A Classic Filipino Film/Movie Set in Banaue, Ifugao

Among Nora Aunor's most ambitious movie projects was an epic film called "Banaue: Stairway to the Sky" which was released in 1975. Aunor reportedly invested much of her own money into the production of the film. She mortgaged her house, she took bank loans, and she took advances from future films to help fund the project. 

The movie was among the most expensive film projects during its time. And it showed in the final product.

When it comes to historical accuracy and cultural authenticity, the film falls short. That's understandable since it's a movie, not a documentary. Entertainment-wise, it's worth checking out especially if you are an enthusiast of vintage/classic Filipino films. 

You can watch a restored/remastered version of the film on YouTube. Full and free. Just search for the film's title. 

The Documentary That Every Aspiring Cartoonist Should Watch

This is a review of the documentary Very Semi-Serious: A Partially Thorough Portrait of New Yorker Cartoonists. Directed by Leah Wolchok, "the film goes behind-the-scenes of The New Yorker and introduces the cartooning legends and hopefuls who create the iconic cartoons that have inspired, baffled—and occasionally pissed off—all of us for decades." The documentary featured several of the magazine's most prolific cartoonists - George Booth, Roz Chast, Drew Dernavich, Mort Gerberg, Sam Gross, Ed Steed, Bob Mankoff, and many more. The film won an Emmy in 2016.

Released and aired by HBO in 2015, Very Semi-Serious is a documentary that offers the viewer a picture of The New Yorker’s cartoon culture. Considered as the last bastion of the cartooning industry (of the humor and gags category), The New Yorker doesn’t just publish and print funny cartoons. It publishes and prints funny cartoons that adhere to the magazine’s unique sensibilities and aspirations. Just because you can draw funny cartoons doesn’t necessarily mean you are a good fit for the magazine.

A lot of the footage in the documentary were shot inside the magazine’s offices, as it should be. Cartoonists aspiring to crack the pages of the magazine should take full notes of these scenes as these provide insider tips on how to make it as a cartoonist in the magazine. Several people including the cartoon editor, the art director, and assistants talk in-depth about the kinds of cartoons that get published in the magazine. In one scene, you see them going through a pile of cartoon submissions and dividing them in two paper racks. One rack is marked “Yes” and the other one is marked “No”. Those in the “Yes” rack is one step closer to being published. Those in the “No” rack will be mailed with a rejection letter to the submitter.

Selecting which cartoons get published is a simple yet complicated process. The cartoon editor meets with regular contributors every week. These regular contributors usually submit 8 to 10 ideas each during these weekly meetings. On top of these regular contributors are the thousand or so unsolicited cartoons sent in by mail or hand-delivered. So on average, the magazine’s cartoon department goes through 1000 to 1500 cartoons every week. Only 15 to 20 of these are chosen and bought by the magazine for publication.

Several of the magazine’s regular contributors are in the documentary talking about how they made it as cartoonists. If there’s one glue that keeps their experiences together, that glue is named “patience”. One cartoonist says he submitted more than 2000 cartoons before his first sale. Another doggedly submitted cartoons for 25 years before his first piece got accepted and published.

Needless to say, the documentary isn’t too encouraging for cartoonists aspiring to crack the pages of The New Yorker. Imagine submitting thousands of cartoons before selling one. Imagine sending in your cartoons for more than two decades before making a sale. And these are just those who made it. How about the hundreds of cartoonists who submitted their work but were never published?

The documentary isn’t all gloom and doom for aspiring cartoonists. A source of inspiration in the film is the story of Liana Finck. We see her entering The New Yorker offices and showing her drawings to the cartoon editor. We see her face get disappointed as the cartoon editor critics her work. We see her get inside the office a few more times. She receives encouraging words from the editor but she is yet to make a sale. Near the end of the documentary, the camera follows Finck as she shows a physical copy of the magazine featuring her first published cartoon. It’s an image of slinkies climbing up the stairs.

Liana Finck is now one of the magazine’s regular contributors. She has a growing number of following online. She has nearly half a million followers on Instagram. She even has a few books under her belt. If you want to get into her work, a good start would be Passing for Human: a Graphic Memoir. It's really good.

Official Trailer for the Movie Adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's Classic Novel 'Little Women'

Louisa May Alcott's classic novel 'Little Women' had been adapted for the big screen for quite a good number of times already. Seven times to be exact. The novel's earliest movie adaptation dates back to 1917 in an era wherein silent films were still the norm. This coming December, another adaptation of the 1868 novel will roll into theaters.

