The CCP Arthouse Cinema will screen four films that deal with the dark side of humanity, curated collectively as Taboo: Unwholesome Films, on June 8, 2017, 3p.m., at the CCP Tanghalang Manuel Conde.
The film selection includes “Alpas” by Jayson Santos, which questions what happens to a pretty corpse before it gets embalmed; and “Ika-3 Putahi” by Joe Bacus, giving a culinary delight served with mucho gusto while telling you why one should not covet thy best friend’s girlfriend.
The third film, “Kita Tayo” by Arnie Valdez, warns about whom you should befriend in social media through the experience of a poor naïve barrio lass, while the last film, “Dinuguan” by Khavn de la Cruz, is a delectable stew made from ingredients taken from the three previous short films and served with soothing mood music a la Khavn.
Curated by Teddy Co, Taboo films depict subject matters usually forbidden in polite conversation. Often called midnight movies because of their mature contents, these touch on taboos and transgressions that are part of the human condition, but only tangentially discussed in art. Taboo: Unwholesome Films screening is strictly for adults only.
After the screening of the films, a resource person together with the filmmakers will have a conversation with the audience to discuss the films and gain more insights on this film genre.
Meanwhile, there will be a back-to-back screening of the past winners of Animahenasyon, a competition organized by the Animation Council of the Philippines, Inc. (ACPI), and the animation category winners of the Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video on June 29, at 2p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively.
Established in 1987, the Gawad Alternatibo is considered the longest-running independent film and video competition of its kind in the ASEAN/Asian region. Gawad Alternatibo annually cites the best efforts of Pinoy filmmakers in four categories – Animation, Experimental, Documentary and Short Feature. Many of today’s outstanding filmmakers and media practitioners are alumni of Gawad Alternatibo.
Not to be missed is the celebratory screenings for the Centennial of Philippine Cinema, headed by the Society of Filipino Archivists for Film (SOFIA). The film archivists organization undertakes a three-year celebration, beginning 2017 until 2019, featuring various film screenings, forums, poster exhibits, workshops, silent film contest and other related events.
The celebration hopes to mark the start of Philippine Cinema as an art form in the country. Some historians, including the late Hammy Sotto who was the CCP’s first director of its Coordinating Center for Film, declared in the CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art that it was 1919 when a full-fledged Filipino film was screened, while others such as archivist Ernie de Pedro argued that it was in 1917. However, Presidential Proclamation 448 stated that “Philippine cinema’s advent dates back to 1919 when the first full-length, 100% Filipino-capitalized and produced, 35mm film ‘Dalagang Bukid’ was exhibited in the country.”
To kickstart the celebration, there will be a screening Cine/Sine by Nick Deocampo, as well as the documentary “Film During American Occupation”, on June 10, 2017, 3p.m., also at Tanghalang Manuel Conde.
Admission to all screenings is free on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, call CCP Media Arts at tel. no. 832-1125 local 1704, 1705, and 1712.
