The third full-length film by
filmmakers Paolo Villaluna and Ellen Ramos, Walang
Hanggang Paalam (Endless Farewell) will have its gala night at the Cultural Center of the Philippines this Saturday, July 25, at 6:15 PM.
This indie film is one of nine entries competing for the Cinemalaya-NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) Award.
Walang
Hanggang Paalam is the final installment to their so-called love
trilogy, after Ilusyon (2005) and
Selda (2007) where Direk Paolo and Direk Ellen explore the
nuances and tragedy of human interaction.
An 18-year-old free spirited girl
named Maria (Lovi Poe) elopes to Baguio with her boyfriend Ryan (Joem Bascon).
Arturo(Jake Roxas), a private investigator facing his own demons, has
been hired by Maria's stepfather to search for her. At the same time, a
Japanese businessman named Yoshi Imaizumi (Jacky Woo) learns that he has a terminal illness. He returns to the Philippines in search of
his long-lost Filipina lover who left him years ago.
The paths of the characters will intertwine
in a Baguio hotel, where they will not be able to escape their own fates.
Walang Hanggang Paalam became controversial in February 2009 because the Movie and
Television Review and Classification Board gave it an X rating, preventing the
film from being screened in time for its scheduled run at IndieSine, Robinsons
Galleria. (Click HERE to read related article)
A few days later, Lovi Poe happily reported that her first daring film received
an R-18 rating from the MTRCB. (Click HERE to read related article)
Walang Hanggang Paalam tells the story of four lonely souls whose search for the meaning of love will conclude in tragic self-discoveries. The film is a disquieting treatise on how love, like life itself is underlined and decided by fate. Like their two previous films, Paolo Villaluna and Ellen Ramos's third film is an exercise in classicist forms, delivering a a restrained approach in narrative filmmaking.
Their collective short and
full-length filmography has represented the Philippines in several international
film festivals including Pusan, Montreal, Thessaloniki, Melbourne, Torino,
Yamagata, Rotterdam, Oberhausen and Singapore. Selda (The Inmate)is recognized as the first Filipino
film to compete in the 32nd edition of the Montreal World Film
Festival as well as the 49th Thessaloniki International Film
Festival.
Not only that, Sid Lucero and Emilio Garcia won the Best Actor award for
the film Selda (The Inmate) at the 49th Thessaloniki IFF in Greece.
Walang
Hanggang Paalam(2009)
Cast: Lovi Poe, Joem Bascon, Jake
Roxas, and Jackie Woo
Directors: Paolo Villaluna and Ellen Ramos
Producers: Forward Group and Feminine & Annex Inc.
Cinematography: Manie Magbanua Jr.
Production Designer: Timmy Harn
Sound: Allan Hilado
Music: Pike Ramirez / Veena Ramirez
Asst. director: Caloy Santos Jr.
Production manager: Bernice Ilagan