Kino Punch LAYA6 by Kino Punch Magazine

ISSUE 6 2021 OCTOBER

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Ma. Sophia Sibal

i GATEWAY ENTRANCE 2 4 6 8

Table Of Contents Foreword Editor’s Message Editorial Board

ii PAG-IBIG STREET 10 Pelikula at Pag-ibig 12 A Journey with KathNiel

iii CINE CIRCLE AVENUE 17 20 25 30 32 36

Pelikula sa Probinsya: Espasyo at Ebolusyon The Disembodied Netflix User Reel Spaces of Contestation: Urban Realism and Politics in “Respeto” Nueva Cincuenta “Palimos ng Akses”: Ang Pelikulang Pilipino sa Pandemya Nalalabing Espasyo

iii

vii iv WOMEN’S FREEWAY Tungo sa Pagbabago ng Naratibo ng Babae sa Pelikula 41 Inside the Gaze of Patriarchy 44 Trinity in “Insiang”: Lino Brocka and the Exploration of the Female Space 37

v MEMORY LANE 48 Memento Mori 51 On the Go

vi EXIT LANE 56 Talinhaga ng Mundo sa Lente at Tinta 58 Paglabas sa Eksena

vii THE END POINT 61

Bionotes

FOREWORD

Kino Punch LAYA6 Foreword

One of my earliest invitations to writing is Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot. I heard it for the first time while watching Jason Reitman’s Men, Women, and Children (2014). The film welcomes its characters by narrating the simplicities and complexities of humanity as a tiny part of the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known. I was thirteen when I first watched it, and I did not know what any of that meant. I did not know how to translate words from screen to reality. But I knew one thing: I never looked at art, love, and life the same way ever again. Growing up in the walls of a science high school, I was frequently told that the most practical thing I could do for myself was to study science in a way that could bring me to the highest peaks. Yet as a high schooler, I noticed my difference from most of my classmates. While they were acing our exams on Biology and Algebra, I remember writing poems about linear inequalities and free falls and how the separation of Pangaea could relate to people. I distanced myself from my academics and focused instead on writing films. My love for the arts, specifically poetry and cinema, started in high school and never stopped ever since. When I graduated, I did everything I could to enter UP Film Institute. And when I got into UPFI and even in my film organization, UP Cinema, it was both everything I expected and did not expect. People were smarter and were meant for greater things. They had eyes that could see both the smallest and biggest pictures. That was when it hit me: It was like high school over again. Except this time, like the supercontinent, the space I was on was wider and scarier and was meant to undergo divides. I, like the rest of the people behind this publication, was in desperate need for explorations. And cinema, like it has always been, was the common ground among us. I grew up loving films because I used to think that it was one of the honest ways to tell stories. As I started to expand my horizons through the help of my orgmates in UP Cinema, I learned how art sometimes arrives at a certain compromise that holds various positions on human connection and mistrusts. While making this sixth issue of Kino Punch, I have come to realize that while cinema is a space that binds people closer together, it can also be a space that separates them.

GATEWAY ENTRANCE • Foreword

Kino Punch LAYA6 examines the spatial contradictions of cinema in its position in society as an art form, a business industry, and even as a social and political movement. It recognizes that despite the progressions of cinema through the century, there remain a few surprising directions especially now that the industry is starting to enter a new era during the global pandemic, requiring audiences to stay in as safely as possible. This is what makes Kino Punch LAYA6 slightly different from its previous issues. This issue is like a window; we invite people in our homes to discover cinema instead of going out to discover where it is. But where is the home of cinema? If you asked me a few years ago, I would have told you that it’s inside the four walls of a movie theater. It’s on the comfiest seat of Cine Adarna or CCP’s Tanghalang Manuel Conde. It’s in the way of Kino. But now, with the rise of smaller screens and pandemic cinema, we recognize the way cinema continuously expands beyond walls. Cinema is dynamically everywhere, and we should not catch it nor contain it; instead, we must let it free. That’s when we truly take the essence of film experience beyond the screen—once we embrace the whereabouts of people of various kinds: the artists, the activists, the scholars, the teachers, the working class, the women, the children, the queer, the disabled, the prosperous good, and even the inevitable evil. The evolution of the cinematic space, as revolutionary as it may sound, is actually simple: it is within us, the people. It is where the people are. To end this foreword and to officially welcome you to our magazine, I’m quoting off Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot as my personal description to cinema, in the lens of our ever-changing World: “That’s home. That’s us. On it, everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. Every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there, on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”

HANGGANG SA MULING PAGLALAYA6, Until the next explorations, ELAISSA BAUTISTA, Editor-in-chief

Foreword • GATEWAY ENTRANCE

E D I T O R ’ S N O T E 6

The first film I watched in the cinema was Happy Feet (2006)—I was 5. I could barely remember the story. What I could tell is my aunt gave us gift certificates so we could watch the film. We weren’t financially stable back then. We had a lot of priorities other than watching films in the cinema. Tickets would cost 200 pesos each which is more than half of our daily food budget. Though I was still able to watch different films because of the free screenings on Cinema One channel and the pirated DVDs my daddy would bring home. I wasn’t aware that piracy is “illegal” but all I know is that it was the main reason why I was able to watch such films. It was the reason that made me love cinema. It brought cinema to my home—outside the cinema theaters that you’d find on the uppermost floor of most malls. Now, as someone who studies cinema, it made me see how this art remains exclusive to the privileged. Now that we’re financially stable, I don’t think my young self would afford to go to film school with the necessary expenses. Some close friends didn’t pursue film or art programs, in general, to give way to “practical” programs that would sustain them, their future, and families. Just like the late film critic Alexis Tioseco, let me also create a wish list, a vision for Philippine cinema.

JT’S WISHLIST 1.

I wish cinemas were no longer found inside the supermalls. Cinema will never be free until consumption is independent of the national bourgeoisie. They do nothing but perpetuate the commodification of cinema.

2. I hope that film criticism will find its place in Philippine Cinema as an independent discipline from filmmaking. Their writings or video essays can even be greater than the films that they have written about. I wish that young critics would have a space to share their insights. They should never be stopped by the industry professionals who continue to gatekeep cinema. Filmmakers should start listening to these criticisms and should not take things personally. They should appreciate people who care and put time and effort into writing about the films they have made.

