Deocampo public lecture on FHL YouTube channel
ON MARCH 5, Nick Deocampo held a lecture called “Popcorn at the Barracks” on Filipino movies studied through historiographic, semiotic, and nationalist perspectives. The independent filmmaker and UP professor discussed the legacies left behind by World War II on Philippine cinema. He reconstructed movie spectatorship and film production, and reflected on cold war developments by examining movies that dealt with the theme of World War II, particularly Manuel Silos’ Victory Joe and Lino Brocka’s “Hellow, Soldier” from the movie Tatlo, Dalawa, Isa. Deocampo’s lecture can now be viewed at the Filipinas Heritage Library’s YouTube channel. The lecture is the latest installment of “Liberation Talks,” a series of events under the Liberation: War & Hope banner program, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Exhibit on Magellan-Elcano expedition at National Museum
THE NATIONAL Museum of the Philippines, in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain in Manila, will launch a special exhibition on March 23, 2022, at the National Museum of Fine Arts. The Longest Journey: The First Journey Around the World exhibition features breakthroughs and milestones of the Magellan-Elcano expedition from 1519 to 1522. The exhibition is part of the celebration of the Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines.
Lenten exhibit opens in Ali Mall
ARANETA City opens an exhibit of religious relics in Ali Mall to remind the public this Lenten season of the passion and sacrifice of Christ. “Takip Silim,” the exhibit, depicts Jesus Christ’s passion, crucifixion, death, and burial which ended during the day’s dusk (or takip silim). More than 40 religious images and replicas from different parishes around Metro Manila and Rizal are on display in the exhibit. Notable images are vintage images of the Nazareno, Mater Dolorosa, La Esperanza Macarena, and San Juan Apostol, to name a few. The exhibit is now open until April 1 at the Gen. MacArthur Entrance of Ali Mall.
Musical theater workshops with Rony Fortich
THE BGC Arts Centers presents it 5th online Musical Theater Workshops with Rony Fortich. Mr. Fortich was musical director of the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort from 2005 to 2017. He wrote musicals such as The Bluebird of Happiness, and The Quest for the Adarna. The immersive four-week program includes 10 group sessions (1.5 hours each) and two one-on-one sessions with Mr. Fortich, plus a culminating online performance for family and friends. Each student will also receive vocalization tracks, a personalized minus one, and a digital certificate of completion. Workshop schedules are available for children, teenagers, and adults. For more information, visit https://www.bgcartscenter.org/musical-theater-workshops.
MADE calls for art entries
METROBANK Foundation, Inc. (MBFI) launched the 38th edition of the Metrobank Art & Design Excellence or MADE with a call for entries. All qualified Filipino visual artists are invited to submit their paintings and sculptures. The call for entries is open until March 31. This year’s theme is “Emerge: Step into Your Boundless Future.” The 38th year of MADE follows the successful resumption of the Painting and Sculpture Recognition Program after a year of pause prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, MADE received the highest number of entries in the last 10 years with a record-breaking 701 entries. The 2022 MADE Painting Recognition Program is open to all Filipino citizens who are 18 to 35 years old (18 years old as of March 31, 2022 and still 35 years old as of Sept. 22, 2022). The entry must be an original artwork, wholly conceptualized and executed by the entrant. The 2022 MADE Sculpture Recognition Program, on the other hand, is open to all Filipino citizens who are 18 to 50 years old and who have not won in past MADE Sculpture Competitions. Artists who have and have not held solo exhibits are both eligible to join the MADE Sculpture Recognition Program. Interested entrants shall accomplish the e-entry form over at www.madeartdepot.ph and submit the requirements to hello@madeartdepot.ph. For the required artwork and sculpture specifications, detailed submission procedures, dates to remember, and other important information, view or download the 2022 MADE Painting and Sculpture Competition Guidelines via www.madeartdepot.ph or visit the MADE Facebook page @metrobankartanddesign. Two grand awardees for the Painting Recognition Program and one grand awardee for the Sculpture Recognition Program will be chosen. They will each receive P500,000 plus the MADE trophy. Meanwhile, the Metrobank Foundation has a social media campaign to serve as a platform for online visual arts education and conversations, as well as shine a spotlight on artists and their insights, starting with “Thriving in the Midst, Leading the Ascent,” a virtual art exhibit which is on view until Dec. 22 at www.madeartdepot.ph. It features 99 works from the MADE collection. There is also the Art MADE Public series of webinars: “Walang Future sa Arts!” which debunks misconceptions and stereotypes about being an artist with curator and art writer Alain Camiling, visual artist and community organizer Alee Garibay, and cultural and museum worker Rica Estrada; “You Never Forget Your Firsts” in which trailblazing artists — JunkNot Eco Creatives Founder IDr. Wilhelmina Garcia, Kanto.com.ph and Brutalist Pilipinas Founder Mel Patrick Kasingsing, and KANTINA Founder Marika Constantino — share stories of the firsts that propelled their practice and careers; and “Anong Ambag Mo?” a discussion on artists as changemakers and creativity as a tool for social progress with Daloy Dance Co. founder Ea Torrado, Got Heart Foundation as well as Katinko CEO Melissa Yeung Yap, and Museo ng Muntinlupa Assistant Curator Precious Iñosa. These webinars can be seen at the MADE Facebook page @metrobankartanddesign.
