KAPAMPANGAN INVADES MMFF NEW WAVE 2015

Photo by: Alyssa P. Lising

ANGELES CITY- Kapampangan filmmakers Carlo Encisco Catu of Ari “My Life with a King” and Justine Emmanuel Dizon of Ding Mangasyas (Tough Guys) uplifts the independent film making industry in Pampanga as their film have each spotlight on the big screen of this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival New Wave.

Ari is the official entry produced by Holy Angel University in the New Wave Full Feature indie section of MMFF that is about the journey of Jaypee (Ronwaldo Martin), a young Kapampangan boy who speaks tagalog and Conrado Guinto (Francisco Guinto), the king of Kapampangan poetry. The film is portrayed in a dramatic yet realistic way wherein audience can relate and realize that the lack of appreciation and use of native language is slowly killing the beauty of culture.

The film Ari has already been screened in various international film festivals including Harlem International Film Festival 2015 where it got the award for the World Best Film, 2015 All Lights India International Film Festival where it won the Best Debut Feature Film Award, International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema London 2016 where it gained five nomination as Best Foreign Language Film, Best New Director for Catu, Best Screen Play in a Foreign Language Film for Robby Tantingco, Best Editing in a Foreign Language Film for Carlo Francisco Manatad, and Best Actor in a Foreign Language Film for Ronwaldo Martin. It has also been selected in VIFF Vancouver, Chicago, and 14th Dhaka International Film Festival.

On the other hand, Ding Mangasyas is part of the HOOQ Shorts and Animation Selection of the MMFF New Wave that depicts two brothers, Christian (Aaron Agustin) and Albert (Jayvie Dizon), who are about to be separated as Albert has to go the United States for work. It shows the love and hate relationship that typical brothers have and their struggle of saying sweet goodbye as life build them tough.

Last Thursday, December 17, the MMFF New Wave Gala Night set by Metropolitan Manila Development Authority was held at Cinema 4 of Glorietta 4 in Makati to officially open the film festival. The actors, actresses, directors and producers coming from the different competing films attended the event including Catu and Dizon, the cast, Kapampangan crew and supporters of Ari and Ding Mangasyas. The HAU Rondalla and Guinto also performed in the event to give delight to MMDA Chairman Atty. Emerson Carlos and to other guests of the Gala Opening that concludes that the majority of the crowd are Kapamapangans.

The screening of the films will be until December 24, 2015 and can be viewed in different malls in Metro Manila specifically in Glorietta 4, SM Megamall and Robinsons Movieworld. The awards night will be on December 27, 2015 at Kia Theatre in Cubao.

MMFF New Wave

MMFF New Wave

MMFF New Wave

MMFF New Wave

Images from the MMFF New Wave Gala Night

Photos by: Alyssa P. Lising