GATEWAY ENTRANCE • Editor’s Note

3. I wish film schools will no longer be focusing on making directors or auteurs. Cinema as a collective art is a product of collaboration between different people who share the same vision. Being an editor, a sound designer, or an assistant director is a valid dream. It is no less than being a director. This structure that we have been practicing promotes nothing but feudalism. Yet I know that breaking away from the norms is going to take us a lot of time and that is okay. It is not our fault but the system’s. 4. I can only dream of a cinema that is no longer centered on the capital. There are a lot of regional films and filmmakers that are not recognized but deserve to have a platform. Establish cinemas in each region so people could get to have access to a wide variety of films. 5. I hope people get to appreciate short films because they are films too. They are no lesser than full-length films nor a stepping stone. 6. I wish that we recognize that Philippine Cinema is diverse on its own. Let’s stop comparing our aesthetic to the colonized visuals of cinema that’s highly dependent on resources like money and equipment. 7. I wish cinema could serve its purpose to organize and tell stories. I see cinema as an art that celebrates collectiveness and the idea of a community where these moving pictures play a big role in shaping society.

PALAGING MANGANGARAP Will keep on dreaming, JT TRINIDAD, Creative Director

8. I hope piracy would not exist anymore because there is no need to do so. Everyone deserves access to films. Until it is irrelevant, piracy will always find itself useful for the access of the many. 9. I hope that we get to see making films outside of this “industry”. The true liberation of cinema is found in the people, in their narratives, and not in this money-making mode of production.

I know that it is very idealistic of me to write all of that but it does not matter, at least I dream and will keep trying.

Editor’s Note • GATEWAY ENTRANCE

Contributors *icons serve as article guide

• Writers* Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Associate Editor Creative Director Managing Editors Copy Editor Marketing & Publicity Editor Layout Editor

Elaissa Bautista Ivan Gentolizo JT Trinidad Aiah Gertos Andre Jacques Fallaria Ace Balbarez Johnmark Villanueva Ma. Sophia Sibal

KINO PUNCH # L A YA 6 8

GATEWAY ENTRANCE • Editorial Board

Redsh Alba John Adrianfer Atienza Ace Balbarez Leo Cosmanio Baltar Acer Batislaong Lanz Gabriel Calonge Aiah Gertos Mark Christian De Jesus John Patrick Manio Rudolf Rafael Quimson Silver Racca JT Trinidad Johmark Villanueva

• Photographer* Gabie de Leon

Staff Members *icons serve as article guide

Layout Artists*

Redsh Alba Mary Averilla Gabie de Leon Christine Gregorio Jandale Jimenez Coby Mercado Jansen Pagulayan Cyryl Mei Reynoso Ma. Sophia Sibal JT Trinidad

Illustrators*

Redsh Alba Mary Averilla Christine Gregorio Kayla Manganti Coby Mercado Julianne Rose Reyes Ma. Sophia Sibal JT Trinidad

Photo Editors*

Redsh Alba Derrell Steen Barrion

Cover Art

Kayla Manganti

Marketing and Publicity Staff

Joseph Arizapa Waxee Galang Aiah Gertos Gabie de Leon Jean Lugtu Dane Lumaque Mae Malaya Karl Maalab Paredes Julianne Rose Reyes Kiarra Santos Juge Tagle Kenneth Te

Managing and Research Staff

J-Ann Avila Lem Ereña Jean Javier Rafa Leonardo Silver Racca Eyang Gayo

Executive Board A.Y. 2020-2021 President Rudolf Rafael Quimson

Vice President for Internal Affairs Kristelle Tapang

Vice President for External Affairs Raisa Nicole Pariñas Secretary General Ace Balbarez Finance Officer Kisha Joaquin

Academics and Research Officer Ivan Gentolizo Publicity and Promotions Officer Ienne Junsay

UP CINEMA

Creative Staff

Rona Bawa Ienne Junsay Camille Sayo Kristelle Tapang

Editorial Board • GATEWAY ENTRANCE

Johmark Villanueva

Mary Averilla

GATEWAY ENTRANCE • Pelikula at Pag-ibig

Naniniwala ako na ang pelikula at pag-ibig ay may mga hindi maikakatwang pagkakatulad. Kung paanong nagmula ang matitingkad na kulay sa noo’y tila sepya at monokromatikong pamumuhay, kung paanong unti-unting tinatanggap ng masa ang iba’t ibang anyo nito, at sa kung paanong ang pananaw ng karamihan ay siyang bumubuo sa sari-sariling mga kwento. Madalas nating maisip kung tayo pa ba ang bida sa kwentong kinabibilangan natin, kung unti-unti na ba tayong nagiging kontrabida o baka naman tayo pala ay ekstra lang sa kwento ng iba.

Pero bakit nga ba halos lahat sa atin ay laging gustong maging bida? Dito pa lamang ay masasabi na nating malaki talaga ang impluwensiya ng pag-ibig sa paggawa ng pelikula at gayundin naman ang impluwensiya ng pelikula sa pag-ibig. Karamihan sa mga pelikula ay hinabi at ginawa bunga ng pag-ibig. Karamihan sa atin ay natutuhan ang kahulugan ng iba’t ibang klase ng pag-ibig mula sa mga pelikula, kaya madalas nating isipin noon na palaging may “happy ending” na paparating hangga’t hindi pa humahantong sa end credits ang buhay natin.

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Isang malaking kahibangan na minsan nating naisip na ang buhay, pag-ibig at pelikula ay hindi hahantong sa katapusan nito. Nakakaloka ring isipin kung paanong niloloko natin ang ating mga sarili kung alin ang realidad at pantasya lamang. Nakatatawa kung paanong pinaniwala tayo na malalaman nating pag-ibig ang nararamdaman kung ang paligid ay nagkakaroon ng slow motion effect at may cue upang tumugtog ang background music kapag nakikita natin ang isang tao. Ang lahat ng ito ay normal lamang. Ngunit sobrang bihira na makakita ng parehong elemento mula sa isang pelikula o pag-ibig sa iba pang pelikula at pag-ibig. Lahat ay may kanya-kanyang pinagdaanan upang makarating sa kanilang kinahantungan. Hindi mo pwedeng ikulong ang pag-ibig at pelikula sa iisang hugis lamang.

