ALL FILM & TV FEATURES
‘New definitions’: Ngilngig film festival makes fantastic return
After a two-year break, the Ngilngig Asian Fantastic Film Festival is back with a trove of fantastical stories from all over the regions and Asia.
No Hard Feelings: The (most vulnerable) time of your life
Faraz Shariat’s No Hard Feelings captures the inherent uncertainty and vulnerability of both the coming of age and the immigrant experience in a simple, yet honest and emotional film
12th Active Vista Human Rights Festival: Breaking the Cycle through Cinema
As the 12th edition of the Active Vista Human Rights Festival draws to a close, we imagine how cinema transforms art into resistance.
BINISAYA 2024: Mga Salida Para Sa Atoa
A Cebuano documentary about pottery, an absurdist Chavacano tale of animalism, and a Fil-Am filmmaker revising her script in the middle of production are some of the best shorts featured in the Binisaya Film Festival 2024.
Championing the Bisaya Language on Melai’s ‘Kuan on One’
Melai’s "Kuan on One" is a much-needed representation for the Bisaya community in local mainstream media as it highlights the Bisaya language and provides a platform for Bisaya talents to share their stories.
‘The Boys’: The Antithesis to Superhero Fatigue
The Boys’ gritty portrayal of a world where superhumans exist redefines our perspectives of power and heroism. It delivers a sharp cultural critique of today’s world and effectively subverts the concept of superhero fatigue in a raw experience.
Contradictions Shape Us: Understanding Komorebi through ‘Perfect Days’
When struggles accumulate and shadows overlap, does darkness grow even more dimmer? If it’s indeed true, then why does the sunlight become more pronounced when shades of leaves rustle with each other from a branch of a tree?
‘The Roof (2006)’: Uncovering the Perspectives of Arabs in Israel
Arab citizens of Israel are being used as scapegoats to defend the genocide charges against the country. If it was genocide, they ask, why aren’t they being murdered as well? The Roof is an insightful documentary that explores the perspectives of Arabs living there and helps us understand their experiences in the midst of this conflict.
SINEPIYU XVI: College Students Celebrate Student Filmmaking
Held at the FEU Main Auditorium, veteran actors Bembol Roco and Rolando T. Inocencio were in attendance for the awarding of SINEPIYU XVI along with the selected cast and crew of the presented films.
Musings on music and physical media with 'Recto Records' director Jego Rafael
Amid minimalism and technology, Mang Greg continues to set up shop each day in Recto, surrounded by albums ranging from The Beatles’ Abbey Road to Avril Lavigne’s The Best Damn Thing. Read our interview with director Jego Rafael on ‘Recto Records,’ still streaming on Cinemata.
Fearless and Uncontained: The Ambitious Cast of Sinepiyu XVI
“Be liberated from convention,” goes Sinepiyu in their program invitation (arbitrarily translated by me). It’s not just a challenge posed to the filmmakers participating in the film festival, but it’s also a dare for future audiences: to suspend everything they think they know about student cinema and permit themselves to experience the new, the perverse, and the ambitious.
Behind Black Beret 2024: Talking to UP Student Filmmakers
In this year’s edition of Black Beret, student filmmakers from UP Film Institute presented stories about unconventional friendships, long-lost loves, and grief amidst personal transformation.
We interviewed three of the directors this year, namely Coby, Raia, and Hanns, read Sofi’s feature for more:
CINEKURO: Presenting Confident, Liberating Filmmaking
Kuro-kuro's CINEKURO presents four short films with one eye on engaging storytelling and another on the filmmakers’ advocacies, maintaining a confidence in their vision that their stories will resonate.
SINEGANG.ph's 2024 Oscars Predictions and Staff Choices
With the Oscars just right around the corner, staff at SINEGANG.ph has cast their own ballots as to who they think will win and are most deserving of the Oscar trophy.
Beyond ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’: On Male Gaze and Its Grip on Our Community
In honor of Women's Month, I find myself reflecting back on 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire,' its impact on the exposure of male gaze, the need for feminine empowerment, and my deepened love to the enduring grace of how inspiring it is to be a woman—a sister, a mother.
Sinalang Film Festival Offers Alternative Modes of Film Spectatorship
The inaugural edition of the Sinalang Film Festival celebrates Philippine cinema in unconventional and innovative ways, encouraging an active and participatory viewership.
Victor Villanueva raises the bar for comedy with 'I Am Not Big Bird'
Victor Villanueva’s 'I Am Not Big Bird' gives a new appreciation for friendship and introduces us to a more innovative style of filmmaking. Read about our interview with him as he discusses shooting in Thailand and directing the big comeback of Enrique Gil.
From Romblon to Berlinale, Ryan Machado on the unlikely journey of ‘Huling Palabas’
‘Huling Palabas’ director Ryan Machado talks about getting into Berlinale with a genre-bending coming of age film.
Anyone But You: Sigh no more, it's the return of the modern Shakespeare adaptation
Anyone But You, directed by Will Gluck brings back a Shakespeare flavored rom-com with 2000s energy, in an imperfect but charming movie that’s a fun time at the cinemas.
John Rogers Gets Real With 'As If It's True'
In 'As If It's True', a social media influencer and a musician enter a fake relationship to resuscitate their dying careers. Read our interview with director John Rogers as he talks about the process of making his film and more.