocka if I am not mistaken, the movie comments exactly on how men are presented in this kind of films, in contrast to women. Almost all of them foster a mustache...

The Film Development Council of the Philippines launched the Fdcp Channel streaming platform at the Cannes Film Market on Tuesday.

Available at launch will be 140 films, including 100 Filipino titles from the country’s masters including Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal, Kidlat Tahimik, Chito Rono, Brillante Mendoza and Dodo Dayao.

In addition, there will be 41,000 film heritage elements available on the platform including news reels and documentaries.

The platform has several tiers. The basic access service is free and has short films, panel discussions and special events. An SVOD tier that costs PHP99 (1.90) per month provides access to local and international films. Tvod access makes curated local and international films available. In addition the platform also offers event access to free or paid-for live-streamed special events.

The channel began life in the middle of the pandemic in Sept. 2020 as an online platform for the Pista Ng Pelikulang Pilipino, the Philippines’ national film festival,...

Considering that the majority of South and South East Asian countries are quite conservative when it comes to the presentation of eroticism on cinema (even more so regarding nudity), the number of films that have sensualism as their key element is not exactly huge, at least when compared to European cinema for example. However, Japan and S. Korea do produce a number of this type of movies, even within their censhorship laws, while a number of other countries also have their entries in the category. Also of note is a recent trend that has begun within the Japanese movie industry, of presenting erotic films that try to cater to the aesthetics of both men and women, while abiding by the MeToo rules, with the result being interesting as much as ambitious.

In this list, we tried to focus on titles where the erotic is one of the key elements, while...

Quite a notorious production, the recently restored in 4K by the Philippine Film archive “Manila By Night” presents the “nightlife” of Manila in all its sex, drugs, and violence-driven glory, to the point that the censors, after instigation from the former First Lady Imelad Marcos, cut the movie severely and even changed its title to “City After Dark” in order to avoid any association with the nation’s capital. In Udine, the film is presented in its uncut 150 minutes version.

“Manila by Night” is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival

The story is rather complicated as it revolves around a plethora of characters: Alex is a schoolboy that also happens to be a folk singer, but at the same time he is a homosexual and drug addict, with his constant wasting of money frequently aggravating his mother, Virgie, who tries her best to “save” her son but frequently fails.

Considered by many as one of the greatest films of Filipino cinema, and one of the few from the country that is consistently placed among the world’s top films of all time, “Manila in the Claws of Light” is a definite masterpiece, a movie that presents the reality of the city during the 70’s in the most realistic fashion, without, though, neglecting its aesthetics and the entertainment it offers, even for a frame.

“Manila in the Claws of Light” is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival

The story is based on the novel “In the Claws of Brightness” by Edgardo M. Reyes, and focuses on Julio Madiaga, a country bumpkin who arrives in Manila from Marinduque island. His purpose is both to get a better life but also to track down the love of his life, Ligaya, who was brought to Manila by a mysterious lady named Mrs Cruz,...

Film at Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art has set Audrey Diwan’s Happening and The African Desperate by Martine Syms will bookend the 51st edition of their collaboration, New Directors/New Films running April 20–May 1 in NYC.

The festival will introduce 26 features and 11 shorts and total of 39 directors — 21 of which are women.

“Portraits of individuals and communities navigating uncertain and turbulent circumstances in pursuit of freedom, self-determination, and survival set a remarkably contemplative tone to the lineup,” said La Frances Hui, curator of MoMa’s film department and event co-char.

Happening (L’Événement), winner of the 2021 Venice International Film Festival’s Golden Lion, is the portrait of a young woman attempting to secure an illegal abortion in 1960s provincial France. It was acquired by IFC Films and will be released May 6.

The African Desperate, a debut feature from Syms, rushes through 24 hours in the life of protagonist Palace...

