STILL on the high from the recently finished Cinemalaya 19, the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Cinemalaya Foundation Inc. are already gearing up for the 20th edition of the country’s biggest independent film festival in 2024.
The Cinemalaya organizing committee has announced the 10 full-length finalists who will be competing to be named the Best Film in Cinemalaya 20 next year.
The finalists were selected from 20 semifinalists who had undergone the Cinemalaya Film Lab, a three-month-long film-laboratory mentorship program to train the finalists in the different aspects of filmmaking such as scriptwriting, directing, cinematography, performance, editing, production design, sound, music, production management, and promotion strategies, among others.
THE FINALISTS ARE:Alipato by JL Burgos — The brother of missing activist Jonas Burgos bares in this documentary the untold stories behind the confidential leads, damning evidence, and why the disappearance of his brother remains a relevant case today.
Ang Tumandok (The Inhabitants) by Kat Sumagaysay and Richard Salvadico — Based on real-life trials of the Atis of Central Panay, and starring the Atis themselves, the film follows the 16-year-old daughter of a chieftain as she fights tooth and nail with her people for their ancestral land.
Aripuen (The Servant) by Christopher Gozum — Stranded for 21 years in a remote mountain village in a Middle Eastern country, a 63-year-old Filipina shepherdess endures isolation, threats of imprisonment and deportation, homesickness, unpaid salaries, and insanity while clinging to her faith in God and love for her family. But when seven mysterious visitors arrive, they bring challenges and opportunities to finally help her return home to the Philippines.
Balota by Kip Oebanda — A land-grabbing tycoon and a former sexy male actor are locked in a tight race for mayor in a small town. When violence erupts, Emmy, a teacher, runs into the wilderness with a ballot box, the last copy of the election results. Then Emmy and the community try to outsmart and outmaneuver the goons who want the elections to fail.
Gulay Lang Manong by BC Amparado — Pilo is a struggling, old vegetable farmer in Benguet, and a policeman, Ariel, team up to catch Razer, a member of the Benguet Marijuana Cartel — who happens to be the best friend on Pilo’s stoner brother, Ricky. Together they learn shocking secrets while trying to catch Razer .
Kantil (Trench) by Joshua Caesar Medroso — While facing threats of demolition, a coastal community of informal settlers in Davao City discovers a strange, unearthly shell by the sea. This makes them more vulnerable to menacing powers set out to destroy their homes and their humanity.
Kono Basho (This Place) by Jaime Pacena II — The introspective journey of a Filipino son attending the funeral of his estranged OFW father in a city in Japan that is rebuilding from the aftermath of the March 2011 tsunami.
Love Child by Jonathan Jurilla — a young, unmarried couple must agree on how to properly raise their son, who is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, if they wish to keep their relationship afloat. Or would they rather heed the call of their unfulfilled dreams?
The Errand by Sarge Lacuesta — A driver is sent on a simple errand: to pick up a designer T-shirt and a tin of viagra for his boss, who is shacked up in a hotel with his lover. Simple as it sounds, the road trip crisscrosses the chasms of time, class, and character.
The Wedding Dance by Julius Lumiqued — In 1942, a Kalinga woman is personally invited by her husband, a warrior of their tribe, to his new wedding dance.