Life, hope and death in online theater show
BAGO Dumilim sa Labas, a virtual performance on the dynamics of familial relationships in the face of continued challenges, will be streamed starting April 6. The 50-minute production centers on the connection of two siblings — a freelance artist and a medical frontliner — who currently navigate through difficulties posed by the pandemic, as their mother fights for her life at the hospital. Bago Dumilim sa Labas was produced by Sining LABinsiyam (SiLAB), a group of young artists and actors from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Design and Arts. Written by Janji Gamboa and directed by Jack Denzel Gaza from the Benilde Theater Arts Program, the pre-recorded play will be available on view from April 6 to 13, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tickets may be purchased from via Ticket2Me (https://ticket2me.net) for P150. For more information, visit the official Facebook pages of SiLAB (https://www.facebook.com/SiLAB119) or Benilde Theater Arts (https://www.facebook.com/benildetheaterarts).
Game of Trolls on ktx
THE PHILIPPINE Educational Theater Association (PETA) presents the play Game of Trolls via www.ktx.ph. Written by Liza Magtoto and directed by Maribel Legarda, the musical is about Martial Law, and is an advocacy against historical revisionism and fake news. The lyrics, musical arrangement, and direction are by Vincent de Jesus. The musical will stream in on April 8, 22, and 23. To buy tickets, visit www.ktx.ph/category/a-game-of-trolls. Tickets are priced at P150.
Power Mac Center holds summer art camp
APPLE partner Power Mac Center (PMC) is opening this year’s summer art camp for children. From April 19 to Aug. 30, PMC’s official training arm — PMC Business Systems, Inc. (PBSI) — will be offering “Design Trail for Kids” with six special courses covering comics creation, 2D animation, game design using various software, and building trendy filters and 3D effects. Sessions will be conducted online for children aged seven to 15 years old. The available courses are: The Art of Comics (seven to 10 years old), where children can create their own comics with doodles, basic lines, shapes, and colors by maximizing their iPad for art; 2D Animation using iPad (seven to 10 years old) where children will learn how to turn their ideas into a motion picture; Roblox Game Design (eight to 12 years old), where children can build and publish their own Roblox game through the Roblox Studio; Web Game Creation using Scratch (eight to 12 years old), the course will develop a child’s logical thinking skills through coding, and will also teach how to create interactive games using Scratch, the world’s largest programming language and online community.; 2D Game Design with Stencyl (12 to 15 years old) for a deeper dive into 2D game development and coding, how to create computer games with HTML5 and build games for iOS and Android using the Stencyl software; and, Building AR Face Filters and 3D effects (12 to 15 years old), an interesting way of combining the real world with technology and art. This course will teach how to create customized social media face filters and 3D Portal. Each online session lasts for 1.5 hours, and is conducted over four days (Tuesday-Friday). Classes can be availed at P2,500 per student per course, which can be paid via Power Mac Center’s Web Store (https://powermaccenter.com/product/pbsi-dtl001). Limited slots are available to maintain instruction efficiency, and reservation is on a first come, first served basis. For inquiries, contact PBSI at 8553-6399 and 0908-885-6277.
Palanca Awards now accepting entries
AFTER a two-year hiatus brought about by the global pandemic, the 70th Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature (CPMA) is now accepting entries. CPMA is now accepting submissions to its regular categories as follows: Novel and Nobela categories; English Division – Short Story, Short Story for Children, Essay, Poetry, Poetry Written for Children, One-act Play, and Full-length Play; Filipino Division – Maikling Kuwento, Maikling Kuwentong Pambata, Sanaysay, Tula, Tulang Para sa mga Bata, Dulang May Isang Yugto, Dulang Ganap ang Haba, and Dulang Pampelikula;and, Regional Languages Division – Short Story-Cebuano, Short Story-Hiligaynon, and Short Story-Ilokano. The special Kabataan Division for young writers below 18 years of age is also now open for entries in its two categories: English and Filipino. Submissions must be informal (personal) essays on the theme: “Life in the Midst of the Pandemic and Coping in the New Normal” (Kabataan Essay) and “Buhay sa Gitna ng Pandemya at Pagharap sa ‘New Normal’” (Kabataan Sanaysay). The contest is open to all Filipino citizens or former Filipino citizens of all ages except current directors, officers, and employees of the Carlos Palanca Foundation, Inc. Authors who wish to join may submit only one entry per category. The deadline for submission of entries is May 31. All submissions must be done online. The Carlos Palanca Foundation will not accept printed and e-mail submissions for all categories. The official contest rules and forms are available at the Carlos Palanca Awards website http://www.palancaawards.com.ph/. For further inquiries and other concerns, e-mail info@palancaawards.com.ph or call (632) 8843-8277 or (632) 8478-7996, and ask for Leslie Layoso or Susan Castillo
Poet performs GMA election advocacy theme
GMA News and Public Affairs has chosen Filipino spoken word poet Mark Ghosn as one of the performers of the official theme song of their 2022 Election advocacy. Mr. Ghosn renders the spoken word poetry in the theme song, “Panata sa Bayan,” sung by Aicelle Santos. Last November, GMA unveiled its election advocacy campaign “Dapat Totoo,” which is also the main content of the spoken word piece. Aside from being a spoken word artist, Mr. Ghosn is also known as the creator of the hit show Ampalaya Monologues which was adapted into a book and a TV series. The collaboration between Mr. Ghosn and Aicelle Santos is currently playing on the official social media accounts, radio stations and TV channels of the GMA Network.