Directed by Greta Gerwig, 'Little Women' 2019 will feature an ensemble cast which includes Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Meryl Streep, Bob Odenkirk, and Chris Cooper.  The film has been in development by Sony Pictures since 2013. Production and filming only started in 2018 when Greta Gerwig was brought in as director.

Watch the first trailer for the film below:

Photo credit: Whimsy On Main (https://www.whimsyonmain.com/)

Earlier movie adaptations of the novel were made by Alexander Butler in 1917, Harley Knoles in 1918, George Cukor in 1933, Mervn LeRoy in 1949, David Lowell Rich in 1978, Gillian Armstrong in 1994, and Clare Niederpruem in 2018.

Rakka: A Peek Into The Future Projects Of The Creator Of District 9

Neill Blomkamp has made three feature films. District 9 was great. Elysium was good. Chappie was bad. This seemingly downward spiral in the cinematic quality of his work is very alarming (especially to fans of science fiction). I'm quickly reminded of M. Night Shyamalan and his tragic fall from grace. It's difficult to digest the fact that the guy who made The Sixth Sense went on to make tasteless dishes like The Happening, The Last Airbender, and After Earth. The sci-fi fan in me can only hope that this Shyamalan curse doesn't impose itself on the very talented Neill Blomkamp.

Luckily, there's a good sign that Blomkamp is up to great things. That is if you consider the absolutely fantastic short film he just released free on YouTube and Steam. Called Rakka, the film is set in the year 2020 in a post-apocalyptic world wherein humans have been reduced to cattle and guinea pigs by aliens. It's not exactly a cliche-breaking concept but it has its own feel and atmosphere under the guidance of Blomkamp. Almost everything is unique: the reptilian appearance of the aliens and the way the aliens subjugate and control humans.

Rakka is produced by Oats Studios, a Canada-based film studio that was also started by Blomkamp. It's one of a series of short films that the studio plans to release in the coming months. These short pieces may serve as the foundation for full feature films in the future. If there's a filmmaker who can transform a short film into a full-blown one, it would be Blomkamp. After all, his most well-known work (District 9) was an expanded version of a short piece (Alive in Joburg).


Here's a transcript of the voice-over used in the film:
We were once mankind. We were humanity. And now, we're no more than pests. Vermin. They came here to exterminate us. They took our history and culture. They covered our landmarks in dying humanity. The wail of the dying carried for miles. They're building some kind of breeding facility for those that survive. People that have defected says it's worse than hell, humans becoming some kind of surrogate incubators for the alien young. They killed us in waves when they first arrived. They built these mega-structures that spew methane, manufacturing their atmosphere. They've sown their crops, snuffing out our plant life, raising the global temperature, causing our cities to flood. They waged war on Earth. They set fire to our forests. 

It's already hard to breathe...impossible to breathe if you are close to the stacks. Rats, insects, humans, they hack into our psyche, into our minds, paralyzing us, taking control of the cerebrum  and the limbic system, rendering us as slaves. We've been able to design a brain barrier that protects us from their influence. They know we can't produce enough of these for everyone, that it's just a matter of time before the entire planet is theirs...but we're survivors. Scrounging enough to eat, gathering enough morale to fight. I wonder if deep down, each person knows we're already dead. I wonder if only one, sick, primordial instinct keeps marching us forward aimlessly. Every rational thought tells us it's over. Every vile, deceptive, chemical emotion tells us it isn't. We are sold a different story by our politicians.

Every once in a while, something goes our way. Just one in a thousand. Just enough to keep fighting. A glimmer of hope. People will pay for this. They always do. Even for small victories, it would seem that everything was lost. Humanity would soon cease to exist. Until they arrived, like angels carried on the rays of the Aurora Borealis. Like a biblical salvation.

The new world altered everyone. Adapt or die, it was as simple as that. In the old world, Nosh would have been locked up. A pyromaniac, a bomb-maker but here, he not only survived, he thrived. Nosh could make just about anything out of scavenged junk. Bombs, brain locks...anything. We needed him, and he knew it.

Some sick people in exchange for Nosh's item. In peacetime, such an offer would be insane. Immoral. But now...anything's possible. We picked up Amir in Sector 7. At first, they thought he was dead, some refuse from one of their experiments.

