Cinemalaya’s ‘Retrospective’ brings back award-winning films – Manila Bulletin

Let’s bring back the gems of 2020

Missed last year’s award-winning entries? Now’s your chance to relive the experience as the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival features them once again.

This section features six short films, namely “Tokwifi” by Carla Pulido-Ocampo, “Living Things” by Martika Ramirez Escobar, “Pabasa Kan Pasyon” by Hubert Tibi, “Ang Pagpakalma sa Unos” by Joanna Vasquez Arong, “Quing Lalam Ning Aldo” by Reeden Fajardo, and “Excuse Me Miss, Miss, Miss” by Sonny Calvento.
“Tokwifi” narrates the story of a mestiza star back in the 1950s who was trapped inside a television. The character falls from the sky and dreams up a romantic romp with a Bontok Igorot who does not even know how to kiss. The film won the 2020 Cinemalaya Best Film for its highly original take on love between two persons coming from different eras and worlds, and how modernity and tradition could best be bridged by common sense of humanity.
Bagging the Best Director award, Martika Ramirez Escobar has effectively orchestrated the resources of cinema in its whimsical yet convincing tale of how two people in love confront the challenges of change with even more love and devotion. Her film “Living Things” is about a woman who discovers that her decade-long lover has turned into a cardboard standee.

Films from the ‘Retrospective’ section

Director Hubert Tibi won the Best Screenplay for his film “Pabasa kan Pasyon,” which follows a Bicolano family that turns to religion to make both ends meet. A moving tale of mother and son struggling to survive amid the sounds and sights of lent in the Philippine countryside, the short film has been screened in the Court Metrage section of the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.
“Ang Pagpakalma sa Unos,” which received the Cinemalaya Special Jury Prize, has been making the rounds in various film festivals. The film is known for its moving account, an experience through the eyes of a child of ravages wrought by the strongest typhoon ever recorded in human history. Its poignant poetry loses none of the event’s immediacy and tragedy.

“Quing Lalam Ning Aldo” narrates the tale of a transgender sampaguita farmer who decides to renovate their neglected kitchen as soon as she hears that her son is going home. Director Reeden Fajardo, through her impactful film, won the hearts of the viewers, bagging the People’s Audience Choice Award.
Completing the list is “Excuse Me Miss, Miss, Miss,” which is about a department store sales lady who unearths the ultimate secret to regularization. This fantasy comedy by Sonny Calvento was the first Filipino short film to compete at the prominent Sundance Film Festival.
The “Retrospective” section and others are available for viewing at ktx.ph.