Film industry plans for Q2 unveiled

THE Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) has announced this year’s recipients of the Parangal ng Sining award, a diverse group of living legends and pioneers who have shaped, and continue to shape, Filipino filmmaking.

This year’s lifetime achievement honorees are former president and actor Joseph “Erap” Ejercito-Estrada, actress and producer Charo Santos-Concio, actress and director Laurice Guillen, and award-winning independent filmmaker Lav Diaz.

FDCP chairperson Jose Javier Reyes described the four awardees as “influential not just through their respective works in film, but in the industry as a whole.”

He cited Mr. Estrada’s role in founding Mowelfund and the Metro Manila Film Festival, Ms. Santos-Concio’s contribution as a moving force in Star Cinema and ABS-CBN, and Ms. Guillen’s leadership of the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival. Of Lav Diaz he said, “He paved the way for Filipino filmmakers to be recognized in the international film circuit.”

Also recognized for the annual achievement awards are the film Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing) directed by Carl Joseph Papa, which won Best Animated Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards; the sports drama Sunshine, directed by Antoinette Jadaone, which won the Crystal Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival; and actress Judy Ann Santos, who won Best Actress at the 45^th Fantasporto International Film Festival in Portugal for the horror film Espantaho.

“There are many other films and talents achieving great things, but we are acknowledging these three for winning in major international festivals,” said Mr. Reyes at a press conference on March 28.

The awards ceremony will take place on April 11, 5 p.m., at Seda Vertis North, Quezon City, with actress Iza Calzado as the host.

To complement the awards ceremony, a series of tribute screenings will be held at Ayala Malls Vertis North on April 10 and 12, showcasing works of the honorees. Featured films include: Itim (1976) starring Ms. Santos-Concio; Tanging Yaman (2000) directed by Ms. Guillen; Ang Babaeng Humayo (2016) directed by Mr. Diaz and starring Ms. Santos-Concio; and Sa Kuko ng Agila (1989) starring Mr. Estrada.

FESTIVALS, SCREENINGS, WORKSHOPS, PROGRAMS
Mr. Reyes assured the press that rumors notwithstanding, the Cinemalaya film festival will be held this year and next, though at least this year the festival will be held in October instead of August. “Tuloy ang Cinemalaya sa October. Tuloy din ang Cinemalaya 2026. May mga pagkakaiba lang, pero tuloy yan. (Cinemalaya will push through in October. Cinemalaya 2026 will also push through. There are just differences, but it will push through.)”

The second quarter of the year will be marked by special screenings of various local and foreign films.

First is “A Curation of World Cinema” which will be shown in select cinemas this April. The mini-film festival will screen two recent Oscar nominees: the Brazilian drama I’m Still Here and the Australian animated film Memoir of a Snail. After that is the “I-nanimate” Animation Film Festival, which will screen award-winning films like Iti Mapukpukaw and the Latvian film Flow which won Best Animated Film in this year’s Academy Awards.

In May, the “Pamanang Pelikula” program will return to bring restored Filipino classics to the big screen. It will be led by ‘Merika, a film directed by Gil Portes and starring National Artist for Film Nora Aunor.

In June, the new “Curation of Asian Cinema” will feature the restored Jaguar, directed by Lino Brocka, among other Asian cinema masterpieces. The month will also have the Pelikulaya film festival, which celebrates queer narratives in solidarity with Pride Month.

With a mandate to promote film education and development, the FDCP will hold the Sine Kabataan pitching lab towards the end of April. Films born from this process are screened in September. At the same time, the Indie Siyensiya Workshop, held in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology, will be showing science-themed films made by students.

In Bacolod, actress Angeli Bayani will be teaching a crash course on Meisner Acting for aspiring actors who wish to hone their craft, scheduled for the month of May.

Now ongoing until June is the student film assistance program, which gives young filmmakers a financial grant of up to P50,000 and a masterclass opportunity. Interested applicants can visit the FDCP pages for more details.