Ricky Lee. Photo by Grace Orbon-Emmelot.“It’s important to be a good writer, but it’s more important to be a good person”—Ricky LeeThere is no corner in Philippine cinema, television, and literature that remains untouched and unshaped by Ricky Lee. You may think this is an exaggeration, but it is true. With nearly five decades in the film industry, Lee has created over 180 scripts, several best-selling Filipino books, and the screenwriting manual called “Trip to Quiapo” that is used in introductory film courses all over the country. With more than 70 awards for his writing, Lee has worked with luminaries in Filipino cinema such as Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal, Marilou Diaz-Abaya, Gil Portes, Laurice Guillen, and Mike De Leon, among others, and their collaborations have been screened in some of the most prestigious film festivals around the world—Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto, and Cairo, just to name a few.

Label aims to support up-and-coming filmmakers as well as reintroduce underseen classics from acclaimed directors to Na audiences.

Hong Kong-based sales agent Pearl Chan and programmer Ariel Esteban Cayer have launched a Blu-ray label, Kani Releasing, to distribute Asian films, both contemporary and restored, in North America

The label aims to support up-and-coming filmmakers as well as reintroduce underseen repertory classics from acclaimed directors to North American audiences. Its first release is Japanese filmmaker Tadashi Nagayama’s second film, Being Natural (2018), which starts preorders today.

Upcoming releases include a restored version of Cain & Abel (1982), from the Philippines’ Lino Brocka; and...

Carlo Francisco Manatad is a Filipino film director and editor based in Manila. He is a graduate of the University of the Philippines Film Institute. His short film, “Junilyn Has”, competed at the Festival del film Locarno and went on to screen at several international film festivals such as Clermont Ferrand, Uppsala, Winterthur and Busan to name a few. “Sandra and Fatima Marie Torres and the Invasion of Space Shuttle Pinas 25” has won awards in Russia, Romania and the USA, most notably winning the Best Comedy Short at the Aspenshorts Fest – an Oscar qualifying film festival. A Philippine and Singaporean co-production, “Jodilerks Dela Cruz, Employee of the Month”, his last short film was selected in competition at the 56th Semaine de la Critique at the 70th Cannes International Film Festival. One of the most prolific editors in the Philippines today, he has collaborated with numerous filmmakers for independent and mainstream scene.

Dealing with the lives of the poor through narratives that are both dramatic but also quite entertaining was one of the traits of Lino Brocka, who, in this case, combines drama with exploitation in impressive fashion.

The story is based on the 1961 essay written by Nick Joaquin on the notorious 1960 Brown Derby shooting (as printed in Reportage on Crime) of Napoleon Nodecal, and revolves around Poldo, a lowly security guard in a publishing firm, who strives to provide for his mother and siblings, living in intense poverty. His life changes, however, when one night he defends the son of the owner, Sonny, from his frenemy, Direk who is enraged because the former stole his girlfriend from him. Poldo proves particularly tough, soon gaining the nickname ‘Jaguar’ and finding himself hanging out with the rich Sonny and his friends, all of whom frequently indulge in drugs and intense consumption of alcohol.

“Insiang” is a landmark for Filipino cinema. It was the first film to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival, the first to be shot in the slums of Tondo, in Manila, while in 2015, Martin Scorsese’s The Film Foundation picked it for restoration, with the new version playing again in Cannes among a number of other festivals. Furthermore, Lamberto Antonio (occasionally mentioned as the Philippine Salvatore Quasimodo), one of the scriptwriters is considered one of the best Filipino poets, while Mario O’Hara, the other one, was also a successful director who directed a theater version of the film some years later (info courtesy of Khavn).

Poverty, misery, drunkenness, and gambling rule the shanty town of Tondo, where people barely make a living through mostly odd jobs. Insiang is one of the few exceptions of true beauty in this setting, although her life is by no means easier due to the fact.

