INTERNATIONAL filmmakers, members of the diplomatic corps, the local Indie community and corporate executives recently gathered to celebrate the Sinag Maynila 2017 Film Festival at the Samsung Hall of SM Aura Premier.
A joint project of Solar Entertainment, Centerstage Productions and SM, the festival seeks to inspire, educate and enlighten the viewing public. On its third year of providing independent filmmakers a brand-new platform to showcase their stories, Sinag Maynila featured films reflecting Filipino culture while presenting social issues deserving discussion among audiences here and abroad. These were showcased at SM North Edsa, SM Megamall and selected cinemas.
With its new tagline “Sine Lokal, Pang-Internasyonal”, the festival lives up to its billing, with finalists handpicked by Sinag Maynila CEO and founder Wilson Tieng and world-renowned and internationally acclaimed film director Brillante Ma Mendoza. “The upgraded mechanics for this season may have been a risky move, but we are very happy with the outcome,” Tieng said. “We are looking forward to the reception of these films here and, of course, internationally.”
With the tremendous success of Sinag Maynila’s debut in March 2015, more talented filmmakers took their chance in getting a nod to be part of the competing roster, as it has been closely associated with the opportunity for international recognition.
This season, five films have been selected for Full-Length, Short Film and Documentary categories. The finalists for the Full-Length films included Bhoy Intsik by Joel Lamanga, Kristo by HF Yambao, Beyond the Block by Ricardo Carranza, Ladyfish by Jason Orfalas and Tu Pug Imatuy by Arbi Barbona.
During the festival, guests had the rare opportunity to view two internationally acclaimed films. These included the opening film The Asian Three-Fold Mirror 2016: Reflections series, a coproduction by the Toronto International Film Festival and the Japan Foundation Asia Center, a triptych of compelling stories featuring Mendoza’s Shiniuma, Japanese director Isao Yukisada’s Pigeon and Sotho Kulikar’s Beyond the Bridge. The closing film was Korean filmmaker Sang-woo Lee’s Walking Street (2016).
Sinag Maynila is a partnership between Solar Entertainment, Centerstage Productions and SM. Event sponsors also include Metrobank, SM Aura Premier, 2nd Avenue, CT (City Television) and Jack TV.