Bagama’t hindi lahat ng pelikula at pag-ibig ay mananatili at tatatak sa ating puso at isipan, hindi naman natin makalilimutan ang pakiramdam na minsan nating masaksihan ang mga bagay na ito. Gaya ng first love, may pelikula na hindi natin kayang burahin nang basta-basta sa alaala natin na tila ba sobrang sariwa pa rin sa pakiramdam sa tuwing babalikan. Nakararamdaman din tayo ng pagsasawa sa pelikula gaya ng sa pag-ibig at doon tayo magsisimulang kuwestiyunin ang sarili kung nagustuhan ba talaga natin ang bagay na iyon o pansamantalang aliw lang talaga dahil habang tumatagal ang pag-analisa sa mga bagay-bagay ay unti-unti nang magbabago ang pagtingin natin sa kanila. Pareho nating ipinagdarasal sa kawalan na sana ay maging maganda at maging sulit ang lahat ng ginagasta nating pera at enerhiya sa pelikula at pag-ibig. Bakit nga ba hindi natin kayang tanggapin ang pagiging mapait at hilaw nito na maaaring parte pala talaga sila pareho ng ating pagkatuto sa ating buhay para ihanda tayo sa mga paparating na mas magagandang mga bagay? Kasabay ng pagkatuto nating gumawa ng pelikula dahil sa pagibig ay natutuhan din nating mahalin ang kagandahan at kapintasan ng pelikula na itinuturing nating repleksiyon ng sarili. Kasabay ng paghinog ng pag-ibig ay ang paghinog ng pelikula at ng mga hilaw na istoryang kaya nitong i-kwento. Maaaring sa mabagal na paraan dumadaloy ang kwento, maaari rin namang sa isang kisapmata ay matapos agad ito. Parehong may mga kamalian at kakulangan na mapupuna at kailangang punan. Higit sa lahat, ang pelikula at pag-ibig ay may mensaheng inihahatid tungkol sa lipunan sa kani-kanilang mahiwagang paraan.

Pelikula at Pag-ibig • GATEWAY ENTRANCE

Lanz Gabriel Calonge Coby Mercado

I was 10. All I knew was to watch television shows. Most of the series are melodramatic and adult themed. There were rare instances for teen representation until there was an unlikely and surprising pairing that would become one of the most successful love teams in the Philippines—Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, also known as “KathNiel”. Growing up, I only knew the idea of love through their movies. When would they have their on-screen kiss? When could they portray mature roles? Would they ever admit the status of their relationship? In hindsight, the mystery and anticipation surrounding them helped their career. By never giving a direct answer to their ambiguous relationship, the fans continuously couldn’t get enough of what they have to offer. What seems to be effective until now is the magic and chemistry they have successfully displayed with the characters they portrayed. In almost 10 years of being a love team, they have already solidified themselves through an esteemed body of work prior to

PAG-IBIG STREET • A Journey with KathNiel

the pandemic with nonstop back to back films, television shows, and endorsements. There is an ongoing culture for fans to go out, attend, and support every venture they launch. Watching their films has been an annual tradition of mine. Now I look back to some of the most memorable that need more pondering and criticism as retrospection might offer a different take from how I used to line up in cinemas and watch the films together with fans who are also caught up with their tandem. KathNiel is a product of an industry that has relied on their celebrity status to make commercial films.

They portrayed characters meant for easier consumption of their young target audience. Each year, they offer a movie following the romantic comedy formula of Star Cinema films that breaks box-office records, proving their long-lasting power as a love team to withstand a yearly offering with barely having a break. On one hand, there is a greater chance for fans to support their material with the hopes of seeing something new in their films. On the other, there is also a minimal amount of time to recalibrate new stories for them considering the demanding audience and a conservative society.

us on llow fo thekinopun ch @ N

Must Be... Love (2013)

There is a nostalgia to the idea of having the fans grow up as the love team matured in their films: from simple portrayals of living in the moment into tackling couples who live together under one roof. Daniel’s comedic timing and macho-acting is reminiscent of his action star uncle, Robin Padilla. Kathryn’s transition from her forte of doing melodramatic scenes projecting her ability to somehow act strong, boyish, rebellious, a self-pitying teenager, and the constant role of being dumped before being a cherished character. Surely we can say that the evolution is evident,

but not everyone will endure to binge-watch all their projects. So here, I will try to dissect some of their biggest films and how it contributed to their legacy as a love team. Romantic slow-motion, when time just stops, and everything is filled with our overwhelming feeling of joy and love. Their first film “Must Be... Love” (2013) offered the makeover trope for Kathryn’s character to be seen by Daniel’s character. A common archetype in films that has only perpetuated the problematic necessity of a woman being molded to what is

A Journey with KathNiel • PAG-IBIG STREET

Pagpag: Siyam na Buhay (2013)

Crazy Beautiful You (2015)

desirable for men which is heavily rooted from the Western standards of beauty—refined, scratch-free and whitened skin, and regarding femininity with fragility—the need to improve and be seen. As much as the film tried to emphasize that it was Kathryn who neglected her potential to be better, it did not let her boyish characteristics redefine what is beautiful. In the end, she adjusted herself to what society has deemed to be beautiful. They tried exploring the horror genre with their 2013 Metro Manila Film Festival entry “Pagpag: Siyam 14

na Buhay”. While it remains as the highest grossing horror film in the said festival, its impact diffused over time. It was a sure hit considering they were offering something different in a close competition with their contemporaries; however, the narrative of superstitions and a group of friends getting killed one by one is not something new nor did it create a different impact towards their audience. It’s safe to say that it is not as memorable as their other films. Recurring themes of portraying troubled teenagers are common

PAG-IBIG STREET • A Journey with KathNiel

in the filmography of KathNiel as they dabble back to familial and virtuous endings wherein their characters find solace and change themselves through the company of each other. Two films directed by Mae CruzAlviar show KathNiel’s development in the romantic comedy genre: “Crazy Beautiful You” (2015) and “Can’t Help Falling In Love” (2017). “Crazy Beautiful You” showed Daniel’s capability for comedic timing. What seems troubling in this movie is the unconvincing portrayal of Kathryn as a narcissistic spoiled

teenage girl. The strong image presented by her make-up and outfit felt forced with regard to its styling. While “Can’t Help Falling in Love” produced their best banter when their characters tried to find a solution to the drunken wedding they did in a bar. The film was able to capture the beauty of Cebu as romance progressed between Gab (Kathryn) and Dos (Daniel). Something that “Crazy Beautiful You” lacks with regard to its visual and narrative appeal given the story was set in Tarlac that could have set a stronger backdrop to the characters’ romance.

