Jaclyn Jose Wins Best Actress in Cannes

Another success for Philippine cinema as Jaclyn Jose won the best actress award at the 69th Cannes Film Festival. [hit the jump to continue]

Heneral Luna is Philippines' Official Entry to the 2016 Academy Awards

Heneral Luna's blazing success is never slowing down anytime soon. This historical epic has been chosen as the Philippines' bet to the 2016 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film category, Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) director general Leo Martinez announced on Monday afternoon. [hit the jump to continue]

Will "Fifty Shades of Grey" Get Cuts on Philippine Release?

For "Fifty Shades of Grey" fans in the Philippines, we have Good News and Bad News. Good News; the movie is now showing in Philippine theaters. All the rumors that the film was going to be banned for Philippine screening has now been shot down. Another good news is that there will be No Cuts. The Bad News: there will be blurs and blackened "screen block" portions that will censor some parts of the movie. In addition, SM Cinemas will also not be screening the movie. This is in line with their policy of not showing Rated R movies. [hit the jump to continue]

Rescue in the Philippines: Refuge from the Holocaust this week at the FDCP Cinematheque

This week the FDCP Iloilo Cinematheque presents a screening of an eye-opening documentary entitled "Rescue in the Philippines: Refuge from the Holocaust". A one-hour documentary about that chronicles an intricate international plan of rescue and resettlement that saved 1,300 Jews from certain death in Nazi concentration camps. This intricately-well-research documentary by Russell Hodge, Cynthia Scott-Johnson, Terry Irving, and Jenny Gebhardt is narrated by superstar Liev Schrieber (The Sum of All Fears, Ray Donovan). The screening runs this week, from October 7 up till October 12, 2014 with 3:30 and 5:30 PM screenings up till Friday, and 1:30 and 3:30 PM screenings on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is Free. The FDCP Cinematheque is located at the B&C Square Bldg., Solis St., Iloilo City. [hit the jump to continue]

Lav Diaz and Why Indie Cinema Deserves More

Indie Cinema and the Metaphor of Knowing Real Value
by Reymundo Salao

Those who have some knowledge about Philippine cinema must know who Lav Diaz is. Perhaps one may not have seen one of his movies, but surely one should have heard about him. He's that Filipino filmmaker who makes these long epic movies that have won numerous awards in international film festivals. Just last month, Lav Diaz took home the prestigious Golden Leopard for best film for “From What Is Before” (Mula sa kung ano ang noon). On the other hand of the tale, it's quite sad that even after he and his crew brought the biggest honor the country has received so far in an A-list film festival, there was no hero's welcome or parade to celebrate their victory when they arrived back. [hit the jump to continue]

Vin Diesel confirms he will be shooting xXx 3 in the Philippines

Vin Diesel is coming back to the "xXx" franchise and he's all set to film part of it in the Philippines. In an interview with Collider Vin Diesel said:
“I am going to do the next xXx which will be filming in part in the Philippines, which I’m very, very, very excited about.” [hit the jump to continue]

The Raid 2: Berandal Sets Philippine Release Date

The Raid 2: Berandal which is the highly anticipated sequel to the phenomenal action/martial arts movie The Raid: Redemption has been set for Philippine release on June 18, 2014. The film is distributed nationally by MVP Entertainment PH, the  official partner of VIVA International Pictures. [hit the jump to continue]

"Noah" finally gets its Philippine release date; "Transformers: Age of Extinction" Philippine release also announced

After being delayed due to legal problems concerning with the operation of United International Pictures Philippines, "Noah" finally gets a Philippine release date. "Noah" will finally dock in the Philippines June 11, 2014. "Transformers: Age of Extinction" also gets its Philippine release date set on June 25, 2014, just in time with its Southeast Asian release on the same date. (It will open in U.S. cinemas June 27). Last march we reported that United International Pictures Philippines had been suspended from distributing their films after it allegedly violated an agreement with Solar Entertainment Corp., its local partner in the release of the movies. Solar claimed that UIP violated its 2012 agreement when it named Columbia Pictures as its new film distributor in the Philippines. That put "Noah"'s Philippine release to a grueling delay (it was released internationally last March), and also put the release date of the new Transformers movie in peril.

