Why not spare a minute or two delving into our vast culture through film?
“Eksena Cinema Quarantine 2 (ECQ2): Covid-19 Filmmakers’ Diaries” gears up its online cinemas for a free screening of its 16 selected films to chronicle these filmmakers’ stories amid varying restrictions and alert levels during the pandemic.
This year also marks the culmination of the centennial celebration of Philippine cinema and as continuation of the first ECQ, the National Committee on Cinema (NCC), a sub-committee of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA), initiates ECQ2 and it will feature two omnibus films out of the 16 selected films.
The screenings of these films will be on the NCC’s official Vimeo account. Two virtual online cinemas are currently rolling until March 25: cinema 1 and cinema 2.
The NCCA’s Rolando Tolentino said that “ECQ2 is contribution to spur the sustainability of filmmaking practice among regional filmmakers in our country.” Tolentino is the chairperson of the NCC.
ECQ2, Tolentino added, is a sequel project of ECQ done at the height of the enhanced community quarantine at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic last year.
The selected films are as follows: “Not a Short Film” directed by Joseph Abello, “Pangamut Gayd” by Roberto Acusar Jr., “Pinitik” by Reyan Amacna, “Pisti Pandemic” directed by Ara Mina Amor, “Palengke Day” directed by Mervine Aquino, “Mel” directed by Nathan Bringuer, “Things I’ll Tell You” directed by Demie Dangla, “A Ritual of Affliction by Jean Claire Dy, “Agno: Memories of a Forgotten River” directed by Christopher Gozum, “Anima Sola” directed by Xavier Axl Roncesvalles, “Paris Sa Akong Kasingkasing” directed by Jarell Serencio, “See Us Come Together” by Alyssa Suico, “My Day” directed by Van Sulitas, “Mga Handum Nga Nasulat Sa Baras” directed by Kat Sumagaysay & Richard Jeroui Salvadico, “Ilog Bikol” directed by Hubert Tibi, and “Sampung Minuto” by Jasper Villasis.
“We are providing free access to our kababayans here and abroad to be able to partake of excellent films from all over the country,” Tolentino shared.
This project of NCCA-NCC with the University of St. La Salle aims to contribute to the development of Philippine cinema by curating an omnibus feature-length films in the time of Covid-19 and to be able to document the individual and collective experiences of artists, cultural workers, Filipinos, and the Philippines in the midst of a global health crisis.