Barcelona: A Love Untold (2016)

The Hows of Us (2018)

Two films of KathNiel that highlight their strength for heavy drama were seen in “Barcelona: A Love Untold” (2016) and “The Hows of Us” (2019). However, these films have also shown a disconnect between what they wanted to actually portray and what was presented. Barcelona’s hype created a vital shift in their usual format of storytelling. As their contemporary peers were dwelling more in actively portraying stories outside the conservative imposition of what a

love team must present, this is the first time that they had their onscreen kiss. As fans cheer and feel the love that they have waited for so long, it clearly misses the mark when it comes to giving a new take to Filipino overseas workers driven by youthful passion. It fell short by placing the characters, Mia and Ely, in the city of Barcelona that served them less plot-wise and only did more for its aesthetic values. Surely, they can settle their conflict anywhere. As much as the location provides both individuals a challenge to perform in a foreign space,

the film never gave a clearcut depiction of the struggles it should have highlighted. “The Hows of Us” arguably is Kathryn and Daniel’s proof of finally tearing down the walls of portraying and acting on teenybopper roles. As much as the first half of the film gave real dilemmas that live-in couples may experience: unpaid bills, disheveled home, wrecked dreams, broken promises, and the burden of sticking with your partner even if the situation is already on the verge of

everything falling apart. It tried to answer the main question of “how to stay even if it is already unreasonable and unhealthy for the couple?” while the many hows as simplistic. The resolution of the film was George (Kathryn) finds the letter written by Primo (Daniel) inside the vinyl he gave her on their anniversary. This details Primo’s apology for not being able to live up to the man he is supposed to be. Touching as it may sound, being regretful and apologetic of the past doesn’t always save a relationship that is doomed to crash.

A Journey with KathNiel • PAG-IBIG STREET

Surprisingly the one film that stood the test of time is “She’s Dating the Gangster” (2014). Despite the disappointment from avid fans of the story that the film was based from, this film marked a classic performance of the tandem. It came at the right time. Even without accurately portraying the gangster in the books or giving the spotlight to Athena Dizon and Kenji Delos Reyes, they were able to provide distinction to their counterparts as Kelay and Kenneth.

Looking back, I was enamored with how they re-set trends: from being a commercialized Star Magic homegrown talents that were handed stories ranging from duplicated storylines of “Got 2 Believe” (2002) and “Milan” (2004) to even arguably emanating the same cinematic approach in romanticcomedy set up for Sarah Geronimo and John Lloyd films. A distinct problematic feature of KathNiel’s filmography

PAG-IBIG STREET • A Journey with KathNiel

is the need to always bring the two stars together in the end, so much that sometimes it seems like a fan service. The excessive reliance towards their solid fan base robs them of actually moving outside the box they are comfortable with. Doing films only in one production house all throughout their career, resetting trends that have already been used by their predecessors, and tweaking a few elements depending on their current audience, their career still remains dependent

on the commercial system that is market driven. KathNiel’s magic is alluring until it becomes repetitive that would only saturate the audience with nothing new. There’s no denying of their immense talent as individuals. But their filmography has yet to receive a new leaf, something to adore far more than them being together but rather being more successful in giving life to characters they portray with a fresh and different perspective.

PELIKULA SA PROBINSYA: ESPASYO AT EBOLUSYON Mark Christian De Jesus

Christine Gregorio

Hinahati ng panonood ng sine ang antas ng pamumuhay sa probinsya. Para itong mga bahagi ng Bapor Tabo sa El Filibusterismo na nagbubukod sa mga mayayaman at makapangyarihan, at sa mga mahihirap at walang kaya. Ang mga nasa itaas ng bapor ay palagiang nakakikita ng magandang tanawin at palagiang nakalalanghap ng sariwang hangin na tulad ng mga batang may palagiang akses sa panonood ng sine samantalang ang mga nasa ibaba ay pawang init ng makina ang natatamo at nagkakasya sa kakaunting tanawing tila ipinagkait na ipasilip sa kanila, na maaaari namang kumatawan sa karaniwang batang promdi.

Kung para sa mga batang ipinanganak na may kaya sa buhay, ang pagsisine ay pangkaraniwan na lamang na libangan o minsan ay gantimpala. Sa isang karaniwang bata ito ay isang natatanging karanasan na madalang dumating sa kanyang buhay. Dati nang suliranin ang aksesibilidad ng sine sa probinsya. Bukod sa kakaunti ang bukas na sinehan dito, hindi kasama sa budget ng isang karaniwang pamilya sa probinsya ang pagsisine. Iba ang kahulugan ng “leisure time” sa probinsya. Hindi maisisingit sa pinaghahati-hating kita ang isa o dalawang oras na

ligaya ng mata. Bihira ang mga pagkakataong nakanonood ang mga kabataan ng pelikulang akma sa kanilang edad. Pinagkakasya nila ang kanilang sarili kina Fernando Poe Jr., Lito Lapid o kay Eddie Garcia na maaaring naging idolo na ng kanilang ama o ng kanilang pamilya. Pinanonood at pinagsasaluhan nila ang mga “dagok”, “suntok”, at “putok ng baril” nito sa piniratang bala ng DVD na naglalaman ng isa hanggang sa halos dalawampung mga pelikula na karaniwan ay nasa genreng aksyon.

