The opening night of the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino 2018 that was recently held at the Samsung Hall at SM Aura Premier opened up more avenues and opportunities for Filipino filmmakers to show their works and encourage them to come up with new and effective ways of telling their stories. The event also celebrated Sandaan: 100 Years of Philippine Cinema.
Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino is a week-long celebration where all movie theaters nationwide exclusively screen Filipino films in line with the celebration of Buwan ng Wika.
On its second year, PPP’s goal was to continue not just to showcase quality films, but also to serve as a platform for different sectors to work together to celebrate Filipino artistry and create an industry event to support our filmmakers.
This year, PPP had chosen eight official entries which offered a diverse set of genre titles. These included the following films: Jun Robles Lana’s Ang Babaeng Allergic sa Wifi; Jason Paul Laxamana’s Bakwit Boys and The Day After Valentine’s; Adolfo Alix Jr.’s Madilim ang Gabi; Jay Abello’s Pinay Beauty; Chito Roño’s Signal Rock; Miko Livelo’s Unli Life; and Richard Somes’ We Will Not Die Tonight.
PPP’s Sine Kabataan Short Film Competition, on the other hand gave all aspiring young filmmakers a platform to develop their sense of creativity and originality in story-telling, while touching on important issues of today. PPP also gave way to six films in the Special Features Section which were chosen from the local independent film festivals that also proved their worth to be shown in the cinemas.
Another highlight of the event was when the screening of the digitally restored and remastered 1985 Lino Brocka masterpiece, White Slavery, which was presented to the audience by Central Digital Lab CEO and President Manet Dayrit. The writer, Ricky Lee along with the film’s cast Jaclyn Jose, Ricky Davao and Sarsi Emmanuelle were also present to support the film.
The Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino 2018 launch was organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines in partnership with SM and theaters nationwide.