It's that time of the year again, and I'm excited to support Filipino films that have nothing to do with some dude with a barbell, Tang Ina Isa Pa, Vic Sotto saying "Nye!", or Kris Aquino's kid.
Cinemalaya celebrates independent Filipino films, and one that you should definitely be on the lookout for is Sundalong Kanin. This is where young actor Enzo Pineda makes his debut into the independent film industry and where you see a dapper Marc Abaya speaking in Japanese.
Set in 1941, the Philippines is caught up in World War II. In the small town of Nicholas, four boys - Badong, Carding, Benny, and Nitoy - want to do nothing more but to fight for their country. But with their arrows and slingshots, and of course their age, no one were taking them seriously. Still, that never stopped them from continuing their mission. They spied on the Japanese soldiers that were occupying their school and then passed valuable information on to the guerrillas.
But the plot thickens when the people they love also become victims of the war and they are forced to choose sides, facing each other not as friends, but at foes. It's the kind of movie that tugs at your heartstrings, as you watch how children get wrapped into the horrible atrocities of war, their youth and innocence stolen from them overnight.
“Sundalong Kanin” is directed by Janice O'Hara who started in Cinemalaya as a screenplay writer for “Ang Paglilitis ni Andres Bonifacio” in 2010. She then became a consultant in the indie film “Cuchera.”
When mucking around Manila, be sure to catch Sundlaong Kanin in a cinema near you. Here is the list of the screening schedule and venue for everyone that's interested:
August 2:
12:45 PM | CCP MKP Hall
06:30 PM | Trinoma Cinema 1
August 3:
04:00 PM | Alabang Town Center Cinema 4
04:00 PM | Greenbelt 3 Cinema 4
09:00 PM | CCP Studio Theater (Tanghalang Huseng Batute)
August 4:
03:30 PM | CCP Little Theater (Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino)
04:00 PM | Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5
06:30 PM | Trinoma Cinema 4
August 5:
12:45 PM | CCP Main Theatre (Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo)
09:00 PM | Fairview Terraces Cinema 5
August 6:
06:15 PM | CCP MKP Hall
09:00 PM | Trinoma Cinema 1
August 7:
01:30 AM | Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5
06:15 PM | CCP Main Theatre (Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo)
August 8:
12:45 PM | CCP Studio Theater (Tanghalang Huseng Batute)
09:00 PM | Alabang Town Center Cinema 4
09:00 PM | Greenbelt 3 Cinema 4
August 9:
01:30 PM | Fairview Terraces Cinema 5
August 10:
04:00 PM | Trinoma Cinema 4
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