Manghang-mangha marahil ang isang karaniwang batang promdi sa unang pagkakataong siya ay makapasok sa sinehan. Marahil ay baka magtanong pa siya kung bakit madilim, bakit ang lamig at bakit pulang ilaw na may nakalagay na fire exit lamang ang kanyang nakikita, bukod sa isang dambuhalang telebisyon na tila lalamunin siya nang buo.

Pelikula sa Probinsya: Espasyo at Ebolusyon • CINE CIRCLE AVENUE

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Kung hindi man sa ganitong paraan, malamang ay nakapanonood ng sine o pelikula ang isang batang probinsyano kung panahon ng mga pistang bayan. Ito ang pagkakataong ilang gabing may libreng pelikulang ipinanonood sa harap ng munisipyo o barangay hall. Hindi sa isang karaniwang TV nanonood kundi sa isang malaking kulay puting tela na lalong makapukaw-pansin dahil sa nagliliwanag na ilaw ng projector. Madalas na ipinalalabas pa rin sa mga ganitong “baranggay movie night” ay mga pelikulang aksyon subalit popular din ang mga imported na pelikulang dubbed sa Filipino. Maaaring sa ganitong paraan nakuha ng isang batang probinsyano ang kanilang unang karanasan sa panonood ng pelikula. Sa nagdaang mga panahon, maaaring nabago sa ilang kabataang promdi ang ganitong unang karanasan sa panonood ng pelikula. Hindi kasi naglaon, ang 18

pelikula ay naging bahagi na rin ng kurikulum sa mga paaralan. Matapos ang dalawang dekada na itinuturo sa English at Filipino na apat lamang ang makrong kasanayang pangwika kabilang ang pakikinig, pagsasalita, pagbasa at pagsulat, ay hayagang isinama ang kasanayan sa panonood. Ito ay maaaring bunsod na rin ng mga pagbabagong panteknolohiya. Ang naging hakbang na ito ng Department of Education (DepEd) ay nagbigay-pagkakataon sa mga araling pampelikula na mapasama sa kurikulum ng English at Filipino sa elementarya at sekundarya. Isa ito sa mga dahilan kung bakit ang mga paaralan ay nagsisikap na rin ngayon na mabigyan ang kanilang mga mag-aaral ng natatanging karanasan sa panonood ng pelikula at iba pang biswal na midya. Ang espasyo ng literasiyang pangmidya ay lumalawak sa mga paaralan dahil sa teknolohiya at patunay nito ang pagbibigay-pokus na rin sa paglinang ng makrong kasanayan

CINE CIRCLE AVENUE • Pelikula sa Probinsya: Espasyo at Ebolusyon

sa panonood na karagdagang kasanayang lilinangin sa K-12 Kurikulum. Sa totoo lamang, kung sasangguniin ang UNESCO, ang literasiyang pangmidya ay karapatan ng bawat mamamayan kasama ng karapatang makapagpahayag at makaalam ng impormasyon. Katunayan sa ibang mga bansa sa Europa, may mga balangkas silang sinusunod patungkol sa Film Education o Film Literacy at ito ang dahilan kung bakit kasama sa kanilang kurikulum ang pagtuturo ng pelikula. Sa Pilipinas, kasama na sa kurikulum ang panonood, pagsusuri at pagbuo ng pelikula. Katunayan sa Baitang 8, isa sa mga paksa sa Ikatlong Markahan ang pagsusuri ng pelikula bilang bahagi ng kontemporaryong panitikan. Ito ang nagbigaydaan upang makilala ng ilang kabataang promdi ang mga pelikulang kaiba sa kanilang nakagisnang genre na aksyon tulad ng mga pelikulang “Anak” (2000), “The Flor Contemplacion Story” (1995), “Dekada ‘70” (2002),

“Filipinas” (2003), “Magnifico” (2003), “Abakada…Ina” (2001), “Mga Munting Tinig” (2002) at iba pang mga kontemporaryong tulad ng mga nabanggit. Nakalulugod din na ang literasiyang pampelikulang ito na sinimulan sa batayang antas ng edukasyon ay tumatawid hanggang sa dalubhasaang lebel. Maraming mga unibersidad ang nagbukas ng mga kurso sa Filipino na may kaugnayan sa sining ng pelikula at pagdalumat sa kaugnayan nito sa lipunan, ang “Sinesosyedad”. Sa ibang paaralan, ito ay elektib subalit sa ilang mga unibersidad ito ay isang required course na maaaring kapalit o kaalinsabay ng ilang mga kurso sa wika at panitikan. Sa kursong ito, nalilinang ang kasanayan sa kritikal na panonood at pagsusuri sa makabuluhang pagsasakonteksto ng mga pelikula sa Pilipinas.

Ito ay pagpapataas ng antas ng diskurso ng literasiyang pampelikula sa bansa na maaaring sa hinaharap ay makatulong sa lalong pagbubukas ng akses ng literasiyang pampelikulang sa buong bansa sa syudad man o sa mga probinsya. Isa pang pagpapalawak ng espasyo ng pagsisine sa probinsya ang naging mga hakbang sa pagtataguyod ng mga patimpalak sa paggawa ng maikling pelikula. Halimbawa sa Nueva Ecija, ang pagtataguyod noon ng Esihas Film Festival kung saan ang mga paaralan ay nagkakaroon ng patimpalak sa pagbuo ng maiikling pelikula. Ito ay ipinanonood sa mga batang Novo Ecijano hindi sa kanilang paaralan kundi sa mga sinehan sa probinsya. Kasama sa pagkatuto ng mga bata ang karanasan sa pagpasok mismo sa loob ng sine at minsang pagkadama ng pananabik na makapanood ng sine kasama ang kanilang mga kaklase o kung minsan ay kanila mismong mga magulang. Niyakap na rin ng ilang mga bayan ang kahalagahan ng pagpapayaman ng sariling kalinangan sa pamamagitan ng mga pelikula. Halimbawa sa bayan ng Bongabon sa Nueva Ecija ay palagian nang isinasagawa ang Sinebuyas Short Film Festival