And the names and faces of the tyrants changeBut poverty, pain and murder remainsAnd the voices of truth are locked up in chainsDarkness remains, freedom in flames—The Jerks, RageIn Lino Brocka's big-city melodrama Manila in the Claws of Light (1975), set at the height of Ferdinand Marcos's 1972-1986 military-backed dictatorship, construction worker Julio and his colleagues are subjected to a form of labor abuse nicknamed "taiwan": if at the end of the working day they want to receive their salary, they have to buy it from their employer by waiving 10% of the money they are owed. Moreover, on a nominal daily salary of 4 Php per employee, the foreman takes 1,50 Php for himself as a commission. Finally, if Julio and the other construction workers have no place to live in Manila and wish to sleep in the construction site, they can do so in exchange for yet another deduction from their salary.

One of the most interesting sections of Cannes Film Festival each year is their Classics section, which is made up of new restorations and filmmaking-related documentaries. The lineup often gives a look ahead at what classic and overlooked films may be getting new Blu-ray editions, as well as digital debuts, and theatrical re-releases. Following the reveal of Cannes-selected premieres this year, they’ve now unveiled their Classics lineup.

This year’s slate, made up of 25 features and 7 documentaries, will screen at the Lumière festival in Lyon and by the Rencontres Cinématographiques de Cannes. Leading the pack, and announced a few months ago, is the new 20th anniversary restoration of In the Mood for Love by Wong Kar-wai. Also in the lineup is 60th anniversary restorations of Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless and Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’Avventura, while a selection of Federico Fellini classics have been restored for this 100th birthday.

Peter Wollen’s Friendship’s Death,...

Edsa is an acronym referring to Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, the longest highway in Manila and the whole of the Philippines, and also the central stage of the 1986 revolution that ended the 20-year dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos. Using the events as a starting point (through actual footage that are repeated throughout the movie), Khavn presents a political satire/musical that aims to highlight that nothing ever changes in the political setting of the country.

Of course, this allegory is by no means generic. Khavn places his story in 2030, in the Ek-Ek-Ek democracy, a fictional country that functions as a metaphor for the Philippines, where a number of leaders that are soon proved puppets in the hands of a mysterious organization called the Hukbalaka, succeed one another until leadership falls into the hands of the stupidest of them all, Three Eyes.

Through the story of Three Eyes and his rise,...

About the Film

“Kontra Madiaga” seems like a kind of mantra, reminiscent of a religious cult, which at the same time has a threatening side, but also something old and therefore self-evident. The leading role is played by the Philippine veteran actor Bembol Roco, who ties in with two of his early roles, both with a similar name. During his long collaboration with director Lino Brocka, Roco first appeared 1975 in “Manila in the Claws of Light” (“Maynila, sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag”) as Julio Madiaga and in 1989, in the last film the director and actor realized together, as “Commander Kontra” in “Orapronobis” (aka “Les Insoumis” aka “Fight For Us”). Both characters are driven by their wish and need to take revenge.

Synopsis

In a short video of about 1.5 minutes, the audience is confronted with a male figure who is obviously driven by anger and has a mission. Khavn conceives his...

In a short video of about 1.5 minutes, the audience is confronted with a male figure who is obviously driven by anger and has a mission. Khavn conceives his short film “Kontra Madiaga” as a kind of application video. The main character introduces himself as Kontra Madiaga, he comes from the darkest depths of Manila, condemned to murder people for all eternity.

Khavn fades in the text on black boards like in a silent movie, it seems to be typewritten. The text fragments are also combined as in a blackmail letter, slightly oblique to each other. This gives the film a somewhat old-fashioned touch, a retro aesthetic, which is also evident in the images of Kontra Madiaga in action. Khavn refrains from using special effects and concentrates on simple means, which give the video the style of a documentary film and thus make it especially impressive. The decision to only hint...

