he's really in love with pinoy films.
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dear Tikoy, Laurice Guillen, Mara and Jose F. Lacaba, Mike de Leon, Doy del
Mundo,
it was a real pleasure to meet with Laurice and Doy in Singapore.
Almost upon my arrival in Paris, Olivier Père in charge today of the
Director's fortnight with a a young team invited me for a screening of the
new film of Mario O' Hara which he had just invited.
It is probably very personal but looking at the film was like living again
all the happenings of the late seventies and the early eighties as well the
makings of the films in the streets and the slums, the evenings of PETA at
Fort Santiago, the screenings at LVN, the giant political rallyes, the
vaudeville disputes with the censorship, the film of Mario reflects and
chronicles all of that and more - and certainly the music track is
nostalgic.
I also remembered all the technical difficulties which we had to overcome,
printing, subtitling and this is also why I am writing this e-mail fax - in
whatever capacity you can, please contribute to make this comeback at Cannes
in the section, where "Insiang" and Mike's films came, as successful as
possible - and it will be a celebration of Lino and Hammy who would have
rejoiced the event, a celebration of CineManila as well as of "Maynila".
The young gentlemen of the Quinzaine did not know that Tikoy named his
Festival from the company which produced "Tinimbang", maybe Doy could write
a note about it, Pete about the political turmoils, Mike about the role of
LVN, Laurice as an early collaborator of Mario, Tikoy as a young spectator.
Maybe all of you together will convince Mario, who I believe is afraid to
fly, to make an exception.
In France, we are still a few to remember those great moments, we shall all
be happy to welcome him, hoping that the Filipino film industry will start
again, look at what has happened in the recent years in Korea and Thailand.
There are signals in Sri Lanka, where Lester James Peries at 82 made a great
classical film, and Malaysia of something new, nothing would make more happy
Francisco Baltazar, Jose Rizal, Gerardo de Leon, Lino, Ishmael and Hammy if
the same happens within the Philippine Islands.
-Pierre Rissent