These are our capsule reviews of this year’s QCSEA Shorts. We wish these filmmakers the best of luck and here’s hoping their short films gain more traction wherever else in the world. The dystopian near-future of Stephen Lopez’s Hito feels bizarre and unfamiliar at certain points, yet feels familiar in all the
Category: Short Films
The messy, mundane, and other #BuhayElbi things
Submitted by Cidee Despi Each year, Pelikultura: the CALABARZON Film Festival attempts to showcase the diverse cultures of Los Baños, Laguna through the #BuhayElbi category. The category is open only to residents of LB. The premise of the competition gives the filmmakers, often students of the University of the Philippines Los
2017 Viddsee Juree Awards Top 10 Finalists Announced
Fresh, innovative and inspiring stories have been chosen to vie for top honors at the Viddsee Juree Philippines, a festival of short films that aim to celebrate and support filmmaker communities in Asia. The nominated films are by upcoming talents from different schools such as the University of the Philippines,
The Secret Life of Pets
A Toy Story for pets. There, I’ve gotten it out of the way – the classic Disney film that every critic will mention in reviewing Yarrow Cheney’s and Chris Renaud’s The Secret Life of Pets. Perhaps cracking early the plot resemblance spoiled my high hopes for this film. We have
Apasol
Peace. Tranquility. Contentment. Heartbreak. A muddle of all these fashions the unparalleled feeling that engulfs someone, observing the relentless receding tide, the fiery blends of red, oranges and yellow, and the underlying heartbeat of farewells and promises. This is how Ryanne Murcia’s Apasol breathes the salty air of leave-takings, love and uncertainties.
Kyel
There are no clocks in hell according to Frank Ferguson Jr.’s unnamed druggie, who we only know through his (possibly drug-induced) fits of rage and breakdowns. The dark room where this scrawny persona holes in doesn’t have clocks, either; but if need be the space looks just the part. We find
Redlights
Playing like a tense thriller reminiscent of the films of Michael Mann, Redlights plays up its atmosphere of uneasiness – that feeling that’s something’s up but you just can’t put your finger on what it is – to deliver a suspenseful look into the seedy underbelly of Cebu. Written and directed
Wawa
If you come in to Angelie Mae Macalanda’s short film Wawa, expect anything but the myth of Bernardo Carpio enduring two mountains apart or the enkantada who entrances unsuspecting male tourists. The heart of the film, while it dwells in darkness, is something far more familiar to us—perhaps all too vividly—than folklore. Its
MMFF New Wave 2014 Shorts
Last December 13, Fully Booked U-View, in cooperation with Juan.com.ph, kicked things off into high gear for the latest batch of New Wave Student & Animation Shorts as it hosted the premiere screening of all 11 films in competition. Director Paul Soriano graced the event and gave a warm welcome
