Asian American Film: Reviews

Screening Filipino 2000

10.31 - Posted by Editor

The scoop from the front at Screening Filipino 2000

Left: "Rick and Steve," Grand Prize Winner

Reviews by HyperFlip

10.31.00 -- Filipino American CineArts (FACINE) brought the 7th Annual Screening Filipino 2000 to the San Francisco main library's Koret auditorium this weekend, spotlighting short films and videos by Filipino American filmmakers.

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Respond to this review by posting your comments below!

    The film program, curated by Mauro Feria Tumbocon, Jr., was an eclectic showcase ranging in theme from gender and sexuality issues to community awareness. Awards were presented to the best short films following a panel on Filipinos in the mass media.

"Rick and Steve" wins big

The hilarious animated Lego duo "Rick and Steve, The Happiest Gay Couple in All The World" took the grand prize as best short. This simple yet effective piece by Q Allen Brocka challenges the viewers with poignant issues with queer couples who attempt to have a baby.
    Since Brocka was unable to attend the event, Chris Castillio of LA's CineGang and a friend of Brocka's made a comment for him. Although the ethnic identities of the happy duo were never specified, Brocka (by way of Castillio) admits that they were intended to be Filipino characters.

"Women's Wrestling" and "[f(x)]"

Peachy Mathias of the Filipino Channel's "Stateside" presented a video series from her show on community issues. When asked which was her favorite of the six videos she presented, Mathias favors her story on "Women's Wrestling" because it was different. She felt that women can aspire to be more then what the media allows them to be. By being a women in the Filipino press/media, Mathias feels that she has the ability to empower images of women for what they really do.
    Mathias also makes a brief cameo appearance as a news reporter in Matthew Abaya's psychotic martial arts comedy "[f(x)]," which managed to arouse many snarls and outbursts of laughter.

Cockfighting in "Arena"

RL Navarette's "Arena," a cinema verite documentary which takes viewers to the heart of Philippine cock fights, gives a general perspective on what it's like to be at the arena. Navarette exercises a lot of discipline -- not using formalistic techniques to tell a story, he lets the audiences see the fights without imposing personal opinion or morality on this seemingly brutal cultural pastime.

Tiger's faux pas in "Golf Wars"

FACINE award winning video documentary "Golf War," by Jen Scradie and Matt DeVries, lends insights into the exploitation of the 3rd World as foreign businesses attempt to violently remove rural farmers from the ancestral land to make room for a golf resort.
    A shocking moment comes when Schradie manages to interview popular Hapa golfer Tiger Woods. Without knowledge of the war or the killings around the resort industry, Woods expresses his support for the golf resorts in the Philippines. This is a must see for all people interested in the third world struggles.

Hapas get busy

On an other level, Iraya Robles, a queer Pinay-Mestiza of the arts, presented her music video "Ankle Bracelet" which always seems to please the crowd. Let no one every say that she has Hapa issues, because this Mestiza can take on all stereotypes of the queer bi-racial with her song and dance.
    From another Hapa artist, Stuart Gaffney's of "Cunanan's Conundrum" demystifies the stereotype of the queer biracial by deconstructing the story of the famed killer of clothing designer Versace. By using images solely obtained from the media coverage of the Cunanan manhunt in 1997, we can begin to understand who the true Cunanan was and how his ambiguous identity exploited by the media hype. Asked how he obtained all this media footage, Gaffney said that it was something that he collected in 1997 as the event was unfolding on television and in the tabloids.

The best of the rest

Other films honored were "Pissed" by Charmeign Cruz, a comedy about "relieving one's anger"; Jason Gino's "Blink," about relationships in the digital age; Omz's Eskrima charged action flick "Up the Hill," which also picked up a FACINE award, Lito Torez's AIDS awareness sequel "In the Company of Friends," Patricio Ginelsa's cartoonishly funny alien autopsy "Bootleg," old friends "Reunion" turned love affair by Jean Joson; and a very unsettling portrayal of the horrors of the racism experienced by Filipino American Vietnam War vets in James Aceron's "Sniper."

Comments

Below are comments to this review which have been moved over from the old site. Enjoy! -- Editor
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Name: Charmaine Cruz
E-mail: chiviscriv@aol.com
Web Page: Charmaine Cruz

What a great experience it has been so far. Thanks to Dr. Tumbocon for putting on the festival and giving us all a place in San Fran to screen our work. Thanks to Chris Castillo for encouraging me to make a short in the first place! Who would have ever thought I could do it! Now I'm addicted and on to the next project. Wish I could have come to San Fran for the festival, but I had just returned from the CMJ FilmFest screening in New York and took the time for much needed rest. Thanks again for the opportunity and congrats are in order all around. :>) Charmaine Cruz
11/03/00 13:04
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Name: Jean Joson
E-mail: echoentertainment@yahoo.com
Web Page: Echo Entertainment

It was an honor to be a part of this festival. I wish I could've attended considering this is my hometown and it would've been great to see old friends. Stay tuned...Reunion will air on Hypnotic.com in December!
11/02/00 07:21
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Name: Peachy Mathias
E-mail: pmathias@abs-cbni.com
Web Page: stateside

Hey there, Just want to say thanks for the support and for giving me the opportunity to showcase my work. Peachy
11/01/00 10:52
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Name: Mauro Tumbocon. Jr.
E-mail: facine@hotmail.com

Thanks for the great insight on some of the works and for giving space for the modest work we do for Filipino American media arts through FACINE or Filipino American cineArts. Just for completeness, Omz got the Most Promising Filmmaker award for Up the Hill and Charmaine Cruz was the Finalist for Pissed. Again, thanks.
10/31/00 22:23
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Name: Allan Brocka
E-mail: poshpictures@hotmail.com
Web Page: hypnotic

Hey there. Thanks for the fantastic review! Just a note on Rick & Steve... Rick (the bottom with black hair) is Filipino-American and Steve (the brown- haired top) is a southern white boy. I really wish I could've been there, but we were in the middle of production on future episodes. Be sure to check out episode #04 coming soon on hypnotic.com to see some of the challenges they face as an interracial couple. ---Allan Brocka
10/31/00 19:38

Posted by: Editor on May 13, 2003 03:45 PM

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