An account of a comfort woman during World War II, addiction to action movies, and the losing tradition of coconut winemaking, are among the themes explored by filmmakers participating in the Margaha Film Festival that is set to open on the black sand beach of Brgy. Old Sagay, Sagay City, on Feb. 27.
Seven films will compete in the fifth installment of the SineMargaha as offshoot of a series of film workshops and story development, with funding from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Sagay City government.
These include “Aba”, directed by Aljean Joulse Tagayong, and which explores a girl’s psyche on whether to abort a child or not; “Bang Bang Bang Patay ka na Patay ka na!” by Thirdy Macam, which tackles the addiction of a kid to watching action movies; “Kalye Bruka” by Joan Honoridez, which highlights the return of a transgender woman to a community that caused her internal ills;
“Lampitaw (Lady of the Night)” by Kent Raven Ardeña on real accounts of a comfort woman, who spied on the Japanese during World War II; “Mahanduraw ko Nimo” by Ry Cortez, which centers on a girl who stole a painting, thinking that it was an image of his lost father; “Mananguete” of Mery Grace Rama-Mission that explores the effects of dementia to a person while tackling the dying tuba-making in Sagay; and “Taga-Taga” by Trini Garcia, which humanizes the romantic endeavors of two praying mantis.
The premiere of short films at the Margaha Beach is a dream of Master Artist Nunelucio Alvarado to celebrate all disciplines of art, and to screen movies with the Sagay Sea as backdrop.
This year’s theme is “Sine Singko”, which is a nod to the ‘Bidyo Singko’ culture in Sagay where a simple coin unlocks the joy of music in videoke machines.
“This year, we delve deeper into the significance of ‘Sine Singko’, transcending its value to symbolize the transformative power of art in the lives of the people of Sagay and beyond,” festival director Helen Arguelles-Cutillar said in a press release.
About 19 awards are up for grabs this year, with film critic and anthropologist Tito Valiente, National Committee on Cinema chairperson Butch Ibañez, “Nocebo” actress Chai Fonacier, award-winning director Arden Rod Condez, creative writer Kenneth Rivera, and local historian Rod Florentino as jurors.
Apart from the screening of the films, a talk led by the Film Development Council of the Philippines, a fluvial parade of filmmakers during the opening program, online screenings of the film through FDCP’s JuanFlix Channel, and the “Gab-i sang Pagkilala” Awards Night will be held in the two-week film festival from Feb. 26 to March 8.
The festival is one of the landmark programs of Sagay City, in partnership with Syano Artlink, Office of Vice Mayor Leo Rafael Cueva, Office of Neg. Occ. 2nd District Rep. Alfredo Marañon III, the Negros Occidental Provincial Government, FDCP, NCCA, and the Balhasanay Filmmaking Movement.
It is also one of the activities of the month-long Arts Month celebration in Sagay City, which started Feb. 13. ||