But the official facebook page of Columbia Pictures Philippines has now hit the news feeds with the two movies' release dates; "Noah" which seems to grab on to a Independence Day holiday week, to cash on to its box office potential, and Transformers 4 catching up to what its original release date was scheduled to be.

Angara's Bill Promoting Film Tourism

Inquirer has reported today (April 9, 2014) that a bill that seeks to promote the country’s film tourism by providing tax incentives to production companies, both foreign and local, has been filed at the Senate. Senate Bill No. 2160 also known as the “Fostering Investment through Local and International Movies (FILM) Act” filed by Senator Juan Edgardo Angara “aims to attract filmmakers by providing incentives to film production companies primarily through tax credits ranging from 20 to 40 percent under a point-based incentive system.”

“Film tourism is a growing phenomenon wherein a destination is visited by tourists because it was featured in a movie, television or video. An interest in the nation and its positive image can eventually lead to an actual visit to the country,” Angara, vice chair of the Senate committee on tourism, said in a statement on Wednesday. “Thus, there is a need to promote the Philippines as a destination for filmmakers,” he said.
[to read the full article by Inquirer, CLICK HERE]
[hit the jump to continue]

Ang Lee expresses wishes to shoot movie in the Philippines

Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee has recently expressed interest in shooting a movie here in the Philippines, although he did not elaborate on it. Lee was in Metro Manila this week as a guest of Taiwan's de facto embassy, which honored him with a special screening of "Life of Pi."

The Philippine Star has reported that the Taiwanese film director, screenwriter and producer told a forum with filmmakers and media that "I hope to get to explore filmmaking further into unknown territory, and one of them certainly is here in Manila," he did not elaborate further on this detail. Ang Lee is known for his films Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hulk, and Brokeback Mountain. [read the full report on The Philippine Star Website]

Trailer Tuesdays: Ekstra, Kick-Ass 2, The Internship, Dragonball Z Battle of Gods, Captain Phillips, Her

Our Trailer Tuesdays this week brings forth some trailers for the upcoming sequel to the movie adaptation of the popular graphic novel, KICK-ASS 2 brings back Kick-Ass and Hit Girl into the crime-fighting bloodbath along with some new costumed heroes, Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson on THE INTERNSHIP, the anime movie DRAGONBALL Z: BATTLE OF GODS, and the award-winning movie that stars Vilma Santos as an EKSTRA.We also have trailers for the Paul Greengrass movie starring Tom Hanks, entitled CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, and a Spike Jonze film entitled HER which stars Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson.
[hit the jump to continue]

Korean Film "No Breathing" will have Scenes Shot in Davao

The leading stars'
arrival in Davao City
[from the movie's
facebook page]

An upcoming South Korean movie entitled NO BREATHING is set to have Davao City featured in their movie. The Philippine Star reports that the South Korean filmmakers chose the Davao City for what would be around 15 minutes of the movie. Its Producers have "discovered" Davao when a contingent from the city participated in the Korean World Travel Fair in Seoul last June. This is according to Department of Tourism-XI Regional Director Art Boncato, who also said "They will bring in around 72-man crew with about 15-20 actors." Boncato added that their producers were impressed with the cleanliness and natural resources of Davao when they had their pre-production ocular visit.
[continue reading after the jump]

ELYSIUM Philippine Release Moved to September 4

The upcoming Neill Blomkamp movie ELYSIUM which stars Matt Damon and Jodie Foster was originally, widely advertised for several months now, scheduled to have its Philippine release on August 9, 2013. Earlier this week, we noticed that the ads which had the schedule of the movie were removed from various websites such as clickthecity. Last Tuesday, Columbia Pictures Philippines has released a press statement announcing that ELYSIUM is now scheduled for a September 4 Philippine release date. No additional explainations have been provided. [hit the jump to read the press statement which gives data about the movie, and at the end goes directly to the point which states the Philippine release date]

The Real Auntie Terry's Reunion with ILO ILO director Anthony Chen

The Singaporean movie entitled "ILO ILO" was based upon the true-to-life experiences of director Anthony Chen and his family's relationship with a Pinay OFW Nanny from the City of Iloilo, Philippines.