I became familiar with the work of Adam Taufiq Suharto through our ‘submit your film’ initiative, reviewing his work “Belas“, “Gelora“, “Balah Tuah“, and “Dekaden“, with another contributor covering his debut “Falasi“. These films act as an example of what makes the ‘submit your film’ process exciting for a critic, showcasing unique talent that has potential to become a defining voice in cinema. Suharto is one of the many directors through our initiative that has left that impression. The interest in his projects grew through experiencing his ability to convey deeply introspective narratives, utilizing the universally understood language of cinema, as well as a sharp visual style which can transition from serene to disquieting in a seamless fashion. With admiration for his work, I wanted to speak to Adam Taufiq Suharto to better understand his process and thoughts on film. Suharto was also shortlisted in our annual list of best...

In the unique cinematic universe of Khavn, one of the few standards one can pinpoint is the music video aesthetics, as a number of his films function as a collage of his extreme ideas through the combination of music and editing. In the case of “Manila in the Fangs of Darkness” however, even this element is pushed to the background as the film functions as a tribute to the iconic Lino Brocka masterpiece “Manila in the Claws of Light” and its protagonist, Bembol Roco, but at the same time, also as a video essay that analyzes the film, in the form of another film. Confused? Get used to that feeling, because confusion is another of Khavn’s trademarks.

From the opening titles, the tribute-like nature of the film becomes quite evident, with a sense of retro permeating the screen, along with Khavn’s extreme sense of humor,...

Considered by many as one of the greatest films of Filipino cinema, and one of the few from the country that is consistently placed among the world’s top films of all time, “Manila in the Claws of Light” is a definite masterpiece, a movie that presents the reality of the city during the 70’s in the most realistic fashion, without, though, neglecting its aesthetics and the entertainment it offers, even for a frame.

“Manila in the Claws of Light” is screening at Across Asia Film Festival

The story is based on the novel “In the Claws of Brightness” by Edgardo M. Reyes, and focuses on Julio Madiaga, a country bumpkin who arrives in Manila from Marinduque island. His purpose is both to get a better life but also to track down the love of his life, Ligaya, who was brought to Manila by a mysterious lady named Mrs Cruz,...

Across Asia Film Festival (Aaff) in Cagliari, in the beautiful Italian island of Sardinia, is back on the 14th of December with a Programme focused mainly on the Philippines and Taiwan, including collateral events, guests and some interesting gems, like a restored edition of the classic Lino Brocka’s “Manila in the Claws of Light”, a Masterclass with directors Shireen Seno and John Torres and the Italian Premiere of “The Kalampag Tracking Agency” an ongoing curatorial initiative between Shireen Seno of Los Otros and Merv Espina of Generation Loss.

Across Asia Film Festival is focused on most interesting languages of recent cinematographic production from Asia, with the goal of promoting and developing cultural exchanges between Italian and foreigners communities. Stefano Galanti and Maria Paola Zedda are the creators and the artistic directors of the event.

“Nina Wu” by Midi Z

The Festival will kick off with “The Night of the...

It is a Sunday night, a New Year’s Eve. The Boy (Aeious) enters an empty gay night club. He is 18, he writes poetry and he is curious. Obviously new to the world, as he cautiously learns and adapts to this specific biotope. The performers enter and leave the stage, but it is not until the young dancer in a loincloth-thingy, that the Boy’s attention stops slipping away. Aries (Aries) is 18 years old, has a full set of teeth and under the loincloth-thingy hides some 7.5 inches.

“Boy” is screening at the 13th Slovak Queer Film Festival in Bratislava (16 – 21 October 2019).

Macho dancer films constitute a very specific genre in the Philippines Lgbtqia+ cinema. Named after the 1988 Lino Brocka “Macho Dancer”, their main raison d’être is to please the gaze. It only makes sense to set the stories of various intrigues into the worlds of night clubs, back alleys and...

For three decades, Strand Releasing has remained at the cutting-edge of arthouse distribution in America. Now, many of those filmmakers are returning the favor. For its 30th anniversary this fall, the company has commissioned 30 new short films shot on iPhones directed by world-class filmmakers. Entitled “30/30 Vision: 3 Decades of Strand Releasing,” the shorts will screen at several venues around the country this fall. The selection of shorts was produced by filmmaker Connor Jessup (“Simon’s Forest”), who also contributed to the selection.