na bahagi ng taon-taong pagdiriwang ng Sibuyas Festival. Sa pamamagitan ng ganitong mga gawain, nagiging mas malapit sa mga batang promdi ang pagsisine o ang pelikula mismo. Masasabing likas na naganap ang ebolusyon sa akses ng pelikula sa probinsya subalit hindi pa ito ganap. Kailangan pa ang lalong pagpapataas sa antas ng pagtingin sa pelikula. Ayaw kong sisihin ang masyadong mainstreaming ng ilang pelikula pero dahil sa limitado ang naihahaing pelikula sa probinsya dulot ng limitado ang bilang ng mga sinehan, nagiging makitid ang ispektrum na pamimilian ng pelikula na maaaring panoorin at panooran. Halimbawa na rito ang sitwasyon kung may mga film festival tulad ng Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP) o Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) kung saan mas pinipili ng mga tao na panoorin ang mga pinakapopular na mga pelikulang masyadong mainstream kumpara sa mga pelikulang humakot ng awards dahil sa mataas na pagpapahalaga ng mga ito sa mga elemento ng pelikula. Negosyo ang pagpapalabas ng pelikula kaya mas pinipili ng mga kapitalista na ihain ang mga pelikulang matunog at mainstreamed kumpara sa

mga pelikulang “may mataas na kalidad” kaya talagang ilang araw lamang ang itinatagal ng mga pelikulang ito dahil sa hindi ito ang nais panoorin ng mga parokyano. Kailangan pang mabago ang ilang pananaw sa kalidad ng mga pelikulang nais panoorin sapagkat hanggang ang mababang uri ng kalidad ng pelikula ang patuloy na tatangkilikin ng masa hindi uusad ang literasiyang pampelikula sa ating bansa sapagkat hanggang marami ang “kumakain” ng ganitong uri ng pelikula ay patuloy na “maghahain” ang mga kapitalista ng ganitong uri ng mga pelikula. Sa kasalukuyan, masasabing may ebolusyon na ang espasyo ng pagsisine sa probinsya. Mula sa mga piniratang DVD, ang panonood ng pelikula ay nailipat sa mas maayos na plataporma

sa mga paaralan. Mula sa iisang o illang genre, malayang nadadalumat ng mga mag-aaral ang mga panooring may iba’t ibang mga pananaw. Malaki rin ang ginagampanan ng mga institusyon tulad ng relihiyon at ng pamahalaan sa lalong pagpapalawak ng espasyong ito. Ngunit patuloy pa rin ang pag-aasam na sa mga susunod pang panahon ay lalong magbunga ang patuloy na pagsulong ng panonood ng sine sa probinsya. Ituring nawa ang sine bilang isang makabuluhang anyo ng sining na nagpapamulat ng diwa, nagpapataas ng moral, nagpapalaganap ng kultura at nagpapaangat ng ating pagkaFilipino.

Pelikula sa Probinsya: Espasyo at Ebolusyon • CINE CIRCLE AVENUE

Gabie de Leon Derrell Steen Barrion

The Disembodied Netflix User

CINE CIRCLE AVENUE • The Disembodied Netflix User

Acer Batislaong

In this age of the pandemic comes the age of the pod. Now more than ever, we’re able (albeit forced) to appreciate the essence of ‘home’ and adjust our lifestyle to the four (or more for the much privileged) corners that we have. We do work, school, and business stuff online and experience the in/ convenience that it entails. While for entertainment, with most of the physical theaters closed, we rely on the abundance of shows streaming platforms catered to us and enjoy the power of choice that we hold when we have our movie nights and daily binges. We revel in the autonomy that we feel when it’s just us and our personal computers, phones, and tablets; when we wield our tv remotes to conquer the realm of the virtual. Indeed, in these complicated times we witness the heydays of streaming platforms, of internet television. We see it when films originally planned to be released in theaters worldwide got available on-demand. “Mulan”, for instance, was projected to be the highest grossing film of the year 2020 yet it flopped hard (ironically in China

where it’s expected to perform) and so headed straight to Disney+. Apple TV is also entering the streaming sphere as it continues to create original content like “The Morning Show” (2019) putting them on the map. And, well, if we’ll let the Emmy nominations be the definition of “quality,” then Netflix, as a digital streamer-creator of content, dominates that department (at least in the last ceremony). Yes, the game is on for media companies offering streaming services not just to distribute but also create content for the increasingly demanding audience. Through the might of algorithms, streamers can know what and when the audiences watch and/or like watching. Netflix, as it (its platform and mechanisms) will be the focal point of this discussion, in their knowing the behaviors and watching patterns of audiences, create content tailored fit for the audiences. So, when a new season of “The Crown” (2016) or “Stranger Things” (2016) comes out, it sure feels like Netflix knows and cares for the audience; providing an

enhanced, personalized viewing for us “where [we] want, when [we] want it.” In “The Rise of Netflix Hit”, Bilge Ebiri talks about how Netflix determines if a show is a potential hit or not. The streaming giant relies on the audiences’ “views” as the ultimate variable comparable to “seats” as a determinant of a box office hit pre-pandemic. Netflix recently defines this “view” as someone who has watched something for two (2) minutes. For reference, a two-minute watch of a Lav Diaz film (yup, I’m a biased fan) would give you nothing more than blackness. You haven’t seen anything yet but Netflix (if they dare to show a Diaz which is highly unlikely) would already say that it is “long enough to indicate that the choice was intentional.” So when Netflix tells the public that its recent action film “Extraction” (2020) garnered 99 million views, a significant percentage of that, no doubt, would be those who accidentally clicked the film and left for a while to get their pizza delivery or take a bathroom break.

Here, I echo Ebiri’s bemoaning of an “alienating” truth: that whether or not the starters (those 2-minute watchers), watchers (the 70 percent people), or completers (those who finished at least 90 percent) should be the legitimate basis for the views through which Netflix ought to describe a hit, what transpires is the quantification of its audiences. The sincere goal of providing content that would genuinely serve the audiences’ interests is shrouded by the company’s cunning scheme to lure the viewers into clicking that new release or that show in the “recommended” list. People are merely their watch duration; numerical data harnessed by algorithms to privilege Netflix’s “elaborate marketing operations.”

CINE CIRCLE AVENUE • The Disembodied Netflix User

us on llow fo thekinopun ch @ N

So it begs questioning: How does Netflix pursue and know its audience? Does it really “care” for our intentions and personhood or just our clicks? Are we really free and autonomous to choose the content that we want or are we being manipulated? 22

CINE CIRCLE AVENUE • The Disembodied Netflix User

How does this happen?

