ANG SAYAW NG DALAWANG KALIWANG PAA
(THE DANCE OF TWO LEFT FEET)
2011
Marlon hires Dennis to teach him how to dance to impress Karen, his literature professor, who moonlights as a choreographer and dance teacher. As he discovers how the body works, Marlon begins to understand the intersections between poetry and dance. Karen assures Marlon that he does understand her poetry. His mind is just unwilling to, unlike his body which already understands. This film features poetry of the top feminist writers in the country rendered in music and dance: Ophelia Dimalanta, Benilda Santos, Joi Barrios, Rebecca Añonuevo, Merlinda Bobis, and Ruth Elynia Mabanglo.
Dance, poetry and desire commingle in “The Dance of Two Left Feet,” an elegantly assembled drama about an unconventional love triangle that springs from a college student’s infatuation with his much older teacher. Filipino helmer Alvin Yapan confirms the promise of his 2009 debut, “The Rapture of Fe,” with this technically sophisticated exploration of romantic yearning that is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally engaging.
— Richard Kuipers, “Review: The Dance of Two Left Feet,” Variety, 27 November 2011.
Featuring: Paulo Avelino, Rocco Nacino, Jean Garcia
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Best Picture, Gawad Urian Awards 2012 (including Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Music, Best Actor for Paulo Avelino, and Best Supporting Actress for Jean Garcia)
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Circulo Precolombino de Bronce Mejor Pelicula, Bogota International Film Festival 2011
ANG PANGGAGAHASA KAY FE
(THE RAPTURE OF FE)
2009
Caught between an abusive husband and an impotent lover, Fe discovers the possibility that it was a kapre, a tree ogre in the local lore, who has been leaving her baskets of black fruits at the frontyard to court her. She has to choose whether to elope with the kapre who could very well be just a figment of her imagination satisfying her need for emancipation, or stay trapped with the men in her real life who could never protect her nor make her happy.
This film belongs to the trend of “dark realism” coming from Philippine cinema in recent years, in which it has become amazingly proficient, earning it some international awards.
وينتمي الفيلم إلى تيار «الواقعية السوداء» الذي قدمته السينما الفلبينية في السنوات الأخيرة، والذي أتقنه بشكل مذهل، مما أكسبه بعض الجوائز العالمية.
— Ahmed Shawky Abdel-Fattah, “Review: The Rapture of Fe,” Panorama: The Official Daily Bulletin of the 33rd Cairo International Festival, 9th Issue, 2009.
Featuring: Irma Adlawan, Nonie Buencamino, TJ Trinidad
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Best Digital Feature, Cairo International Film Festival 2009
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Special Jury Prize, Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival 2009
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Official Entry, Spirit of Freedom Narrative Feature, Bahamas International Film Festival 2009
AN KUBO SA KAWAYANAN
(THE HOUSE BY THE BAMBOO GROVE)
2015
In Michelle’s world everything is interconnected. Her house, along with a river stone, a June beetle, and a can of sardines, would help her preserve the ecology of joy and peace she nurtures by the bamboo grove. In a place where everyone dreams of being somewhere else, Michelle finds herself inseparable from her home to the point of obsession. This film offers a highly unusual approach towards ecology, as the sentient depiction of the bamboo house, with all its creaks and cracks, acts as a window that perceives the vitality of the exterior world.
Hovering between folkloric myth and psychosexual reverie, Philippine helmer Alvin Yapan’s The House by the Bamboo Grove depicts a woman who develops an all-consuming attachment to her home. Though less visually rhapsodic than Yapan’s previous film, Debosyon, this sensual tale basks in the same pagan animism, and intrigues by its very simplicity.
— Maggie Lee, “Review: The House by the Bamboo Grove,” Variety, 28 November 2015.
Featuring: Mercedes Cabral, RK Bagatsing, Marc Felix
- Official Entry, Asian Feature Film Competition, Singapore International Film Festival 2015
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Best Picture, World Premieres Film Festival 2015 (including Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Actress for Mercedes Cabral)
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