Sarong Banggi

Hi guys. My sked is starting to get a little more hectic already. Hello work! Goodbye social life! Hehe :) I'm really just fortunate I was able to squeeze in a day to attend my 10th year high school reunion. For my high school friends who weren't able to attend (Janet! :D), I'm going to post the pictures here soon.

In the meantime, I'm inviting everyone to support my friend's film Sarong Banggi. It will be shown on September 6 in all SM Digital Cinemas. Support!

Inspired!

After watching my friends’ films - Michiko Yamamoto’s Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros and Emman de la Cruz’ Sarong Banggi - last Thursday at the UP Film Center (sorry, I still have to adjust calling it Cine Adarna), my passion to write and direct my own film came back again. I had this urge when I was in college and forgot about it when I got sucked into the mainstream system. Watching my friends’ films though, I couldn’t help but envy them. I mean they can finally say that they did it. They made a movie that they want to do - without the intervention of a creative committee and without directors and producers reminding them about Aling Bebang. So what if Sarong Banggi was like it or hate it (I belong to the former few), at least Emman got to share his vision with everyone. Michiko’s film, I only had a few apprehensions (mostly editing and acting direction of some scenes), but overall the film is a classic. What I love about it is that it’s indie in nature but it did not alienate the mainstream audience. The screenplay was also very good. I was telling Michiko had I written the material, it would have been just a simple gay story but Michiko wrote more than just that. (And that’s for you to see coz I didn’t intend to write a film critique here. :D) The director’s documentary background also gave the film an authentic look of a typical lower-class metro neighborhood.

I just find it funny that some artsy fartsy snobs are now labeling Michiko and Emman as “staunch indie filmmakers” not knowing that Michiko used to write for teenybopper SCQ Reload and teleserye Pangako sa ‘Yo and currently writes for the soap Anghel na Walang Langit, and Emman used to be a part of the same mainstream studio creative committee these artsy farts love to pinpoint as the cause of Philippine Cinema’s death. Hehe. :) La lang! Who says that mainstream peeps can’t do indies? Or maybe it’s more of; a good film is a good film whether it’s indie or not.

*****

I’m now going to the gym, yahoo! Hehe.:) I enrolled in Fitness First ABS-CBN yesterday. The pay was quite hefty but I just want to think of it as a challenge (or an inspiration, haha :D) to have a good and healthy bod. I have this wrong notion that when I finally have a good bod, I will gain more confidence and with more confidence, I can finally get a lovelife. Hoy, kidding! :D

Let's Support The Indies

Reposting a letter from my good friends/indie filmmakers Michiko Yamamoto and Emman de la Cruz. :)

November 28, 2004

Mga kaibigan,

Marahil ay alam niyo na, pero gayunpaman,
hayaan ninyong i-share namin sa inyo ang
magandang balita.

Ang dalawa naming full-length independent digital
film project ay napili ng Cultural Center of the
Philippines (CCP) at Film Development Council of
the Philippines (FDCP) na maging kabilang sa
sampung entry sa Cinemalaya Festival, na
magaganap sa Pebrero. Kasalukuyan kaming
naghahanda para sa shooting ng dalawang
pelikula.

Sarong Banggi ang isa. Galing sa malikot na
imahinasyon ni Emman Dela Cruz, kuwento ito ng
isang babae, isang lalaki, at ang gabi ng kanilang
pagkakakilala isang gabi ng dahan-dahang
pagpapaubaya at unti-unting paghuhubad ng sarili
sa isat isa.

Isinulat naman ni Michiko Yamamoto ang isa pa.
Ang matamis-mapait na pagkakaibigan ng isang
batang bading sa isang baguhang pulis sa gitna
ng
karalitaan at kriminalidad sa lungsod ang siyang
sentro ng kuwento. Ito ay Ang Pagdadalaga ni
Maximo Oliveros.

Bagamat malayo ang mararating ng napanalunan
naming grant (500 thousand per film, na ibibigay
sa
amin ng anim na installment, habang ginagawa
ang
mga pelikula), hindi ito sasapat sa kabuuang
production cost ng nasabing dalawang pelikula.*

Kung kayat kailangan namin ang inyong tulong.

Anumang halaga na inyong bukas-pusong
maipamamalas sa amin ay aming ikalulundag sa
tuwa.

Yakap lamang ang aming maisusukli bilang
pasasalamat, kambal siyempre ng inyong
pangalan sa credits ng aming mga pelikula, at ang
pangako na hindi masasayang ang inyong
partisipasyon.

Marami-rami na rin ang ating pinagdaanan.
Kasama namin kayo sa aming bawat tagumpay.
Sanay samahan niyo pa rin kami dito sa
paglalakbay naming ito.

Mabuhay tayong lahat at ating mga pangarap!

Sumasainyo,

Ang mga writers at producers,

Jade Castro
Emman Dela Cruz
Raymond Lee
Ned Trespeces
Michiko Yamamoto

*650 thousand ang budget ng Sarong Banggi,
mahigit 800 thousand naman ang sa Ang
Pagdadalaga nangangahulugang kailangan
naming magtipon ng halos 450 thousand pa.

**Para sa mga donasyong naka-tseke, paki-
pangalanan po si Emmanuel Dela Cruz o si
Michiko Yamamoto

------------------

To know more about Cinemalaya, please click on
the links below:

http://news.inq7.net/gsearch/gws.php?
radiobutton=inq7&searchkey=cinemalaya

http://news.inq7.net/entertainment/index.php?
index=1&story_id=19360


Mga friends, ngayon alam ni'yo na. We need your
help. This is for the good of the film industry :)

Any amount will do and will be gladly appreciated.
You can deposit the money in my account.
Account name Michiko Yamamoto Equitable-PCI
Timog branch Account # 01570-54236 or we can
meet. Please text or email me the amount you've
donated for accounting purposes. If you're not
interested, i won't take it against you. Pero
makatulog ka sana ng mahimbing. Hahaha

Kung feeling mo makakatulog ka pa rin ng
mahimbing, tumulong ka na lang in another way.
Pakikulit na lang yung mga rich friends, relatives
ni'yo for aguinaldo tutal Pasko naman :)
But please, pakibigay po yung pera sa amin at
yung listahan ng mga mababait na nagdonate with
the total amount. Thanks a lot!

Give money on Xmas day! :)

Advance Merry Xmas to all!

Mitch :)

The Future of Philippine Cinema

I just want to say congrats to my friends Michiko, Emman and Byron for being three of the 10 finalists in the Cinemalaya Awards. Grabe, bow ako sa inyong tatlo! I am Patricia Clarkson in Six Feet Under right now. I'm a groupie of you, artists! I'm so proud to be your friend. Haha! :) Baka sila na ang magiging next Brocka at Bernal, kaya tandaan at panoorin ang entries nila February of 2005 sa First Philippine Independent Film Festival...

"Baryoke" by Ron Bryant
"Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros" by Michiko Yamamoto
"Sarong Bangi (One Night)" by Emman dela Cruz

Good luck sa shooting ng pelikula nyo guys, at kung kailangan nyo ng artista andito lang ako. Wink, wink! ;)