Weeks ago, we reported that the real Auntie Terry, the Pinay OFW who inspired the story of ILO ILO had a reunion with the director of the movie Anthony Chen. Finding Auntie Terry was a story which brought about a flood of media attention and excitement, especially from Iloilo.

The Facebook page of the movie has provided the (translations of the) report of the Singaporean newspaper which had covered the event, which.was a very low-key event with no other media, as requested by Anthony and his family. [hit the jump to read the report]

ILO ILO opens in Singaporean Cinemas August 29

"ILO ILO" is set to be released on Singaporean theaters this August 29, 2013. A new poster that looks more comedic or lighter tone (to the point of goofy) has been released online vie the movie's facebook site. If you ask me, it's done in a style that seems reminiscent of classic Pinoy comedies of the 1970's and 80's.

The Singaporean movie entitled "ILO ILO" which has won the coveted Camera d’Or award for best feature film at this year's Cannes Film Festival, is based upon the true-to-life experiences of director Anthony Chen and his family's relationship with a Pinay OFW Nanny from the City of Iloilo, Philippines. Read our previous reports on ILO ILO [hit the jump to check out the other posters of the movie]

BOSES to Finally Open in Local Theaters

After a 5-year journey to local and international film festivals, BOSES comes to mainstream commercial local screenings, specifically SM Cinema (including Iloilo) on July 31, 2013. BOSES (Voices) is directed by Ellen Ongkeko Marfil (who also directed MGA PUSANG GALA, and ANGELS), and written by Froilan Medina and Rody Vera. The cast includes Julian Duque, Coke Bolipata, Ricky Davao, Meryll Soriano, Cherry Pie Picache. [more data after the jump]

Erik Matti's ON THE JOB is Jury's Choice in Korean Filmfest

Filipino Cinema has once again scored a success, this time at the 17th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea last week, with Erik Matti’s indie movie “On the Job” which won the Jury’s Choice; while lead star Joel Torre, won Best Actor. “On the Job” was also an entry in the Directors’ Fortnight of this year’s Cannes fest in France last May.

ON THE JOB is scheduled to have a commercial release in local cinemas on Aug. 28. No information as of yet if the movie is scheduled to reach Iloilo theaters.

Cinemalaya 2013 will be July 26 to August 4, 2013

On its ninth year, the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival will once again grace the silver screens, at least in Metro Manila anyway. Cinemalaya 2013 will be held this July 26 to August 4, 2013 at the Greenbelt, Trinoma, and the Alabang Town Center Cinemas.

A total of 122 entries were submitted for the New Breed category but they were trimmed down to ten finalists. For the Directors Showcase category, 18 scripts were submitted but only five entries will compete in this year’s film festival. The selected finalists in the New Breed and Directors Showcase categories each received a seed grant of P500,000 to finance the production of their films.

[check out the list of entries and other details over at cinemalaya.org]

The Finding of the Real-life Filipina Maid from which the film ILO ILO was Based Upon

The Singaporean movie entitled "ILO ILO" which has won the coveted Camera d’Or award for best feature film at this year's Cannes Film Festival, is based upon the true-to-life experiences of director Anthony Chen and his family's relationship with a Pinay OFW Nanny from the City of Iloilo, Philippines. Now, the film's facebook page has revealed that they have found the actual Pinay on whom the movie is based upon. Read the facebook statement after the jump.

JM De Guzman backs out of San Pedro Calungsod movie

JM De Guzman as
Pedro Calungsod in an
early publicity photo

One of the entries for this December's Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is the highly anticipated movie based on the life of the young Filipino saint Pedro Calungsod, entitled "San Pedro Calungsod: Batang Martir" But that film is currently facing a setback because its leading man JM De Guzman, who will be playing the titular character, is backing out from the project.

Ronnie De Guzman, JM's father confirmed that the actor will be withdrawing from his role citing health reasons, revealing that his son is "going through something" and he does not want him to suffer tedious production and hours required to film the movie. [full article after the jump]