Each short runs around one minute. Contributors include auteurs such as John Waters, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, and Catherine Breillat, in addition to emerging filmmakers like Lulu Wang (“The Farewell”), Andrew Ahn (“Driveways”), and Brady Corbet (“Vox Lux”). Two shorts from the project, from filmmakers Karim Ainouz and Fatih Akin, can be viewed here.

Strand Releasing was founded in 1989 by partners Jon Gerrans, Marcus Hu, and Mike Thomas. The company took...

Most of the times, and particularly in the West, when one refers to Asian cinema, one usually talks about Japan, S. Korea and the Sinophone world. However, the more I deal with the cinema of the Philippines, the more I feel that the country’s filmography deserves a place in the particular discourse, both for its past but also for its present and its future.

Through interviews conducted with a number of the directors in the list (you can check the links in their names) and a number of reviews of their films (you can check the links in the titles) you can find more detailed information on their work and perspective, but, evidently, this is an effort of presenting and cataloguing (to a point at least) instead of analyzing, which will definitely come in the future, as Filipino cinema will be one that Asian Movie Pulse and me personally focus on the next years.

Film programs include one of the first lesbian Bollywood films (“Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga”), a film with the backdrop of 80’s Saigon and its Vietnamese folk opera (“Song Lang”) and an Indonesian culinary journey through film (“Aruna and her Palate”)

The special series “From The Claws of Darkness: Restoring Philippine Cinema” brings the second golden age of Philippine film to the big screen for audiences to enjoy once again, including “Moral,” “Himala,” and “Batch ‘81”and “Manila In The Claws of Light”

San Diego, California – March 26, 2019 – The 9th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival (Sdaff) Spring Showcase, presented by Pacific Arts Movement (Pac Arts) will be taking place on April 11-18 at the UltraStar Mission Valley. This year, a majority of the showcased films highlight South Asian and Southeast Asian stories.

There will also be a special collection of milestone Filipino films shown as a part of the...

The festival will close with the world premiere of Yuen Woo-ping’s Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy.

South Korea’s Busan International Film Festival (Biff) will open with the world premiere of Jero Yun’s North Korean refugee drama Beautiful Days, starring Lee Na-young (Howling).

The festival will close with the world premiere of Yuen Woo-ping’s Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy, featuring action stars such as Zhang Jin, Michelle Yeoh, Tony Jaa and Dave Bautista.

Set to run October 4-13, the 23rd Biff will screen 323 films from 79 countries with 140 world and international premieres. All the New Currents...

The festival will close with the world premiere of Yuen Woo-ping’s Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy.

South Korea’s Busan International Film Festival (Biff) will open with the world premiere of Jero Yun’s North Korean refugee drama Beautiful Days, starring Lee Na-young (Howling).

The festival will close with the world premiere of Yuen Woo-ping’s Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy, featuring action stars such as Zhang Jin, Michelle Yeoh, Tony Jaa and Dave Bautista.

Set to run October 4-13, the 23rd Biff will screen 323 films from 79 countries with 140 world and international premieres. All the New Currents...

The following essay was produced as part of the 2018 Locarno Critics Academy, a workshop for aspiring film critics that took place during the Locarno Film Festival.

In a present that is increasingly difficult to comprehend, directing one’s gaze towards the past is not only comforting — it also helps contextualize the present moment. This year’s edition of the Locarno Film Festival certainly had that effect, as many of its films — ranging from the mammoth projections in Piazza Grande (with titles ranging from Lino Brocka’s “Manila in the Claws of Light” and Spike Lee’s “BlackKklansman”) to the films included across its myriad sections — were visibly driven by the desire to showcase history.

Locarno is both an outlet for cutting-edge films that showcase the most recent developments across the global independent film industry, and a space that honors masterpieces of the past. An entire section of the festival — the...