This world had changed all of us...but Amir had been reborn...with something entirely new.

Documentary On Kalinga Tattoo Artist Whang-od Makes It To The Cannes Film Festival In France

Whang-od Oggay's stock as one of the foremost traditional tattoo artists in Asia will likely rise with the inclusion of a short documentary about her in the upcoming Cannes Film Festival in France. The 15-minute documentary aptly titled Blood and Ink (Dugo at Tinta) will be among the hundreds of short films to be screened during the prestigious festival which will run from May 17 to May 28, 2017. Blood and Ink (Dugo at Tinta) will be part of the festival's Short Film Corner. It's worth noting here that the Short Film Corner is a film market and not part of the festival's competition section.

Directed by Jill Damatac Futter, Blood and Ink (Dugo at Tinta) merges the story of the beloved traditional tattoo artist with that of the budding filmmaker who just returned to her home country (Philippines) after spending 22 years as an illegal/undocumented immigrant in the United States. Futter made the film while studying at the University of the Arts London - London College of Communication. She submitted it to the university as part of her Master of Arts thesis.

In the words of the filmmaker, Blood and Ink (Dugo at Tinta) was conceived as a portrait documentary but it evolved into a meditation on identity as her re-connection with her roots significantly influenced the direction and overall theme of the film.

A large-than-life portrait of Whang-od at an art exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada last year. Photo courtesy of Kayleen Kwet.

Here's the synopsis for the film: "Conceived as a portrait documentary about a 97-year-old indigenous tribal tattooist in the Philippine mountains, this film evolved into an intimately subjective essay documentary as the filmmaker recognized that the personal catharsis of discovering her paternal roots inevitably influenced the film's shape. Blood + Ink (Dugo at Tinta) explores identity, both personal and national, through the story of Apo Whang-Od Oggay and through director Jill Damatac Futter's own story after 22 years away from the Philippines as an illegal immigrant in the United States."

Just a quick note: I've seen news stories and articles about Whang-od referring to her as the last Kalinga traditional tattoo artist. No, that is not the case at all. A lot of those in her tribe (Butbut) know the craft. In fact, Whang-od has taught the art to some of the girls in her village (a few of them in their teens). She has taught them the way she was taught when she was their age. So the claim that Whang-od is the last traditional Kalinga tatto artist is simply false and completely misinformed.

Related stories:
1. A Quick Guide For Those Planning To Visit Whang-od In Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga
2. Kalinga Tattoo Artist Whang-od Likely To Receive National Living Treasures Award
3. Bid To Declare Kalinga Tattoo Artist Whang-od As A National Artist Gains Momentum
4. Kalinga Tattoo Artist Apo Whang-od Featured In An Art Exhibit In Toronto, Canada

Short Film Set In A Mining Town In Benguet Currently Showing At The Cinemalaya Film Festival

If you happen to be within or near Manila this weekend, consider catching a screening of Butas, a short film that chronicles the struggles of a widow as she tries to raise her child in a sleepy mining town in Benguet. The film is part of the ongoing 12th edition of the Cinemalaya Film Festival which will wrap up this Sunday (August 14). Those who want to see Butas before the festival ends can catch a screening in the following dates and venues:

August 14, 2:00 pm at the Greenbelt 1, Cinema 1
August 14, 2:00 pm at the Up Town Centre, Cinema 3
August 14, 7:00 pm at the Ayala Center Cebu, Cinema 4

Here's the synopsis for the film: "Is a story of a woman miner from the Mountains of Benguet, who struggles to balance life as a miner and a single parent. Butas will take you to a journey in the life of a mother who is struggling to make ends meet but is hopeful of being able to provide a better life for her son. Due to poverty in her native land she was forced to work in a foreign country but comes back to the Philippines to take care of her son after the husband died from a mining accident."

And here's the trailer:

Film credits:
Main Cast: Jill Palencia Ibuyan, Jhaykien Nuyad, Skyzx Labastilla, Paul Temperante
Director: Richard H. Cawed
Producers: Richard H. Cawed / Andy Valenzuela / Erik Salvador
Colorist: Bernard Feliciano
Scoring: Chi Capulong
Production Coordinator:Em-em Parra
Drone Operators: Michael Andres Subido / Bobby CrisologoBarodi / Richard H. Cawed
Production Assistant: Yousef Abdul-Wahab
BTS Team: Martin Andres
Camera Operator/Gaffer: Edward Anastacio
Audioman/Gaffer: Rolly “Bigboy” Zuniga
Camera Lights and Audio Equipment provided by Bigtop Productions.
Poster Design: DodongDela Cruz
Editing: Anthony Hernandez
Written by: Richard H. Cawed

The Ending Of The Town Explained. What's Up With The Orange?