Finally, Mr. Reyes revealed that the Philippine Film Industry Roadmap, being formulated in collaboration with creative consultancy agency Olsberg SPI, will be finalized in July.

It aims to “chart a sustainable path for the future of local cinema,” he said. — Brontë H. Lacsamana

UP SAMASKOM stages 35^th Live A.I.D.S.

LIVE A.I.D.S. (Ang Istoryang Dinebelop ng Samaskom), an annual live comedy musical variety show put together by the University of the Philippines’ (UP) media and communication student organization UP SAMASKOM, is back to deliver more laughs from May 9 to 11.

This time, its staging is titled A Laugh Story, which promises hilarious and bedazzling performances befitting the organization’s golden year.

Last year’s edition, titled Hysterical Revisionism, was the event’s comeback after the pandemic. Their goal this year is to mount their biggest production yet, grounded in reality to tell diverse Filipino stories, said production manager and SAMASKOM President MJ Caraan.

“Live A.I.D.S. is our way of protest,” said Ms. Caraan at a press conference on March 28. “While people may label us loud and obnoxious, hinding hindi kami mananahimik hangga’t hindi tayo pinapakinggan, hangga’t hindi nabibigyan ng lunas ang mga kanser ng lipunan (We will never be silent until we are heard, until the cancers of society are cured.).”

The show will contain ad-libs, improvisations, dances, and songs (another meaning to the “A.I.D.S.” acronym), giving both good vibes and sharp social commentary.

Ms. Caraan explained that they do this by being immersed in pop culture and viral trends, as well as current events.

For the show’s director, Kenneth De Leon, their aim is to be socially relevant amid this divisive era of fake news, in that way chronicling the history of the Philippines.

“We are storytellers of the times. If you watch the staging in 2016, you’ll understand the state of the elections then,” he said.

This year, Live A.I.D.S. run spans the three days right before the midterm elections on May 12 — a purposeful decision to be as timely as possible for Filipino voters.

Mr. De Leon said that the two-and-a-half-hour show is packed with multiple perspectives. “It tries to cater to many people. Usually the audience has their favorite segments, because there are references that may be specific to generations like millennial or Gen Z.”

To achieve this widespread sensibility, he described Live A.I.D.S. as a mix of high and lowbrow comedy, colloquially known as “aircon humor” and “kanal humor.”

Live A.I.D.S. has also served as a platform for up-and-coming performers. Some of its alumni are Kuya Kim Atienza, RS Francisco, Raymond Lauchengco, Wency Cornejo, Ate Glow, Michelle O’Bombshell, and Tuesday Vargas, among others.

Performers this year include actress, host, and TV presenter Jervi Wrightson, a.k.a. KaladKaren, and drag artist Mrs. Tan.

“Through Live A.I.D.S., I learned to see myself in a different light and feel more accepted. I started doing theater way before, in high school, but I never felt like I fit in there. Here at Live A.I.D.S., I was able to explore my artistry, through my queer lens,” Mrs. Tan said.

For Ms. Wrightson, the history of the show makes it a perfect avenue for witty and hard-hitting humor.

“The first Live A.I.D.S. was a batch project of applicants. This was around the time of the EDSA Revolution and they used it as a platform to express themselves creatively while tackling the issues of society,” she explained. “As time went by, the main market became UP students and alumni, and the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual plus) community.”

On the show’s increased visibility and promotion online, she concluded: “It really is the storyteller of the Filipino people. It has to be consumed by everyone.”

Live A.I.D.S 35: A Laugh Story, presented by the UP SAMASKOM, will be held from May 9 to 11 at the Ignacio B. Jimenez (IBG) – KAL Theater in UP Diliman, Quezon City.

Tickets range in price from P1,200 to P1,500, with a student price of P650. They are available via https://liveaids.helixpay.ph. — Brontë H. Lacsamana