Synopsis of the films and filmmakers' bios. Thanks again to Ronald Arguelles of Cinema One.
CONFESSIONAL
(2007)
Running Time: 90 mins
Directors: Jerrold Tarog, Ruel Dahis Antipuesto
Screenwriter: Ramon Ukit
Producer: Ruel Antipuesto
Cinematographer: Ruel Antipuesto
Editor: Pats R. Ranyo
Music: Jerrold Tarog with Arodasi
Principal Cast: Publio Briones III, David Barril, Greg Fernandez, Owee
Salva, Donna Gimeno
About the Filmmakers
RUEL DAHIS ANTIPUESTO always wanted to study film, but since time and money never got together, he just took the plunge. He made so many mistakes along the way that he ended up teaching in a film school. He won the grand prize in the 2006 Sinulog video documentary competition,
and was cinematographer on the award-winning short, Carpool. Confessional is his feature directorial debut.
JERROLD TAROG took film theory courses while working on his Music Composition degree at the University of the Philippines and had a short encounter with the International Academy of Film and Television in Cebu.
He got three Gawad Urian Award nominations in 2007 for the scores of Kubrador, Kaleldo, and Manoro, and bagged the Cinemalaya prize for musical score for Kadin. His short, Carpool, won first prize at the 19th
Gawad CCP. Confessional is his first feature film.
About the Synopsis
Lies + Lies = Truth.
Ryan Pastor knows this by heart. As a small time filmmaker, he knows how sound and images can be manipulated to say anything. And he's tired of
the lies—the lies at work, in his relationships, the lies one must keep in society just to exist. On a whim, he decides to go to Cebu to document the Sinulog festival. There he stumbles upon a truth he didn't ask for and is reluctant to touch. One of his subjects, a former politician who may or may not be dying, decides to confess his sins—all
the crimes he committed while in office—before Ryan's camera.
What follows is a story of revelations and bitter truths, of buried secrets and sweet lies. CONFESSIONAL takes you to the heart of a criminal...or an honest man.
ALTAR
(2007)
Film Credits:
Running time:
Director: Rico Maria Ilarde
Screenwriters: Rico Maria Ilarde, Mammu Chua
Executive Producer: Ronald Arguelles
Producer: Mammu Chua
Cinematographer: Louie Quirino
Production Designer: Fritz Silorio
Music: Malek Lopez
Editors: Maisa Demetillo, Rico Maria Ilarde
Principal Cast: Zanjoe Marudo, Nor Domingo, Dimples Romana, Dido dela
Paz, Kristalyn Engle
About the Filmmaker
After graduating from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, RICO MARIA ILARDE immediately immersed himself in the mainstream by directing action scenes for his father Eddie Ilarde's TV
drama anthology. He has since made a name for himself in the
suspense-horror genre by directing Dugo Ng Birhen, Babaeng Putik, and
the Aquarium segment of the horror franchise Shake, Rattle & Roll 2k5.
His 2006 feature Sa Ilalim Ng Cogon has garnered considerable acclaim
and screened in festivals in Europe, Asia and South America.
About the movie synopsis
Anton, a boxer who accidentally killed an opponent in the ring, returns
to the Philippines from the US and finds himself jobless and destitute.
He is hired by a mysterious foreman named Erning, who assigns him and a
man named Lope to renovate an eerie, decrepit house on the outskirts of
the city. They soon discover that the place is haunted by the
apparition of a young girl, and that the basement carries a strange
wooden altar to an unknown deity. Truly bloodcurdling events follow one
after the other, snowballing into a deeply disturbing and violent climax.
MALING AKALA
(2007)
Film Credits:
Running time:
Directors: Veronica B. Velasco, Pablo Biglang-awa Jr.
Screenwriter: Veronica B. Velasco
Producers: Veronica B. Velasco, Pablo Biglang-Awa Jr.
Cinematographer: Larry Manda
Editors: Danny Añonuevo, Lester Olayer
Principal Cast: Victor Basa, Jodi Sta. Maria
About the Filmmakers
This is the second feature from the team of VERONICA VELASCO and PABLO BIGLANG-AWA, JR, whose first film Inang Yaya was named Best Film of 2006 by the Young Critics' Circle and Best Digital Film by the Star Awards.
Pablo started out as a graphic designer and is now a director of commercials for Unitel. Veronica has been with Unitel as a producer for 15 years. They honed their craft by directing and producing 30-second ads.
Pablo is a visual artist and grand prize winner of the Art Association of the Philippines competition. "We've always been asked how we 'divide' directing," Veronica says. "We don't. We collaborate well since we complement each other's skills. He's a painter and I'm a writer."