"No matter how much you change, you still have to pay the price for the things you've done. So I got a long road. But I know I'll see you again. This side or the other." - Doug MacRay in The Town

The Town is a brilliant heist film released in 2010 and starring Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively and Jon Hamm. Renner, in particular, was a chameleon in it.  He can be a baby-faced nobody drinking in a bar one moment and a blood-thirsty hooligan in another. His nomination by the Academy Award for his work was very well deserved.

A lot of people seem to be confused by the ending of the film. I'm surprised because the ending was very clear to me. It's not the sad ending that many viewers seem to be buying into. The ending scene showed Claire digging up in her garden a duffel bag that contained a stack of cash, a short note, and an orange. In that same scene, we can hear a voice-over of Doug narrating the contents of the note.

Here's what I took from that scene. Doug was giving Claire a choice. So it's not exactly a sad ending. Claire can choose between the money and the orange. He's basically telling Claire: "Here's some cash. You are better off with it than with me." Then Claire rummages through the bag as if she was expecting to find something else and lo and behold, there's the orange fruit. Remember that during the movie, while the two were still in speaking terms, Doug was coaxing Claire to leave Charlestown with him. Doug put the orange in there as a sign that he is still wishing to see Claire. The ball now is in Claire's court.

In the beginning of the movie, Doug also mentioned Tangerine which is a real place in Orange County, Florida. Florida was the place that Doug has been planning all along to go to once the final heist was over. So there you go. Tangerine. Orange County. Florida. That's the ending. It just wasn't shown in the final cut of the film.

Is it possible that Doug and Claire never saw each other again after the last scene in the film? Of course. The end also implied that Claire used the money to improve the dilapidated hockey rink in Charlestown. She chose the cash over the orange. But this doesn't mean she can't choose both. Come to think of it. What's stopping her from spending the money and then flying over to Florida when Doug's case goes cold? Not much unless the FBI tracks her every move for the rest of her life.

Image credit: Warner Brothers

And here's an interesting piece of trivia. The Town is an adaptation of a novel called Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan. However, there's a huge difference between the ending in the novel and the ending of the movie. In the novel, Doug dies in the arms of Claire. Actually, Affleck and his crew filmed this scene but when they screen-tested the two endings, test audiences preferred the ending wherein Doug survives. So that's what was shown in the final theatrical version.

And in another note, when the credits started rolling, they played the song Jolene by Ray Lamontagne which happens to be one of my favorite songs. It was the perfect song for the movie, considering the lyrics.

Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book Stories Come Alive In Live-Action Movie Adaptation By Disney

"Are you alone out here? What are you doing so deep in the jungle? Don't you know what you are? I know what you are. I know where you came from. Poor sweet little cub. I'll keep you close. Let go of your fear now. And trust in me."

Such is the voice-over for the first full trailer for The Jungle Book, a live-action movie adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's classic story collection of the same name. The humidity-coated voice belongs to Scarlett Johansson who plays the character Kaa in the film. Kaa is described in Kipling's stories as an exceptionally long and yellowish Indian rock python.

The trailer also showed glimpses of major scenes in the film as well as the main characters like Mowgli (the jungle boy), Baloo the bear, Bagheera the black panther, Shere Khan the tiger, and King Louie the orangutan. Directed by Jon Favreau - the man behind Iron Man and Iron Man 2 - The Jungle Book is scheduled to be released on April 15 next year. Playing the titular character in the movie is Neel Sethi. Also in the cast are Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idirs Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Christopher Walken, and Giancarlo Esposito (that poker-faced villain from Breaking Bad).

This is the second time that Disney has created a motion picture based on Kipling's stories. Their first foray in bringing the stories to the big screen was in 1967 when they released the now-classic animated film The Jungle Book.

Watch the trailer for Jon Favreau's adaptation below:

Warner Bros. Pictures is also working on a live-action film based on the stories called Jungle Book: Origins. Andy Serkis is directing as well as starring in the film which is penciled for a 2017 release. The main cast for the movie is currently composed of Rohan Chand, Matthew Rhys, Freida Pinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Jack Reynor, and Tom Hollander.