Let’s then dissect Netflix, as the company that revolutionized the way we watch content and see its inner workings that significantly alter our viewing experience. Since its establishment in 1997, Netflix has clearly transformed our ways of seeing: from a depersonalized mass viewing experience to one that is personalized, individualized. The intimacy we feel as we ourselves participate with our own devices corresponds to the perceived and felt autonomy, power, over this “finite catalogue of content” that streamers offer. Yet, for Sarah Arnold, a film lecturer, what Netflix does perpetuate, in its “datafication” of its audience, is the “myth of choice, participation, and autonomy.”

Unlike the old ways of television where media industries employ tools like television set top meters or do consultations with audience measurement companies (e.g., Nielsen) to make sense of the breadth and depth of their reach, to target advertisements to specific audience demographic, and to eagerly pursue and learn (although not entirely) the ways and intentions of its audiences, Netflix gets to self-generate knowledge about its audience through datafication; through “direct data mining.” Here, as Webster et al. posit, we witness a “server-centric” measurement of audiences; that is, as an advanced internet streaming technology, Netflix gains insights of its subscribers via their interaction with its server. The user is no longer the center of this mode of measurement but rather the server interactions that they generate (e.g., select, pause, play. etc.). Thus, Netflix harvests acres of digital data and discerns its audience’s total watching behavior to evaluate with much accuracy how its content performs with the subscribers in real time while also predicting their viewing patterns. It also gives the audiences the ability to “speak back” through the option of rating content. Hence, now that the audiences have become much predictable, easily ascertainable, Netflix is able to concoct personal recommendation systems (PRS) that cater specifically and especially to the individual user. Where, then, does the problem arise? While the aforementioned model might look benign and only evocative of a thorough representation of individuated viewing experiences, what it does, harking back to Arnold, is erase the “context, experiences, and identities of its users” and “negate the sense of a public, of a socially shared experience, and of human agency.” Due to what scholars call as “data behaviourism” or a “big data mindset,” Netflix treats data as all knowing; as “knowledge-generating” via its own algorithm. To Netflix, we are nothing but clicks, scrolls, hovers, plays, and pauses. This is where it all gets chaotic. As Netflix slyly continues to gather data from our interactions with its server, it builds and assumes a “profile” of a specific user.

The Disembodied Netflix User • CINE CIRCLE AVENUE

This is not, as Mark Andrejevic puts it, an attempt to arrive at a “demographic truth” but is an “ongoing search for productive correlations.” In other words, Netflix associates all our server interactions, together with its frequency (how much do we click) and specificity (what do we click), with our own personhood. This personhood, however, is nothing but a digital profile; an “algorithmic identity” that replaces the human agents that we are. This is where the veneer of individualization and personalization starts to wear off and reveal the effacing of human agency that Netflix perpetrates. This reduction of a viewers’ personhood (their worldview, sensibilities, intentions) into mere numerical codes finds further expression in Netflix’s PRS. As we interact more with its server, the data gathered trigger the algorithm to modify the recommendations list according to the subscriber’s behavior patterns. For instance, even if you’re not totally fond of nerds when you decide to watch “The Big Bang Theory”, Netflix’s PRS would assume that you do and so bombard you with geeky movies like “Star Trek”, “Star Wars”, or even “Superbad”, “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”, and other Michael Cera flicks. Furthermore, when a user streams “Black Panther” (2018), even if they’re not persons of color, Netflix’s PRS would assume that they identify with the film because of race (be it of the user or the characters).

CINE CIRCLE AVENUE • The Disembodied Netflix User

And when research suggests that Netflix users bypass the recommended section only 25 percent of the time, Netflix’s algorithms ultimately become deterministic. It informs our algorithmic identity in such a way that it claims to know not only our interests and motivations but also our race, even gender and social standing. Therefore, the selfgovernance we feel at the onset is undermined and shapeshifts into a “data regime” that dictates, governs, the way we watch. This “algorithmic governmentalism,” as per Antoinette Rouvroy, is what strips human viewers of its agency. We lose our capacity to choose, to govern ourselves, and to be autonomous to the almost omniscient Algorithm. It’s as if Netflix is telling us that to choose amongst this seemingly countless list of content is a burden, a disadvantage, and so it does this encumbering work for its audiences—to choose on behalf of its users. We can say, quite ironically, that it’s only after we pay for our subscriptions and when we choose for the first time that we reach our peak autonomy. What follows, as we generate more virtual interactions, is us being subjected to further exploitation, manipulation, and illusion. Hence, the Netflix user is disembodied. We are not only reduced to being predictable, scalable sets of ones and zeroes, of plays and pauses, but also bereft of power, of will, of meaning.

Reel Spaces of Contestation Urban Realism and Politics in “Respeto” Respeto) John Adrianfer Atienza

Jansen Pagulayan

Mary Averilla

In 2017, “Respeto” made history as it bagged several awards in the annual Cinemalaya Film Festival. The Treb Monteras II directorial debut triumphed in several major categories, including Best Sound, Best Cinematography, Audience Choice, the NETPAC Prize, and the festival’s Best Film. The film was also known for its symposium of counterculture and visual protest on oppressive regimes, making the filmic space a ground for sociopolitical contestation. Four years later, its embedded cinematic themes of political commentary continue to resonate with the current temporal state of the Philippines. Focusing on the life of Hendrix, “Respeto” explores the underground hip-hop scene in the country. Hendrix resides with his sister and sells drugs with her boyfriend as their primary source of income. An aspiring rapper, Hendrix often visits underground rap battles with his friends, Betchai and Payaso, eager to make a name for himself and obtain the respect of the people in the rap scene. However, this simple coming-of-age narrative began to alter its cinematic

thesis when Hendrix met Doc, a bookstore owner, whom he and his friends tried to rob. The film’s narrative was set in an urban area in Pandacan, exposing the daily struggle of the underside metropolis. In its background was the image of urban poverty and the impoverished imagery of the slums, presented through the dense population living alongside railroad tracks, informal housing, and a labyrinth of side streets and tight alleys. Geographically, “Respeto” presented the harsh realities of Filipinos whose lives were entrenched with poverty. The filmic representation of urban reality is evident in Philippine cinema. From the films of Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal in the 1980s to the films of Jeffrey Jeturian and Brillante Mendoza in the 2000s, they have portrayed “a picture of everyday life in a developing nation as mired in insurmountable destitution, crime, and despair.” 1 Philippine cinema has employed a filmic depiction of third-world reality by establishing the aesthetics of poverty and realism in the space of visual media.

