I Love Cinemalaya!

It was my first time to attend Cinemalaya and I am so grateful to my friend Vernie for passing on to me her extra VIP passes that allowed us to watch as many movies as we liked. Unfortunately, we got the beautifully-designed, ATM-type cards one day before Cinemalaya closed so we scrambled last Saturday to catch whatever we could.

I arrived at CCP around 5 p.m. Thankfully, Ang Babae sa Septic Tank, a movie I’ve already heard so much about, was showing past 6 p.m. Vernie and I lined up and thoroughly enjoyed watching this movie within a movie. Eugene Domingo is sooooo good! I had tears streaming from my eyes from laughing so hard at several scenes. The script is not only well-written, the supporting cast also did a great job portraying the misguided filmmakers (JM De Guzman, Kean Cipriano, and Cai Cortez) who wanted to create an Oscar-worthy indie movie. 

After the lights went on, we bumped into Eugene herself and Roderick Paulate who both graciously posed with us for pictures.

Vernie and I grabbed a quick dinner at Harbor Square before heading back to CCP to see what else we could watch. We ended up seeing i-Libings starring Glaiza De Castro who is really turning out to be quite a good actress. Among all the scenes in that film, I like Isabel’s parting shot during her father’s wake. Sometimes, we really have to say out loud what we feel so that other people would also learn to open their eyes to the truth. 

We wanted to stay and see Zombadings but it was slated for a 12:15am showing which is too late for a couple of moms with families to go home to like us. And so Vernie and I parted ways, happy to have bonded over something that we both liked doing: watch noteworthy movies.

The next day, Sunday, I planned to go back in the morning to catch at least one of the films featuring shorts. However, my late night foray made me wake up later than usual. I vowed to catch at least one of the 2 p.m. films though and tagged my husband along. We were able to watch Isda starring Bembol Roco and Cherry Pie Picache. Although I found the story quite far-fetched, I admired the superb acting of the cast which included Rossana Roces, Anita Linda, and Evelyn Vargas.

Since we were already there, hubby and I decided to stay and watch the Awarding Ceremonies which was hosted by Paolo Bediones and Angel Aquino. By chance, some of the cast and crew of Ang Babae sa Septic Tank sat behind us so hubby was able to take this photo of John Lapuz, Eugene Domingo and Kean Cipriano.

 

As the winners were announced one by one, I was among those who cheered loudly when Eugene was called to receive the Best Actress award. She really deserved it. I was also glad that Bembol Roco was named Best Actor. 

I just regret not being able to watch the other exemplary films such as Amok, Patikul, Walang Katapusang Kwarto, Busong, Nino, Bisperas, etc. Hopefully, next year, I’d be able to start my Cinemalaya journey earlier :)