100 Reasons Why I Love The Philippines (In No Particular Order) Part One

100 REASONS WHY I LOVE THE PHILIPPINES #1: Howdy Pilgrims! Daniel Palisa and I outside the ruins of the Diplomat Hotel in mountainous Baguio, scene of the ultimate nuns-with-machine-guns battle in They Call Her Cleopatra Wong (1978). It was originally a Dominican monastery in the 1800s before it was a hotel, then taken over by a Faith movement, and has been in ruins for over 20 years. And there it was, after a 20 minute drive uphill: the convent from Cleopatra Wong. Scanning the mouldering rooftops, my head was filled with visions of Bobby's moustache-clad nuns falling to their deaths in slow motion. I'm sure, somewhere amidst the slime-covered fountains and bombed-out rooms there's a metaphor for the Philippines film industry somewhere...

100 REASONS WHY I LOVE THE PHILIPPINES #2: Cebu. Man I love that place. We stayed at a fantastic backpackers called Kukuk's Nest (actually more like an artist's retreat) for two days with our incredible host Maria Victoria Beltran and her zombie-filmmaker progeny Ivan Zaldarriaga, ate and drank like kings, dropped anchor off an island and lazed in pith helmet on the crystal-clear sea, tore through the Church of Santo Nino, and managed to squeeze in a "Bamboo Gods" talk at the University of San Carlos courtesy of the VERY generous and welcoming head of cinema studies Misha Anissimov. Here's what remained of the USC film geeks...thank you Cebu!!!

100 REASONS WHY I LOVE THE PHILIPPINES #3: The desert in Ilocos Norte. The north-west part of Luzon island, twelve hours drive from Manila, is the last place you'd expect sand dunes, and that's what makes the Philippines' terrain so adaptable for movies. Cirio Santiago shot most of his post-apocalypse films nearby, and here at Fort Ilocandia - looking a little greener than usual thanks to the recent typhoon - Jim Gaines Jr shows me where Teddy Chiu shot him and Cynthia Khan in the futuristic kickboxing "epic" ETERNAL FIST/FIST OF STEEL (1992). This shot was taken just one minute before we received the phone call: "Madame Imelda is waiting for you..."

100 REASONS WHY I LOVE THE PHILIPPINES #4: Cecille Baun, the Godmother of Gore and Queen of Special Effects. This humble and generous lady, pictured in her workshop with me and Daniel Palisa and one of her many burnt rubber babies, revolutionized the way effects were created for the local film industry way back in the early Seventies, then went on to such diverse projects as Apocalypse Now, Platoon, Hamburger Hill (for which she was nominated for an Academy Award), Shake Rattle And Roll, the Darna series, Raw Force, and John Sayle's recent Amigo. Needless to say, Dani and I completely ran amok in her toystore!!

100 REASONS WHY I LOVE THE PHILIPPINES #5: Dolphy. The Pinoy King of Comedy passed away July 10th after seven decades in show business; here's a photo of a screening of his parody film James Batman (1966) - in which Dolphy plays James Bond AND Batman, and often in the same shot! - we did two days later in an artists' space in Baguio. I had the honour of meeting and interviewing Dolphy back in 2007, and having watching around fifty of his films I understood the enormous outpouring of emotion at his passing; as if an precious part of the Philippines' collective consciousness has departed this world forever. Screening James Batman that night was a raw, bittersweet experience, but made that much richer by sharing it with the crazed rice wine-swilling, bongo-bopping Baguio crowd (thanks Uber Alles!). RIP Dolphy.

100 REASONS WHY I LOVE THE PHILIPPINES #6: House parties at Richard Somes'. We bring a shopping bag full of Tanduay rum and mixer, Richard cooks up half a caribou, the horror directors come on over with the old Goons, and twelve hour later... Somes (in white t-shirt) is one of the most interesting genre directors currently working in the Philippines, his latest aswang film Corazon making a killing at the local box office; Maria Rico Ilarde (second from right) is also a veteran horror guy, currently completing a Regal film about a killer fridge (!!), while Ato Bautista (right) is the more avant-garde of the three - see his genre-bending Carnivore and The Night Infinite. Daniel Palisa and I are flanked by veteran B actors - and Apocalypse Now extras! - Jim Gaines Jr (left) and Don Gordon Bell (front). Mabuhay!

100 REASONS WHY I LOVE THE PHILIPPINES #6: Wallpaper. Specifically, the wallpaper in the home of Celso Ad Castillo, one the of the greatest ever filmmakers the Philippines has ever produced - Burlesk Queen (1977) with Vilma Santos, the horror classics Kill Barbara With Panic (1974) and Maligno (1978), iconic adult films Isla (1984) with Maria Isabel Lopez and the Soft Drink Beauties' Snake Sisters (1984), and that's just a hint at an extraordinary career. Daniel Palisa and I did the pilgrimage to his family house in Laguna, just over three hours drive from Manila, and for the next six hours drank rum and brandy, and talked about movies and laughed and plotted a collaboration. Keep watching this space...