About the Synopsis
The bittersweet love story of JP and Teta gives us a glimpse of how a gay man/straight woman relationship works… or doesn't. JP is a fugitive on the run, after having accidentally killed his lover. On the bus, he
sits next to Teta, who is 9 months pregnant. When Teta gives birth, JP accompanies mother and child home to their fishpond in Sasmuan, Pampanga. Teta impulsively introduces JP as the father of her child surprising both JP and her parents. When JP and Teta agree to play-act
husband and wife, their queer, dysfunctional tale begins.
PRINSESA (2007)
Film Credits:
Director: Lawrence Fajardo
Screenwriters: Jim Flores, Jade Snow, Lawrence Fajardo, Dado Lomibao
Executive Producer: Ronald Arguelles
Directors of Photography: Lawrence Fajardo, Jun Aves
Editors: John Wong, Conrad Zaguirre Jr
Music: Jobin Ballesteros, Jimmy Bondoc, DJ Myk Salomon
Production Designer: Lexter Tarriela
Principal Cast: Romnick Sarmenta, Archie Adamos, Shamaine Buencamino,
Katrina "Hopia" Legaspi
About the Filmmaker
LAWRENCE FAJARDO fell in love with theater and film in high school, when film director Peque Gallaga "discovered" him in the halls of the University of St. La Salle Bacolod. "Law" learned filmmaking through workshops and internships with Gallaga, Lore Reyes and Erik Matti. His
2005 short film Kultado, set in the markets of his hometown, won the Special Jury Prize in Cinemalaya 2005 and the Best Short Film award of the Gawad Urian. Kultado has been exhibited in Singapore, Germany,
Los Angeles and Italy, and is an official entry to the Clermont Ferrand Short Film Festival in February, 2008. His first full-length feature, Raket ni Nanay, was a Cinema One Original in 2006.
About the Synopsis
How does a child cope with being parentless? Princess' mother dies giving birth to her twin. Her father, Mar, gets a job overseas. Her aunt, Marie, cannot fill the void left by her parents.
Prinsesa is the first Filipino film to delve into the psychology of obesity. Fat people have always been portrayed as objects of ridicule in Filipino movies, but what of the circumstances surrounding the issue?
Prinsesa regards obesity in a new light, connecting it to the Pinoy diaspora, the separation of parents from their children, and the mechanisms of overcompensation. How can you be a good parent when you're thousands of miles away from your children? What's it like to grow up as
children of overseas Filipino workers?
TAMBOLISTA (Drumbeat)
2007
Film credits
Running time:
Director: Adolfo B. Alix, Jr.
Screenwriter: Ave Regina S. Tayag
Executive Producer: Ronald Arguelles
Supervising Producer: Alvin Yapan
Line Producer: Arleen Cuevas
Associate Line Producer: Maxie Evangelista
Editor: Aleks Castaneda
Director of Photography: Albert Banzon
Music: Khavn dela Cruz
Production Designer: Jeck Cogama
Sound Engineer: Ditoy Aguila
Principal Cast: Jiro Manio, Coco Martin, Sid Lucero, Anita Linda, Fons
Deza
About the Filmmaker
The films of Adolfo B. Alix, Jr portray strongly Filipino characters at the crossroads of tradition and modernity. His first feature, Donsol, was honored with special jury prizes at the Asian Marine Film Festival, Japan and the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, and is the
Philippines' official entry to the 2007 Academy Awards, Best Foreign Language Film category. His second feature, Kadin, has been screened at the Locarno and Amiens filmfests. As a screenwriter, Alix's works
include the feature films Homecoming, Mga Munting Tinig (Small Voices), and various television shows. A magna cum laude graduate of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Alix now teaches film and screenwriting courses at his alma mater.
About the Synopsis
Jason, 14, had one passion: playing the drums. His dream is to get a drum set of his own. But life is never as constant and regular as the beat of a drum; it often skips a beat or moves too fast. Jason's brother Billy discovers that his girlfriend is pregnant, and he needs to raise the money for an abortion. Their friend Paolo finds himself homeless, jobless, and burdened with a secret. When Jason tries to help Billy, he gets caught up in a web of betrayal and violence. He may finally be able to get his drum set, but is it worth it?
The third feature film from Adolfo B. Alix, Jr draws an intimate portrait of two brothers struggling with poverty and seeking a kind of redemption.
Note:
Agogo Makabago (40 minutes), Carpool (8 minutes), Ang Pagbalik (10 min.), Putot (20 min.), Kultado (22 min.) and Astig (4 min.) are featured guest short films.
