Now on its sixth year, the prestigious Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival has five established directors adding luster to this year’s competition with the new Director’s Showcase category.
Competing in this category are Ang Paglilitis ni Andres Bonifacio by Mario O’Hara, Two Funerals by Gil Portes, Sigwa by Joel Lamangan, Isang Pirasong Buhay by Mark Meily, and Pink Halo-Halo by Joselito Altarejós.{{more}}
The Director’s Showcase category features works by Filipino directors who have directed at least three full-length feature films which have been released commercially.
Dumagueteño Mark Fabillar, a graduate of St. Paul University Dumaguete, plays one of the key roles in the film Pink Halo-Halo. Shot in Masbate, Pink is the first full length feature shot entirely in the Masbateño language. The film is partly based on real life events, and tells the tale of what families of soldiers have to deal with in times of adversity. Back in 2008, a young boy catches a TV report about a wounded soldier pleading for rescue. That soldier is his father. He and his mother seek help that comes too late.
Fabillar plays Mateo “Mating” Bolante, brother of Corporal Lino Bolante (played by Allen Dizon). “Mating is a tired student. His family pressures him into becoming a soldier like his brother, but he’s interested in the arts. He sees the kind of stress his brother brings to his family, especially to his young son, every time he leaves for war,” Fabillar says.
“The greatest challenge of playing a Masbateño was learning the language. The Masbateño language is very different from Cebuano. It’s like a cross between Waray and Kiniray-a. It’s one thing to just memorize the lines, I wanted to learn every inflection, every stress. I took time to have conversations with the locals between takes to get used to it, and say the words as they would say it,” he adds.
When asked about how he feels about being the first Dumagueteño actor to star in a Cinemalaya film, he says: “I’m very excited! I love films, and I can’t wait to watch all of the entries this year. I’m really just a movie fan who was blessed with the opportunity to act. This is only my second film role, and playing Mating was very fulfilling. When I decided to become an actor, I realized there are two types of artistas: The celebrity and the actor. I want to become an actor.”
He also added he was very excited about working with famed Manila theater and indie actress Angelie Bayani, who plays the corporal’s wife. “Being in the shoot made me learn from her. She’s very humble and her talent is much greater than her.”
Pink Halo-Halo, written in 2004, was Joselito Altarejós final paper in a Creative Writing course at the University of the Philippines. It stars Allen Dizon, Angeli Bayani, Dexter Doria and Mark Fabillar. The 2010 Cinemalaya film festival will be held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila from July 9 to 18.
