Hey Berliners. How are you planning to spend this coming weekend? How about the next one? Well, here’s something fun, different, and so educational, it will widen your perspective. The Philippine Film Festival is happening this month! It’s starting tonight, actually.
It runs from the 3rd till the 5th and on the 8th till the 12th of November. That’s two weekends plus a hump day. Why not spend it with our community and get to know more about our vibrant film industry?
So what’s on offer, you may ask?
Aside from the movies, the organisers are also having round table discussions after each screening. Definitely an added bonus and something to look forward to. It’s not just for major film buffs but people who enjoy a good a film.
Here’s the awesome lineup and their respective schedules:
November 3, Friday – “Bwakaw” (2012), directed by Jun Lana
Roundtable Discussion: Queer experiences in the Philippines and Germany
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNgpY7Q5Jsc&t=8s
November 4, Saturday – “Batch ‘81” (1982), directed by Mike De Leon
Roundtable Discussion: Drawing parallels: Martial law in the Philippines
November 5, Sunday – “Lorna” (2014), directed by Sigrid Andrea Bernardo
Roundtable Discussion: Aging and Desires
November 8, Wednesday – Collection of Short Films by up-and-coming Filipino directors
Roundtable Discussion: 100 Years of Philippine cinema
November 9, Thursday – “Patintero: Ang Alamat ni Meng Patalo” (Patintero: The Legend of Meng Patalo) (2015), directed by Mihk Vergara
Roundtable Discussion: Childhood Nostalgia
November 10, Friday – “Birdshot” (2016), directed by Mikhail Red
Roundtable Discussion: Our endangered planet: The state of the Philippine environment and the global climate change
November 11, Saturday – “Tu Pug Imatuy” (The Right to Kill) (2017), directed by Arnel Barbarona Roundtable Discussion: Indigenous peoples’ rights struggle: The case of Lumads
November 12, Sunday – “Sunday Beauty Queen” (2016), directed by Baby Ruth Villarama Roundtable Discussion: Philippine migrants’ desires and struggles
Tickets, tickets!
The Philippine Film Festival is a bi-annual, non-profit event. Tickets cost EUR8 per person and not a cent would go to the organisers. Watching any of the seven films will actually help independent film makers in the Philippines as from that ticket price, 3 euros go directly to the film maker and 5 euros will go to the cinema for usage of the venue.
That’s actually better use of your money rather than spending it on tickets for say, Thor: Ragnarok. It was a bit of a let down. Loved the first two Thor movies but this one was just… okay. Funny dialogue but storyline’s not at par with the other Marvel flicks. Just wait for it on DVD/Blu-Ray. Or Netflix. This is me saving you a couple more Euros and getting you to watch something better. Guess that’s my good deed for the day all sorted out.
The first edition of The First Reel: Philippine Film Festival Berlin was in 2015. It’s organised by Philippine Studies Berlin, a platform founded by anthropologist Rosa Cordillera Castillo for learning more about our small yet very interesting Southeast Asian Nation. 😉 It was founded by visual and media anthropologist Lola Abrera and curated by filmmaker Trinka Lat. This group of talented, Filipina ladies in Berlin truly makes the community here so proud.
This year, the film fest is being held at Germany’s oldest cinema – Kino Moviemento – in cooperation with the Mauerpark Institute e.V., Berlin-founded organization that combines independent, critical and emancipatory social research with concrete socio-political engagement.
So. To summarise:
The First Reel: Philippine Film Festival
Dates: November 3-5, 8-12
Tickets: EUR8 (buy them here)
Where: Kino Moviemento (Kottbuser Dam 22, Berlin Kreuzberg)
There you have it. Personally, I’m quite excited to see Bwakaw and Lorna. Alvin and I have seen Patintero and it brought back a lot of childhood memories. Afternoons spent in the playground, trying to undermine the confidence of the other team, and being plain competitive. Or maybe that’s just me. I take games too seriously.
See you at the Kino!
xx
Carol
