‘Taklub’ makes it to Gijon Int’l Film Fest in Spain

SPAIN – Just after winning the Ecumenical Jury Prize-Special Mention at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival last May, Filipino filmmaker Brillante Mendoza’s “Taklub” is still on a roll, this time competing at the Official Section of the Gijon International Film Festival in Asturias, Spain.

Starring Nora Aunor, the film is about the life of survivors of supertyphoon Yolanda.

The festival which will be held in November is famous for featuring independent films from around the world.

Last year, the festival invited Mendoza as its guest of honor.

Recently, his work was featured in a presentation by the Casa Asia in Barcelona.

Mendoza is considered as someone who continues the legacy of Lino Brocka, Kidlat Tahimik and other prominent directors who used their films to criticize social ills in the 70s.

Award-winning director Brillante Mendoza in 2013 Sitges International Film Festival in Spain with the author.

Jorge Ivan Argiz, program director of the Gijon International Film Festival, said Mendoza doesn’t surrender to what the market dictates. He maintains his identity as a director and continues to fight for cinema literacy and portrays reality.

Director Nacho Carballo of the Gijon International Film Festival added that Mendoza is a great filmmaker with fresh and unique films. Most importantly, his films tackle the real issues of Philippine society.

Aside from the praises he receives, the Filipino director knows how to interact with people, according to Gloria Fernandez, director of CineAsia, who wrote a book about him.

Mendoza is also behind the films “Masahista”, “Foster Child”, “Manoro”, “Kinatay”, “Lola”, “Thy Womb”, and many more. He said his stories are based on ordinary people in extraordinary situations. ABS-CBNnews.com

Watch the related TV report aired on Balitang Global, TFC, ABS-CBN:

Pinoy indie films premiere in Spain

 

By Daniel Infante Tuaño

SPAIN – The success of Filipino independent films has finally reached Spain. Seven selected Filipino movies are now being screened at a local movie house in Barcelona.

Every Saturday, at 8 p.m., from July to September, award-winning Filipino independent films can be seen at Barcelona’s Cinemes Girona as part of the second “Cinema de Cine Independiente de Filipinas”

The first movie shown was “The Red Shoes”, a romance-comedy that revolves around the infamous pairs of shoes amassed by former First Lady Imelda Marcos.

The film, which stars Nikki Gil and Marvin Agustin, almost drove a Catalan woman moviegoer to tears.

“I really like it. The movie is very well-made and it’s very heart-warming. And the guy is very handsome, and the girl too. Very nice,” she said in Spanish.

More films tackling student activism, poverty, migration, feminism, homosexuality and a critique on indie film industry itself will be shown in the following Saturdays — Joel Lamangan’s “Sigwa”, Remton Zuasola’s “Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria”, Chito Roño’s “Emir”, Sheron Dayoc’s “Halaw”, Marlon Rivera’s “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank” and Alvin Yapan’s “Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa”.

Last year, Filipino classics such as Lino Brocka’s “Maynila Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag” and Mike De Leon’s “Itim”, “Kakabakaba ka ba?”, “Kisapmata” and “Sister Estella L” were also shown in Casa Asia.

This film showing has been organized by Casa Asia and Cinemes Girona in collaboration with the Philippine Embassy in Madrid and Film Development Council of the Philippines. ABS-CBNnews.com

TV report in Filipino as aired on Balitang Global:

Four Filipino values kept alive by Pinoys in Spain

Giving importance to education and the Filipino language, Respect for elders, Gender equality, Bayanihan or mutual help

By Daniel Infante Tuaño

SPAIN – Wherever Filipinos go or wherever they settle to start a new life, they take Filipino values with them and even pass them on to the next generations. 

Like three Filipinas–Rebecca, Jennifer and Krystel–who shared their life experience in a workshop entitled “Migration and Gender in the Philippine community,” organized by Casa Asia in Barcelona.

Krystel, Rebecca and Jennifer

Casa Asia, an institution which promotes understanding of the Asia-Pacific in Spain, organized a workshop where Spanish and migrant women could understand more the gender dimension of Filipino migration based on the stories of three Filipinas who represent the three generations of a Filipino family.

The workshop turned out to be a tearjerker as the women became emotional when they started to look back what the whole clan had to go through to seek a better future in Barcelona.

But despite all the sacrifices and the pain of recounting the family’s struggles, the three women highlighted Filipino values which had been passed on to the three generations, namely giving importance to education and respecting elders.

Supporting the education of a family member is one of the primary reasons why Filipinos seek greener pastures abroad, according to Professor Maria Jesus Izquierdo, one of the workshop’s resource speakers who also made a research on Filipino migration entitled “Servidoras sin Fronteras. Migración Filipina Femenina y Redes de Cuidados.”

Jennifer Masilang, one of the three Filipina speakers, said that she makes sure that her children value education and learn Tagalog by speaking the language at home.

She has also frequently taken her children to the Philippines to make them more aware of the difficult situation in the country and appreciate more of what they have.

Jennifer’s mother and the family’s matriarch, Rebecca Masilang, who has been living in Barcelona for more than 25 years and was among the first Filipinos who came to the Catalan capital, placed importance on parents’ fundamental role in inculcating values to their children born abroad.

“Yang pag-opo, pagmamano, hindi dapat natin alisin sa kanila. Kaya sa ating matatanda, sa ating mga nauna dito, sa ating mga magulang, nasa atin talaga ang paghubog sa mga kabataang Pilipino. Respeto sa matatanda, respeto kahit sa mga hindi natin kalahi, wag natin gayahin dito ang kultura nila ang matatanda bina-balewala, sa atin mentras tumatanda, lalong pinapahalagahan,” Rebecca.

Her granddaughter, Krystel Cayari, who grew up both in the Philippines and Spain and works as a nurse in Barcelona, has shown respect and expressed profound concern for her elderly patients.

“Yung values na itinuro sa akin ng mga lola ko, ng mga parents ko, na-apply ko siya sa trabaho ko as a nurse. Minsan may mga pasyente ako kailangan lang nila ng respeto, ng konting pagsasalita, konting kausap at kung minsan yung hindi nabibigay ng family nila dahil nagtatrabaho,” Krystel said.

Casa Asia Workshop

Admiration for Filipinas

The three women also showed that Filipinas, though they can be emotional sometimes, are strong, brave, intelligent and play an important role in family and nation-building.

Izquierdo expressed her admiration of Philippine society in terms of gender equality, which she experienced first-hand while doing the research in the country.

Jennifer said that Filipinas don’t want just to be left at home. What they want is to work, earn and also contribute to the family.

And like most Filipinas in Barcelona, the three generations of women Rebecca, Jennifer and Krystel have been also active in the Filipino community, especially in one of the Filipino Catholic Church choirs.

Such activities of the Catholic Church were also part of Izquierdo’s study. In fact, another UAB professor and resource speaker Enrico Mora emphasized the important contribution of the Filipino Catholic Church in organizing the Filipino community in Barcelona.

Mora further recognized the existence of mutual help in the community, which Filipinos would rather call “bayanihan.”

Originally published on ABS-CBNnews.com