Philippine Independent Films Research Papers (original) (raw)
The 2011 film Ang Babae sa Septic Tank (dir. Rivera) was lauded as a parody of Philippine cinema, mocking certain films by imitating conventions that are recognizable in other films of that particular genre. The paper tries to discuss... more
The 2011 film Ang Babae sa Septic Tank (dir. Rivera) was lauded as a parody of Philippine cinema, mocking certain films by imitating conventions that are recognizable in other films of that particular genre. The paper tries to discuss what genres were lampooned by the film by examining the mise en scène of each segment or iteration of the fictional film ‘Walang-Wala’ and trying to link the conventions utilized in the mise en scène to these genres. The essay identifies four particular levels of mise en scène – realism, documentary-drama, musicale, and melodrama – and arranges them on a spectrum of realism. It also briefly discusses conventions that transcend the iterations, such as the star system. The essay draws from Bordwell and Thompson, Bazin, Lao, and Deocampo in order to draw the links between the sequences.
Since its birth in 2005, the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival has proven itself a major force in the Philippine f ilm industry. Established with the twin goals of “[encouraging] the creation of new cinematic works by... more
Since its birth in 2005, the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival has proven itself a major force in the Philippine f ilm industry. Established with the twin goals of “[encouraging] the creation of new cinematic works by Filipino filmmakers—works that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity” and “[invigorating] Philippine filmmaking by developing a new breed of Filipino filmmakers,” Cinemalaya has been instrumental in the recent rise of what Tiongson (“The Rise of the Philippine New Wave Indie Film”) has called the “New Wave Indie” films. This recent wave of independent cinema, in turn, is taken to be the next significant moment in the history of Philippine national cinema. By considering the film festival—a spatiotemporally demarcated event and a unique discoursegenerating institution—as point of entry, this article discusses the contested process of constructing a coherent narrative of becoming of a nation...
Since its birth in 2005, the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival has proven itself a major force in the Philippine film industry. Established with the twin goals of “[encouraging] the creation of new cinematic works by... more
Since its birth in 2005, the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival has proven itself a major force in the Philippine film industry. Established with the twin goals of “[encouraging] the creation of new cinematic works by Filipino filmmakers—works that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity” and “[invigorating] Philippine filmmaking by developing a new breed of Filipino filmmakers,” Cinemalaya has been instrumental in the recent rise of what Tiongson (“The Rise of the Philippine New Wave Indie Film”) has called the “New Wave Indie” films. This recent wave of independent cinema, in turn, is taken to be the next significant moment in the history of Philippine national cinema. By considering the film festival—a spatiotemporally demarcated event and a unique discourse-generating institution—as point of entry, this article discusses the contested process of constructing a coherent narrative of becoming of a national cinema. This process is found, more than ever, to surface resistance to any singular notion of “national cinema,” not least because of the inescapably transnational nature of all film production and consumption. It is within this context that any discussion about “saving” a Philippine national cinema is framed, particularly as to how international recognition has legitimized local independent cinema and influenced local spectatorship practices. Cinemalaya has helped revive a failing industry by giving shape to a new film movement, essentially defined by contestation, as the film festival’s experience in moderating the controversies it has found itself embroiled in has proven. More than anything, these contestations have brought to the fore previously unchallenged assumptions about what cinema a national public deserves to see.
The myth of Metro Manila as the Promised Land is no stranger to being depicted in the celluloid. No less than Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal have explored the city’s urban landscape in their effort to articulate the ills and evils of the... more
The myth of Metro Manila as the Promised Land is no stranger to being depicted in the celluloid. No less than Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal have explored the city’s urban landscape in their effort to articulate the ills and evils of the “City of Man” in the age of Marcos. In modern mainstream cinema, however, the neoliberal myth of Manila is continually perpetuated as the product of economic progress and globalization. Two recent films, however, deal with the modern issues of Manila, articulating problems that are particularly salient in contemporary Filipino society. Erik Matti’s On the Job and Sean
Ellis’s Metro Manila – both released in 2013 – are set with the city as an integral part of the narrative. In each of their capacities, they narrate the political economy of Metro Manila, communicating the modern maladies that plague the city, and destabilizing the established notions of the city. In this process of dissent and protest, both films serve to disentangle the myth of Metro Manila as a place where power is diffused, and where dreams are fulfilled.
Review of Bagane Fiola's Baboy Halas: Wailings in the Forest (2016)
In 2012, renowned Filipino filmmaker Erik Matti directed a short film entitled Vesuvius. It was released online as part of The YOMYOMF (You Offend Me, You Offend My Family) Network's Silent Terror Series. The film follows the eventual... more
In 2012, renowned Filipino filmmaker Erik Matti directed a short film entitled Vesuvius. It was released online as part of The YOMYOMF (You Offend Me, You Offend My Family) Network's Silent Terror Series. The film follows the eventual metamorphosis of (a) man's ordinary and enervated life into one that becomes inhabited by a divine holiness that turns to be the workings of wickedness and malice. The combination of movement, matter, and method are the conceptual provisions that I want to utilize in operationalizing fire (as desire/s) and rupture (as breakages) to anchor my critique of the "silent terror" film. The lack of dialogues in the film renders a deeper reading of mise-en-scène and this is precisely the methodology I plan to practice in this paper. Through a formalistic close-reading and inter/counter-textual analysis, I propose that Matti's Vesuvius is an oeuvre that tries to locate the 'self' as it attempts to navigate through the intricacies of desire, distraction, destruction, and in the final bout, a more defined awareness of how violence becomes a potent tool for such an end. Ultimately, it is through the destruction of the self where one finds the completeness that mortality befits elusive.
Review of Petersen Vargas' 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten (2016)
Review of Shireen Seno’s Nervous Translation (2017)