Cinemalaya 2021 to stream online; outdoor cinema to launch on CCP grounds
The 17th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival will hold its second online edition this coming August 6 to September 6, 2021.
In a media event Wednesday (July 14), the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) announced that this year’s indie selections would be streamed via KTX.ph. The short films will be grouped into two sets, with each set priced at P150 each. Ticket prices will be on a pay-per-view basis.
KTX partners with Cinemalaya 2021 as we navigate through this trying, yet exciting currents. Tickets to the competing films will soon be available via https://t.co/lx1ZKuhjAK !!! pic.twitter.com/3l70TnVWYY
— KTX (@KtxPH) July 14, 2021
CCP also announced that it would be opening its grounds with a hybrid drive-in cinema concept, dubbed Cinema Under the Stars, where film enthusiasts would be able to watch selected films at Liwasang Ullalim.
Set to be the first audience-centered on-site event since the lockdown, the hybrid outdoor cinema is not limited to the typical drive-in set-up for car owners, but would welcome everyone, including those on bikes, joggers, and those walking. Details regarding the Cinema Under the Stars will be announced at a later date.
This year's Cinemalaya edition has 13 main short films picked from over 200 entries competing for the Balanghai trophies, most of which were collated and produced during the very challenging lockdown period. Production on full-length features have been extended to 2022 due to the difficulties of filming during the pandemic.
Check out the trailers for the 13 finalists competing for the Best Film below.
An Sadit na Planeta (The Little Planet) by Arjanmar H. Rebeta follows the adventure of a young man as he explores a small planet.
Ang Mga Nawawalang Pag-asa at Panlasa (The Lost Hopes and Flavors) by Kevin Jay Ayson is a documentary on the quest of finding “pagkaing iloco” in the midst of a pandemic.
In Ang Pagdadalaga ni Lola Mayumi by Shiri De LeonIn, a virginal old woman hires a callboy to change her perspective about men.
Ate O.G. by Kevin Mayuga tells about a struggling aging house helper who finds herself going through an unexpected and uplifting experience.
A young woman struggles to find herself after losing her father during World War II in Beauty Queen by Myra Aquino.
In Crossing by Marc Misa, a desperate robber is forced to choose whether he should become a hero to his victims or fall victim to a robbery himself.
Kawatan sa Salog (A Toy in the River) by Alphie Velasco is about a mischievous child who learns the value of time and life as he finds his way back home to his father.
Kids on Fire by Kyle Nieva is the story of a prepubescent boy who discovers the power of his sexuality during a religious camp.
Looking for Rafflesias and other Fleeting Things by James Fajardo narrates how a tikbalang transforms into a teenage boy to disprove the rumor that horse demons are killing civilians in the mountain.
In Maski Papano (I Mask Go On) by Che Tagyamon and Glenn Barit, a disposed facemask turns into a humanoid and starts an adventure looking for its previous owner.
A grandmother and her baby grandson find solace in each other and face the harsh reality of the pandemic together in Namnama En Lolang (Grandmother's Hope) by Jonnie Lyn P. Dasalla.
Out of Body by Enrico Po takes the audience in a macabre commercial shoot with a young model.
Meanwhile, career and friendship are on the line when a comic strip artist tells her writer the truths about his relationships in The Dust In Your Place by David Olson.
Catch Cinemalaya online and other events including a Film Lab, the hybrid drive-in cinema, free virtual screenings and more this coming August 6 to September 5, 2021.
(Photos via CCP)