The Philippines is well-represented at the 21st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).
Ten Filipino films will take part in South Korea's premiere film festival from October 6 to 15, 2016.
A WINDOW ON ASIAN CINEMA. Five films were included in the A Window On Asian Cinema section that is exclusively dedicated to Asian filmmakers.
The first one on the list is Lav Diaz's Hele Sa Hiwagang Hapis (English title: A Lullabay To A Sorrowful Mystery). Starring ABS-CBN actors John Lloyd Cruz and Piolo Pascual, Hele earned the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival held last February.
Award-winning director Brillante Mendoza and his latest masterpiece Ma'Rosa, topbilled by Jaclyn Jose, will also be screened in Busan. Jaclyn was hailed as Best Actress at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, making her the first Southeast Asian actress to achieve this feat.
Ato Bautista's Expressway will have its international premiere at the BIFF. The film, starring Aljur Abrenica and Alvin Anson, won three awards at the 2016 Sinag Maynila Film Festival. These include Best Editing, Best Musical Score, and the Best Actor award for Alvin.
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Malaysian director Bradley Liew will also represent the Philippines at the film festival with his drama Singing In Graveyard. The movie was recently part of the International Film Critic's Week section of the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. Singing In Graveyard follows the story of Pepe (played by Pepe Smith) a Filipino rock star impersonator "existing in a space between fantasy and reality."
Last but not the least, Anton Juan will debut his film Woven Wings Of Our Children starring JC Santos, Agot Isidro, and Barbara Miguel. According to the Busan IFF website, Woven Wings Of Our Children is a "filmic tapestry of the memories of street kids living in alleys, beneath bridges, and near waterways."
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WIDE ANGLE. The Wide Angle section of Busan IFF features quality short films, animation, documentaries, and experimental films.
Baby Ruth Villarama's documentary Sunday Beauty Queen will be competing in the Wide Angle section of the Korean film fest. The documentary tells the story of five Filipina domestic helpers working in Hong Kong as they take a break from their daily routines and treat themselves to makeovers before joining a beauty contest.
Sheron Dayoc's documentary The Crescent Rising is also in competition for the Documentary category of the Wide Angle section. In the BIFF's website, The Crescent Rising's program note reads: "A teacher of Islam who is also a MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front) soldier, a young jihadist, a woman widowed by war and a teen victim of an MNLF campaign make up just four parts of a larger tapestry illustrating Mindanao’s complex revolutionary and secessionist history."
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Singapore-based American filmmaker Phil Giordano will be competing in the short film section of Busan IFF with his entry Supot. The film revolves around the story of Rene-boy who seeks comfort from his mother, played by Mercedes Cabral, before he steps into manhood.
Raymund Gutierrez's short film Imago will also be screened at the festival. Before joining BIFF, this project of Brillante Mendoza's protege was the country's lone representative at the Short Film Competition in the 69th Cannes Film Festival.
Brillante Mendoza's short film titled Amorsolo's Dream is part of the omnibus film Art Through Our Eyes that also be screened in Busan. Veteran actress Rustica Carpio plays a market vendor in the short film inspired by the Fernando Amorsolo painting Marketplace during the Occupation (1942).
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