11 Documentaries to screen at Cinematheque Baguio

The eleven celebrated documentaries of the pioneering batch of GMA CineTotoo: International Documentary Film Festival are coming to Baguio on December 2 to 7 for the first leg of The CineTotoo Caravan, a Philippine film screening tour that aims to widen the scope and reach of insightful, socially- conscious forms of media to Filipino audiences all over the country.

Organized by the eleven filmmakers themselves in partnership with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and GMA Network, the films, accompanied by their respective directors, will be screened at Baguio Cinematheque for only 100php per view next week.

Two of the participating film entries, “Agbalbalitok”by Ferdinand L. Balanag, a raw exposé of the unending and growing ever more challenging battles of ordinary Filipino small-scale miners in Itogon, Benguet as they harvest gold, the mythic treasure of the mountains at the cost of their own lives, and “Walang Rape saBontoc” by Carla Samantha-Ocampo and Lester Valle, which follows the story of two young women who, having survived sexual abuse, wish to learn about the rumoured existence of a culture free of the sexual violence against women, have been filmed in notable parts of the Cordillera and deals with some of the most intriguing and controversial issues nagging our society today.

Of special note is Ferdinand Balanag’s“Agbalbalitok”, which portrays man’s propensity towards indifference despite being faced with real, long-term environmental problems if it means getting through the day. The documentary was shot in Brgy. Luneta, Itogon, Benguet, tellingthe harrowing tale of ordinary Filipinos working in perilous, rundown small-scale gold mines.Balanag has worked on several films in the past, such as “Walking the Waking Journey” which reaped international awards.

“It is the interaction and exchange with different people and cultures and exploring new environments that makes me enjoy making documentaries. The ultimate satisfaction comes when I am told by the subject and the community that I was able to tell their story well and also that the documentary effectively stirs social discourse on issues which may result to positive change,” Balanag shared on what he cherished and found most rewarding about making documentaries despite their considerably lesser appeal in the film market.

As a Baguio-native and active community mobilizer,Balanagalso wishes to raise funds through ticket sales and donations to cover for the medical expenses of his film’s case study, Kurt John Guinapon, age 12, who is suffering from a rare blood disease.

CineTotoo Caravan Screening Schedule
1.Agbalbalitok (The Gold Prospector) (dir. FerdieBalanag) What is the true price of gold, and who really pays for it?
Dec 2 (Tuesday) - 3:30 PM
Dec 4 (Thursday) - 11:30 AM
Dec 7 (Sunday) - 3:30 PM

2. Special Jury Mention Walang Rape saBontok (dir. Lester Valle) Two Filipina victims of sexual abuse search for the truth behind the finding of a renowned anthropologist: that merely a few generations ago, the BontokIgorot lived in what seems an unthinkable utopia -- a rape-less society
Dec 3 (Wednesday) - 11:30 AM
Dec 5 (Friday) - 5:30 PM
Dec 6 (Saturday) - 5:30 PM

3. Migkahi e siAmeyte, Uliki pad (Father Said, 'Let's Return Home') (dir. NefLuczon) After the death of a cultural icon and tribal chieftain in Bukidnon, his adopted son takes on his cause to preserve their cultural heritage through music.
Dec 2 (Tuesday) - 11:30 AM
Dec 7 (Sunday) - 1:30

4. AngGitaristang Hindi Marunong Mag-skala (dir. Sig Sanchez) An aging guitarist plays by his heart while dancing on broken glass.
Dec 3 (Wednesday) - 3:30PM
Dec 5 (Friday) - 11:30AM

5. Marciano (dir. Ivy Baldoza) Built around found stories of relatives, acquaintances,and even strangers, this documentary paints a compelling portrait of a gay OFW who lived in Paris for 25 years and died there alone.
Dec 4 (Thursday) - 1:30 PM
Dec 6 (Saturday) - 11:30 AM

6. A Journey to Haifa (dir. NawruzPaguidopon) An openly gay filmmaker goes on a conservative religious pilgrimage to Haifa, Israel with his family.
Dec 2 (Tuesday) - 1:30PM
Dec 7 (Sunday) - 11:30 AM

7. Special Jury Award Mananayaw (dir. Rafael Froilan) When three men dare to dance, they learn that the pursuit of passion comes at a price.
Dec 2 (Tuesday) - 5:30 PM
Dec 5 (Friday) 1:30 PM