100 REASONS WHY I LOVE THE PHILIPPINES #7: Guns. It's a gun-happy culture. Even the signs at the Manila Zoo say "Please leave your handguns at the counter". So OF COURSE you're going to find a shooting range in the sub-basement of the Makati Square trip mall. There were .45s, 9mms, a .22 (pictured) that pierced armour and went off like a landmine, and a pump action shotgun that screamed "F*ck you!!!" every time you discharged an empty shell. And yes, I am still vegan.

100 REASONS WHY I LOVE THE PHILIPPINES #8: Jeepneys. Those garishly-decorated reconditioned troop carriers that clog up roads and cost less than twenty cents a trip. Cel was our driver from Laoag Airport and he agreed to be our driver for the two days in Ilocos Norte; in return he received twice his regular wage plus he came to Imelda Marcos' birthday party with us. Believe me, there's nothing classier than turning up to the Marcos mansion in a jeepney!

100 REASONS WHY I LOVE THE PHILIPPINES #9: The Kids. These are the remains of UP Diliman's ISA (Interdependent Student-Centred Activism) organization after a three hour lecture and DVD compilation of Pinoy B films, one of four campus talks I did last visit. Watching the kids lose their minds over the collected works of Weng Weng, Bobby A. Suarez and Cirio H. Santiago is a subversive joy unto itself and makes for a loose, fun, carnival-like atmosphere inside those hallowed halls of learning. Thank you Marko Yambao for inviting me, and hope to see you guys soon!

100 REASONS WHY I LOVE THE PHILIPPINES #10: Contrabidas, or screen villains. If you were making an action film in the Philippines, you too would cast veteran actor with 25 years of films under his black belt and gold medalist in Tae Kwon Do Monsour del Rosario, pictured here in his Makati City Hall office with me and Daniel Palisa, as your contrabida. Picture this: we've just handed him our script, we get the thumbs-up, and to seal the deal we head down to the police shooting range in City Hall's basement to blast away on his custom-made 45. Even by non-Tae Kwon Do standards, pure Gold.

"ASWANG! Filipino New Blood" program at FAFF 2011

TRASH VIDEO PROGRAMS “ASWANG! FILIPINO NEW BLOOD” at the FANTASTIC ASIA FILM FESTIVAL…A celebration of Asian genre cinema!

Finally Australia has a film festival dedicated to genre film-making from the most exciting cinematic continent on the planet – Asia.

At a time where many Hollywood genre films are marred by predictability, lack of inspiration and play it ‘safe’ mentality, Asian genre films glow like electric beacons in the murky waters of mediocrity, reminding lovers of cinema that creativity and inspiration are not dead – not even close to it!

So, what is ‘genre’ you may wonder? Well we are looking at films in the classic Hollywood genre tradition – horror, sci-fi, fantasy and action as well as some that are unique to the region. In particular this year there will be a spotlight on contemporary Pinku Eiga (Japans famed erotic genre that has been going strong since the 1960′s).

Over four days in mid-November at Melbourne’s prolific Nova Cinema complex, Melbourne will buzz with some of the finest genre films from the Asia-Pacific region. Films from Japan, South Korea, China. Hong Kong and the Philippines will kick things off for 2011 and as the festival grows, we will reach out to other Asian territories, lighting up Australian screens with more Asian genre greatness.

Some of the worlds finest and most exciting cinematic talent will be showcased at the inaugural Fantastic Asia Film Festival – already confirmed are bold new titles from Korean maestro Na Hong-Jin, Japan’s L’enfant terrible Sion Sono as well as the mind twisting extremities of Japan’s Sushi Typhoon label and the best and bizarre of Yoshihiro Nishimura and Noburo Iguchi.

There will be guests, there will be events, there will be pure unadulterated Asian cinematic madness.

You are going to love the Fantastic Asia Film Festival! Click www.faff.com.au for the full program .

“ASWANG! FILIPINO NEW BLOOD” Curated and introduced by Trash Video’s Andrew Leavold

Nova Cinema, 11.30am Sunday 13th November

Two new sensational horrors from the heart of the Filipino darkness!

For many Filipinos, the provinces are a place of innocence and dread, where “civilization” ends and the pre-Christian terrors begin: shape-shifting creatures, vengeful ghosts, and evil spirits or Aswangs, all living in the cracks between the light.

It’s no surprise that the Philippines has had such a wealthy tradition of horror cinema, and Rico Maria Ilarde and Richard Somes are its most dangerous talents. FAFF is proud to introduce to Australian audiences two genre specialists with an unwavering command of the genre’s conventions, but with such inimitable filmmaking styles, and bodies of work that are brutal, uncompromising, independent of spirit, and unshakably Filipino.

ALTAR

“Altar, [Ilarde's] latest masterpiece, is an ultra-compact exploration of pinoy spirituality done in the most concise horror film terms possible” Olaf Moller, Senses Of Cinema

A failed boxer takes a job renovating a house deep in the countryside. There’s no electricity, a chapel upstairs, and what looks like a religious altar in the cellar – but just under its painted exterior is something infinitely more sinister. Director Ilarde plays havoc with Catholic iconography in a taut, pared-back thriller of pagan rituals, defrocked priests, and the phantom of a young girl doomed to witness Altar’s unspeakable horrors.

