ILOILO CITY — Films from Western Visayas region are part of this year’s Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP), the flagship film festival of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP).
While FDCP used to screen at Cinematheque Centres in Iloilo City and Bacolod City, all 170 movies including the Western Visayan films are currently screened online until Sunday, December 13. It is in lieu of an actual movie theater experience due to the pandemic.
Included in the screening of the 4th PPP’s From the Region category is Salvi: Ang Pagpadayon (The Continuation) by TM Malones. The full-length film of the director who hails from Maasin town in Iloilo province tells the story of the titular character Salvi, who looks for her sister Isabel after surviving a post- apocalyptic world.
In the documentary category is Lugta Ke Tamama (Land From God) by Kevin Piamonte, who’s also a humanities professor at University of the Philippines (UP Visayas). The documentary tackles the plight of the Atis, the indigenous people (IP) living in the resort island of Boracay who have been displaced with the rapid rise of tourism in the country’s most popular beach destination.
The 4th PPP is also screening short films from the annual regional festivals both in Panay and Negros Islands.
From CineKasimanwa: The Western Visayas Film Festival are Manggagarab (Man with A Sickle) by Kyle Fermindoza, Lumay by Marcelo Tolentino IV and Singkal by John Rovic Lopez.
From Sine Negrense: Negros Island Film Festival are Dalit by Belle Loyola, Jameson by Kurt Soberano, and Buding ang Babaye nga Naglutaw by Mark Raymund Garcia, who used to be a correspondent of Manila Bulletin.
The 4th PPP also screened Sonata by directors Lore Reyes and Peque Gallaga, the legendary film director who hailed from Bacolod City.
Aside from film screenings, there were online discussions by Western Visayan filmmakers and educators including Nick Deocampo, Elvert Bañares, Noel De Leon, and Tanya Lopez.