8. Best Documentary Audience Choice Award Gusto Nang Umuwini Joy (dir. JT Pandy) Living as an undocumented migrant in the UK for more than six years, a Filipina domestic helper tries to secure a working visa so she can finally fly back home to visit her family.
Dec 4 (Thursday) - 3:30 PM
Dec 6 (Saturday) - 1:30 PM

9. Komikero Chronicles (dir. Keith Sicat) Discover the history of PinoyKomiks starting with Rizal, and find out if his progressive ideas are imbedded in this popular medium.
Dec 4 (Thursday) - 5:30 PM
Dec 6 (Saturday) - 1:30 PM

10. Special Jury Mention Kung GiunsaPagbuhatangBinisayangChopsuey (How To Make A Visayan Chopsuey) (dir. BebsGohetia) In a David-Goliath kind of power struggle, will the smaller Davao tchoukball team be able to beat their archrival, to represent the Philippines in a major competition in Taiwan this year?
Dec 3 (Wednesday) - 5:30 PM
Dec 5 (Friday) - 3:30 PM

11. AngWalangKapagurangPaglalakbayngPulangMaleta (dir. Richard Legaspi) The tradition of close Filipino family ties makes its way to a small, wool-producing town in Italy.
Dec 3 (Wednesday) - 1:30 PM
Dec 7 (Sunday) - 5:30 PM

The filmmakers shall accompany their work and will be present after the screening of their respective films to talk about their experiences in the field and engage in a lively discussion with their audiences on the mirage of social issues boldly undertaken in the series of documentaries. Baguio

Cinematheque is located inside Casa Vallejo right across SM City Baguio. Tickets are now available for early reservation at 100php per viewing. Please contact Ms. Ems Guerrero (+639175681304) for more info. Check out the CineTotoofacebook page (www.facebook.com/cinetotoo) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/cinetotoo) accounts for updates!

*This is a press release.

Baguio Film “Agbalbalitok” To Raise Funds For Ailing Son Of Small Scale Miner In Itogon

After its successful launching last September, The eleven documentaries of GMA Network’sCineTotoo is coming to Baguio City for the first leg of the Cine Totoo Caravan tour around the country. Of special note is Baguio-based award winning filmmaker Ferdinand Balanag’s documentary“Agbalbalitok”. The film documented the life of small-scale miners in Luneta, Itogon, Benguet. It questions the real price we pay in the pursuit of gold, a quickly-diminishing but very expensive metal. The documentary aims to be an instrument to raise money for the medical expenses of the film’s case study, Kurt John - the son of Janrey Guinapon, a small scale miner and the main subject of the documentary.

Kurt John's ailment is suspected to be caused by his exposure to toxic elements present in the surroundings of the small-scale mining community where his father has been working all his life. During the course of the production, Balanag and his team has brought Kurt John to several doctors in Baguio City but the diagnosis remains inconclusive. Kurt John needs further tests in institutions with higher facilities in Manila. According to specialist, Dra. Rosalinda Tandoc of Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC), there have been several cases similar to Kurt John’s condition who came for checkups, all from small-scale mining areas in Benguet.

If Kurt John is given the chance to undergo intensive medical tests to determine the validity of the doctor's presumed diagnosis, the results could be a sample that can finally confirm the cause of this kind of illness among children in the Luneta, Itogon community as well as ratify the effects of toxicity on humans in small-scale mining communities all over the Philippines.

Johnrey processes a small amount of gold ore as Kurt John curiously watches. Johnrey hopes to sell the little gold he extracts to pay for his son's medical check up.

Due to his illness, Kurt John is quick to tire, has little to no appetite, and is often exempt from physical work and activities in school. He is forbidden to play with kids his age and is a year behind his batch as a result of excessive sick-absences. To attempt to remedy the problem, his father often begs for loans and meager cash advances from the financier of their small scale mining operations. The family often rely on their relatives and neighbors in order to augment their daily meals. Extra expenses like medicine and medical checkups are a luxury.

Agbalbalitok is scheduled to be screened at the Baguio Cinematheque located at historical Casa Vallejo on Dec 2 (Tuesday) - 3:30 PM, Dec 4 (Thursday) - 11:30 AM, Dec 7 (Sunday) - 3:30 PM. The goal of the Agbalbalitok film showings is to to raise money for the medical expenses of the film’s case study, Kurt John Guinapon- son of JanreyGuinapon, the main subject of the documentary.All revenues from ticket sales will be donated for Kurt John’s urgent medical diagnosis and treatment. Hopefully sufficient funds can be raised on or before the child celebrates his thirteenth birthday on January 2015.

