Streaming Brillante’s flicks

By Nickie Wang

Brillante Mendoza has directed nine films since he started making movies in 2005. Three of these films (Tirador, Foster Child, Masahista) were exhibited at the Cannes Film Festival, and two others (Serbis and Kinatay) were part of the main competition.

To win best director award at Cannes Film Festival, which is considered as one of the oldest and most prestigious film festivals in the world, is not an ordinary achievement. The honor puts his name alongside the best filmmakers in the world like Quentin Tarantino and Ang Lee.

Recently, Brillante’s film Kinatay received two more awards at the Sitges International Film Festival in Spain. The director wanted to receive the Best Director and Best Original Soundtrack trophies but he was in Paris on the day of the awards night. He was having a meeting with a big film outfit that is willing to distribute his film Kinatay commercially.

Cinemanila: Haven for young filmmakers

By Nickie Wang

Independently-produced films do not earn much, most of the time they are not even close to breaking even. But why is that” indies” still proliferate in the country? Are we really trying to prove or profile the Philippine cinema as the new mecca of independent films?

Anita Linda in Brillante Mendoza's Lola

Producing “indies” is not about business. To most independent filmmakers, “It’s more of a passion.” Yet, their passion only pays off when their films are recognized abroad, but it is not always the case. Not all “indies” are acknowledged overseas.