15 Films you cannot miss at the 13th Cinema One Originals Film Festival 2017

By Asian Film Festival on November 11, 2017 • ( Leave a comment )

We present a list of fifteen films you cannot miss at the 13th Cinema One Originals Film Festival that will take place from November 13th – 21st 2017, in Quezon City, Philippines.

Competition Films

Bundok Banahaw by Dempster Samarista – Philippines | 2017

A documentary about Mt. Banahaw, its people, their culture and practices.

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Haunted: A Last Visit to the Red House by Phyllis Grande – Philippines | 2017 – 90 min.

A documentary film about the Bahay na Pula in Bulacan and the stories of comfort women during the Japanese colonization.

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Nervous Translation by Shireen Seno – Philippines | 2017 – 90 min.

Nervous Translation, about a shy girl who discovers a pen that can translate the thoughts and feelings of people when they get nervous, is written and directed by Cinema One alumni Shireen Seno, whose Big Boy was part of Cinema One Originals 2013, itself a slightly odd, often magical childhood reverie. Jana Agoncillo and Sid Lucero star. (CinemaBravo.com)

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Paki by Giancarlo Abrahan – Philippines | 2017 – 90 min.

In Paki, Dagitab director Giancarlo Abrahan cast veteran character actress Dexter Doria in her very first lead role as an 80 year old woman whose children tries to stop her from leaving her husband of sixty years to live the rest of her days out as an old maid. Shamaine Buencamino co-stars. (CinemaBravo.com)

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Si Chedeng At Si Apple by Fatrick Tabada and Rae Red – Philippines | 2017 – 90 min.

Fatrick Tabada and Rae Red’s Si Chedeng At Si Apple is a dark comedy where Elizabeth Oropesa and Gloria Diaz play two old girlfriends who become accidental criminals and embark on a road trip with a severed head in a fake Louis Vuitton bag. (CinemaBravo.com)

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Best of C1 Originals

2 Cool 2 Be Forgotten by Petersen Vargas – Philippines | 2016 – 95 min.

The coming-of-age film narrates the relationship Felix Salonga, a friendless achiever, has developed with half-American brothers Magnus and Maxim Synder. As the story progresses, Felix finds himself drawn toward them, realizing he‘s starting to reveal desires he has never come face to face before. Starring Khalil Ramos, Ethan Salvador and Jameson Blake

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Baka Bukas by Samantha Lee – Philippines | 2016 – 84 min.

Alex, is a twenty-something year old creative based in Manila. She is out to most people except her best friend- Jess who she has been secretly in love with since they were kids. When Jess discovers the truth about Alex, they are forced to confront the feelings they have for each other. (C1 Originals 2016)

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Forbidden Memory by Gutierrez Mangansakan II – Philippines | 2016

The documentary feature summons remembrances and memories of the 1974 Malisbong Massacre, where 1,000 men were killed while 3,000 women and children were subjected to the horrors of the Martial Law regime. The film documents the atrocities done by the Marcos administration, shedding light on the events surrounding the gruesome massacre.

Schedule:
November 13th, 2017 | Monday | Cinema ’76 | 2:10 pm

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World Cinema

A Fantastic Woman (Una mujer fantástica) by Sebastián Lelio – Chile | 2017 – 104 min.

Marina, a waitress who moonlights as a nightclub singer, is bowled over by the death of her older boyfriend. (IMDB)

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Good time by Ben Safdie, Josh Safdie – USA | 2017 – 101 min.

After a botched bank robbery lands his younger brother in prison, Constantine Nikas (Robert Pattinson) embarks on a twisted odyssey through the city’s underworld in an increasingly desperate – and dangerous – attempt to get his brother out of jail. Over the course of one adrenalized night, Constantine finds himself on a mad descent into violence and mayhem as he races against the clock to save his brother and himself, knowing their lives hang in the balance. (C1 Originals 2017)

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Newton by Amit Masurkar – India | 2017 – 105 min.

A young man Nutan, aka Newton, is keen to find order in chaos of his own life and India’s election. This rookie clerk is assigned election duty in a jungle village controlled by Maoist guerillas. A visit by a foreign journalist exposes the absurdity of the election, as Newton finds himself threatened by the security forces who are supposed to offer protection. Supporters of electoral democracy may find more tears than laughter in this black comedy. CICAE Art Cinema Award, Berlinale.

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On body and soul by Ildikó Enyedi – Hungary | 2017 – 116 min.

The director of an industrial slaughterhouse is suspicious about Maria, the new quality inspector sent by the authorities. Endre thinks she’s pretty, but she’s too formal and keeps too much to herself. He also thinks she’s too tough on grading the beef carcass, but Maria sticks to her standards with the same focused order she tries to run her life.

During routine company interviews, a lady psychologist discovers that Maria and Endre are having similar recurring dreams. They are embarrassed by what this implies, as the two introverts know nothing about one another outside of work. The following day, they check again: they had the exact same dream the night before. As they continue to compare dreams, it becomes clear that they meet each night in a common realm: a peaceful snowy forest where they are graceful deer who gently love each other.

Maria and Endre hesistantly accept this strange coincidence. They cannot ignore the intimacy they share so effortlessly in their dreams. For two people seemingly not suitable at all for love, it won’t be easy to recreate in broad daylight this harmonious relationship of their lonely nights…

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Sweet Country by Warwick Thornton – Australia | 2017 – 113 min.

Aboriginal stockman Sam Kelly works the land of a kind preacher, Fred Smith, living and laboring in a respectful, if diffident, harmony. But when a bitter and often-drunk war veteran named Harry March returns to town, trouble escalates and Sam is forced to kill in self-defense. Shocked, afraid, and with a deep distrust in the impartiality of settler authority, Sam and his wife Lizzie go on the run. Urgently pursued by a posse led by Sergeant Fletcher and Aboriginal tracker Archie, expert bushman Sam must ultimately decide which of several looming unknowns to face.

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The Third Murder by Koreaeda Hirokazu – Japan | 2017 – 124 min.

The film opens at the scene of a homicide with the murderer setting fire to a corpse. He confesses his crime shortly after, making a lawyer named Shigemori begrudgingly take the case. As Misumi already has a prior conviction for homicide, a death sentence seems inevitable. So, Shigemori’s goal is to reduce the punishment to a life sentence. Dialogue commences with Misumi to grasp his motives, but confusion sets in as pieces of truth and fragments of the incident begin to emerge. Fans of director Kore-eda, whose subject has been the family story for years, may feel disconcerted by this movie. However, The Third Murder is a crime thriller set in the courtroom and poses questions about the legal system, and furthermore, broaches the fundamental problem of human nature and evil. Both Yakushyo Koji who plays the murderer and Fukuyama Masaharu as the successful lawyer outdo each other in powerful performances, while the talented Hirose Suzu appears as Sakie, the daughter of the murdered man, who holds the secret to the entire case. (KIM Young-woo – BIFF Catalogue)

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Zama by Lucrecia Martel – Argentina | 2017 – 115 min.

In a remote South American colony in the late 18th century, officer Zama of the Spanish crown waits in vain for a transfer to a more prestigious location. He suffers small humiliations and petty politicking as he increasingly succumbs to lust and paranoia…

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