RUNNING TIME 90 mins / 2007 / Philippines / Horror / Aspect TBA

Director: Rico Maria Ilarde (Z-Man, Dugo Ng Birhen: El Kapitan, Ang Babaeng Putik, Shake Rattle & Roll 2K5 [“Aquarium” segment], Beneath The Cogon, Villa Estrella)

Cast: Zanjoe Marudo, Nor Domingo, Dimples Romana, Dido De La Paz

DIRECTOR BIO: No other Filipino filmmaker has embraced the horror genre with such passion and talent as US-educated Rico Maria Ilarde. His early predilection for sex-and-blood shockers such as Dugo Ng Birhen: El Kapitan (“Blood Of The Virgin: The Captain”, 1999) and Ang Babaeng Putik (“Woman Of Mud, 2000) has evolved into an impressive body of work revealing an innate understanding of tension and trauma. Ilarde is currently in pre-production on his first international production.

YANGGAW/“AFFLICTION”

“…an achievement, mixing traditional elements of horror and family melodrama, creating a picture that is so bizarre, it will be stuck to your mind months after seeing it.” Francis Cruz, Lessons From The School Of Inattention

Amor returns to her village with a mystery illness; a faith healer claims she is possessed by an evil spirit, and her family inadvertently aid her transformation into a bloodsucking, baby-eating aswang. The blackness of the provinces’ nights, and the sanctity of a Filipino family ripped asunder, provide the heady backdrops for Somes’ feature debut, a grimly realistic take on Filipino folklore that’s as gore-streaked as it is genuinely unsettling.

RUNNING TIME 98 mins / 2008 / Philippines / Horror / Aspect TBA

Director: Richard Somes (Shake Rattle & Roll 2K5 [“Ang Lihim Ng San Joaquin” segment], Ishmael)

Cast: Ronnie Lazaro, Tetchie Agbayani, Joel Torre, Aleera Montalla, Erik Matti

DIRECTOR BIO: Cavite-born Somes learnt his craft as production designer for fantasy and horror specialist Erik Matti (Pa-Siyam, Gagamboy) before graduating to the director’s chair. His critically acclaimed aswang segment for Regal Films’ horror anthology Shake Rattle And Roll 2K5 was followed by three features for Star Cinema’s independent wing, including Pinoy action tribute Ishmael (2010) and possession tale Corazon (currently in post-production).

Pinoy thrillers in Melbourne: Filipino filmmakers make it in Asian horror fest in Australia

by Bayani San Diego Jr, Philippine Daily Inquirer November 3, 2011

Pinoy thrillers are making their mark in Asian horror.

Two Filipino films have been included in the lineup of the Fantastic Asia Film Festival, to be held in Melbourne, Australia, from Nov. 10 to 13.

Film critic and scholar Andrew Leavold handpicked Rico Maria Ilarde’s “Altar” and Richard Somes’ “Yanggaw” to be part of the fest, alongside films from China, South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong.

Leavold, who has been writing extensively about Philippine cinema, considers Ilarde and Somes as “two of the most fascinating talents working in genre films at present.”

He pointed out that the two filmmakers are “two radically different personalities, representing divergent filmmaking styles.”

Rico, said Leavold, “is steeped in pop culture and has that formal film-school-training style.” Somes, on the other hand, “approaches film in a more intuitive fashion.”

Leavold regards “Altar” and “Yanggaw” as “arguably their best films to date… possessing a deep understanding of the genre, while remaining unmistakably Filipino.”

He described “Altar,” which top-bills Zanjoe Marudo and Dimples Romana, as a “slow-burner… allowing the intricately plotted script to build tension. It says so much about the chasm between city and countryside, civilization and the dark unknown.”

He chose “Yanggaw,” which features Ronnie Lazaro and Tetchie Agbayani, because “it’s a jarring modern take on the aswang legend, equating demonic possession with a kind of addiction.”

Leavold has always been drawn to horror flicks. “Dark fantasy is an important cathartic process in working out our inner demons. Experiencing those fears safely and vicariously via horror films is like jumping out of a plane with a parachute.”

He related that the horror festival is a brainchild of Monster Pictures, a distribution and production company based in Melbourne.

“The fest is the first of its kind in Australia,” he noted. “Hopefully, it’ll be the first of many that will showcase the DVD label’s Asian acquisitions.”

The fest aims to introduce Australian audiences to “new films, new industries, even new countries, they may not have had the opportunity to experience” previously.

In a bizarre twist, Leavold discovered Philippine cinema because of a pint-sized Pinoy James Bond.

“When I was younger, I saw Weng Weng in ‘For Your Height Only,’” he recalled. “I instantly fell in love with him. From that moment on, I wanted to know all I could about the cinema and culture from where Weng Weng had sprung.”

He conceded: “Obsession is a strange creature. Now, I get to teach film in the Philippines and consider Manila my second home. All thanks to Weng Weng.”

Leavold hopes to release his book on Filipino genre filmmaking, “Bamboo Gods and Bionic Boys,” next year.