Ploning brought both the UP students, their family and friends, and Judy Ann fans to the special screening of the movie in the UP Film Institute (Adarna Hall) last Wednesday night.
It's a statement of support of the UP community to the bid of the Philippines to the Best Foreign Language Film Category of the 81st Academy Awards or the Oscars 2009."Ploning, a Cuyonon folk song, is essentially a plea from a boy to her lover for the latter to wait for him and remember him as he leaves her for a different land. The final verses of the song bare the boy's wish that the girl keep a stone wrapped with her handkerchief, as reminder that his love for her is undying. It's a lovely song, with a melody that encapsulates the emotional longing that the lack of physical intimacy emboldens. Slow, passionate, and moody, the song functions as both a narrative precursor and musical anthem of Dante Nico Garcia's film with the same title." as stated in Francis Cruz' blog.
Ploning was shown in limited release from April 30 to May 6, 2008 with Filipino subtitles in the Philippines before going to wider release and subsequent worldwide screenings with English subtitles. On August 2008, Judy Ann returned to Cuyo to grace the screenings and was awarded as the town's "adopted daughter."
10 Reasons Why YOU should watch and support Ploning:
1. The movie was graded an A by the Cinema Evaluation Board, the highest score possible in the Philippines.
2. Critics and filmmakers around the world (France, United States, India, China and Singapore) took turns in praising this motion picture and showcasing it as part of their own International Film Festivals. It's an official Selection to the 6th Paris Cinema International Film Festival, July 5, 2008 [4] and to the 1st Hong Kong Asian Independent Film Festival, November 16 and 21, 2008 [5]
3. High caliber character actors like Ronnie Lazaro, Joel Torre and Jojit Lorenzo accepted the roles with little exposure and dialogue given to them. Seemingly a testament to their faith in the movie’s quality.
4. Cuyonon actors were trained and hired to add authenticity to the film. All of the actors and even the major players in the crew has Cuyonon buddies to guide them as they film every scene.
5. Dante Nico Garcia is an authentic local of Cuyo Island who studied in UP and became Judy Ann Santos’s friend during her Mara Clara days. Dante grabs this rare opportunity to save the dying Cuyonon language. This is also his birthday gift to Judy Ann.
6. This movie made Judy Ann Santos transcend her soap opera image.
7. The film’s cinematography is simply superb. It is a visual candy that provides us an opportunity to know that the Philippines’ environmental beauty is beyond Boracay and Mayon.
8. Aside from the beauty of the island, Cuyonon’s rare culture was made public in the film.
9. It is seldom that a film that shows some tragedy would also be labeled by a lot of people as a feel-good movie.
10. This film is a saving grace for a dying local movie industry marred by traditional conservatism, censorship, dirty politics and commercialism.
I hope there would be another screening sa F.I. I missed it! urgggh! (angry) Sana lang tlg manalo sya sa Oscars!
ReplyDeleteCinematography: Panoramic shots, reminds me of Ang Lee(brokeback) and Kiarostami (THe wind will carry us).. Its good to know that the film was made by an auteur. Grabe, new wave na ba sa Philippine cinema? i can't wait for other directors to follow dante garcia! enough of itallian neorealism(influence on contemporary filipino indie films), nakakasawa na!
I want more from garcia's auteur gifts!
ciao! God bless!
Adrian: Sana nga, but I heard na baka meron.. and I'm cooking up something ;) sana matuloy? haha
ReplyDeleteUna iisipin mo about the story and the dialogues, but mapapaisip ka ulit, and see it not as it is, but siguro with the "art" and the simplicity of life in Cuyo. I think it brought out "life as it is.."? Sana this sparks the "new wave" :)