“It has been a unique privilege and an incredibly humbling experience to be part of the lives of our small-scale mining brothers and sisters in Itogon, to witness their impeccable strength and remarkable willpower to surpass the endless challenges that come their way. We have so much we have to be thankful for, and so much that we can offer to help those whose plight may appear completely alien to us, but surely we recognize the same pain and desperation and wish to be assisted somehow. We would like to appeal to the community to join us in doing this little thing for Kurt John by helping to cover his medical expenses” shared Director Ferdinand Balanag about the fundraising endeavor for their case study. Tickets price is Php 100 per view. In addition to the film screening, an open forum will be held right after to discuss any issues pertaining to the documentary.

For more details, updates on dates and venue of special screenings in universities, and queries on how you could extend help through donations and contributions in kind, you may reach them through their website (http://twimedia.org) or follow their Facebook page (facebook.com/Agbalbalitok).

People who wish to donate can also direct their donations via a FundRazr campaign set up by director Balanag. Visit the fund raising campaign here.

- Press release.

Three New Stills From Above The Clouds, An Upcoming Movie Set In The Cordillera Mountains

There's a reason why not too many film directors are keen on shooting films in the Cordilleras. The rugged terrain is just not conducive to both film crew and equipment. But one independent film director took his chances and braved the barriers. He even upped the challenge by filming at no other than the highest mountain in the region - Mount Pulag.

Last September, director Pepe Diokno announced via Facebook that his movie Above The Clouds is finally finished. The project took several years to complete. Diokno told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that it took him two years to pen the script, two years to raise funds, one year to shoot, and more than half a year in post-production. 

Above The Clouds tells the story of a young man (Ruru Madrid) sent to live with his estranged grandfather (Pepe Smith) after losing his parents in a tragic flood. Still battling the effects of his great loss, the boy becomes withdrawn and prefers isolating himself from the people around him.

Concerned about his grandson, the grandfather decided to take him hiking up a mountain, the same mountain that the young boy's parents climbed in the past. Therein starts a journey of realizations and discoveries that will either help the two cope with their grief or cause them to grow even further apart.

Above The Clouds will be making its screening debut in the upcoming Tokyo International Film Festival in Japan which will run from October 23 to 31. The film will be competing with 9 other films from all over Asia in the festival's Asian Future category. Check out three stills from the movie below. All photos courtesy of Diokno via Facebook.

Above The Clouds is Diokno's second film. The budding director made some waves in 2009 with his first film Engkwentro which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Diokno ended up being awarded the Lion of the Future Award for Best Debut Film.

Watch The Teaser For "Walang Rape Sa Bontok", An Upcoming Documentary By Carla Ocampo

This coming September 24 to 30, the inaugural edition of Cine Totoo: Philippine International Documentary Film Festival will unfold at three key cinema locations in Metro Manila (SM Megamall, SM Manila and Trinoma Cinemas). Film enthusiasts will be treated to a slew of documentaries by eleven independent filmmakers from all over the country. Said documentaries tackle themes that run the gamut from life in Filipino communities abroad, to the plight of small scale miners in Benguet, to the evolution of Filipino komiks.

Among the documentaries to be screened in the festival is Carla Ocampo's Walang Rape sa Bontok. The endeavor revolves around two Filipinas who were both victims of sexual assaults. In their search for a place where women aren't sexually violated, they came across a study by an anthropologist named June Prill-Brett. Said study made the assertion that the native Bontoks of the Cordillera region have lived for generations without a concept and not even a term for "rape".

This serves as the foundation for the documentary. Is the assertion true? If it is true before, is it still true today? From the synopsis provided by the Habi Collective on their Facebook page, it does seem to imply that things did change. Driving the point a little bit deeper is the teaser for the documentary below which shows elders who have lived through two eras: an era where rape was non-existent and an era where it sprouted its ugly head. So in a sense, this is a documentary that compares an older era to the current one with women's issues as the comparison point.

This is not the only documentary in the festival with Cordilleran themes. Also screening in the festival is Ferdie Balanag's Agbalbalitok which will take viewers to a first-hand look into the lives of small scale miners in Benguet.