CINE CIRCLE AVENUE • Reel Spaces of Contestation Urban Realism and Politics in “Respeto”

The evolution of urban realist films often relates to the changing discourses around its the visual characterization and thematization, which depend on its contextual ramifications and constraints, resembling the discourses of Rancierian politics of aesthetics. In this view, the political and socioeconomical milieus serve as imagery and manifestations of the complications and intricacies seen in the films. They are visual mirrors of their respective socio-political temporal state. New urban realist films continue to engage their audience with thematic politics inclined to different contemporary

themes of poverty, urban reality, and oppression, wherein “Respeto” shares. Along with urban spaces of the metro, rampant drugrelated activities often occur. With insufficient economic and social resources, the only manner to survive was through the informal economy or illegal means, including drug selling and trading. Pitted against the wall, people have been edged to undertake illegal activities to survive life; diskarte or life tactics, as some would say. Hendrix and his family shared this life scenario. In the film, he mainly served as the

drug pusher of his sister’s boyfriend, Mando. The film presented drug trading as if it were a usual activity in the area. On this regard, the film subsequently connected and contextualized its implicit plot about the current political affairs of the period. “Respeto” was released during an intricate period of political history in the Philippines. Since 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte has initiated a government policy to neutralize illegal substance abuse in the country. Popularly known as the “Philippines’ war on drugs,” this political action resulted in volumes

of suspected arrests and deaths, including minors. Since then, the number of killings continued to ascend. According to the data of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and other domestic human rights groups, there has been an estimate of more than 27,000 drug-related death cases, contrary to the official figures provided by the Philippine National Police, which only quoted 5,601 deaths, since January 2020.2 This political issue was exposed in the latter parts of the film. It was revealed that the primary drug dealer was a man in uniform, a policeman named Fuentes.

CINE CIRCLE AVENUE • Reel Spaces of Contestation Urban Realism and Politics in “Respeto”

us on llow fo thekinopun ch @ N

Towards the tragic ending, Hendrix found out that his family had been killed. It turns out that Fuentes, who is seemingly unsatisfied with the drug marketing, murdered Mando to erase his connections with the drug suspects. The visual capturing of violence was Monteras’ filmic fashion of criticizing the continuing culture of impunity in the country, particularly the drug war. The rampant police involvement in drug trafficking was evident in several reported news since the start of the war. In some instances, they were publicly condemned as trigger-happy men, applying minimal provocation toward suspected drug personas—and often

killing them. The film exposed the political underpinnings of the current society amid widespread police killings and brutality. “Respeto” is Monteras’ recapturing of an epoch in history, a period when a president encourages corrupt and triggerhappy constabularies. Unpleasantly, these cases of police corruption resemble an earlier period of history. Ferdinand Marcos regime witnessed an amassed number of inhumane actions, resulting in human rights violations, incidents of disappearances, and killings. Under martial law, Marcos established his authoritarian regime, controlling the bureaucracy and civil society on his political terms.

Appearing to be a shadow of his predecessor, the dictator in Duterte parallels this governance, creating a thinly cloaked socio-political control, not through the implementation of martial law but his war on drugs. In his analysis, Nathan Quimpo notes that Duterte’s political rhetoric on the drug war was related to his motive to control society and, consequently, create himself a national boss.3 In his creation of a national dilemma, wherein he placed the Philippines as a narco-state, Duterte utilized the war on drugs to justify his political advancement on establishing an authoritarian regime. In this vein, there is a necessity of eliminating

the Other, which Duterte evoked in the body of the drug addicts. It subsequently created an atmosphere of fear among citizens, especially in cases of unjustified deaths done by police, as Vicente Rafael notes in his Foucauldian concept of necropower.4 Given the histories, an uncanny resemblance can be seen through both regimes’ rhetoric which manifested in their masterful political justifications: communist insurgency during Marcos and narco-state during Duterte. This Marcos-Duterte political relationship reverberated between the two main characters of the film: Hendrix and Doc.

Reel Spaces of Contestation Urban Realism and Politics in “Respeto” • CINE CIRCLE AVENUE

It was revealed that Doc was an activist, dissident poet, and radical wordsmith during the 1970s. As a political survivor of martial law, he shared his cruel experience when his wife was mercilessly raped and killed in front of him by the police, uncovering a miserable parallel journey with Hendrix. At this juncture, the film presented an intricate personal connection between the regimes and its main characters. Hendrix’s and Doc’s encounters with their respective temporal oppressive regimes sparked a connection between them, as they shared traumatic experiences. This cinematically mirrored the political relationship between Marcos and Duterte, visually hinting at the fascist shadow of each personas haunting towards those of Hendrix and Doc. From its historical ramifications to its embedded politics of memory, the film restaged an oppressive past, recapturing a “traumatic,” historical reality. Towards the end, the intent of the film became vivid. After the unfortunate ending of his family, Hendrix was violently pursued by Fuentes. The finale focused on the confrontation of the two, a chase that resulted in Hendrix, killing Fuentes by striking a rock onto the policeman’s head. The skirmish itself happened in an instant, as if 28

Hendrix spontaneously snapped, contradicting the filmic diorama of Monteras, which presented the scene in cinematic graduality and slow pacing, as if it transected the tropes of harmony and violence in the visual medium. Following this, Monteras presented Hendrix as “a cautionary tale” that portrays the “worst possible byproduct of … an environment of injustice.” 5 In its end, “Respeto” offered a Brockian cinematic ending, wherein the person, pushed to its limits by several factors of society, resulted in a violent act of defiance. In this vein, Hendrix was created by unjust and inhumane circumstances brought by society, ala Travis Bickle or Joker, if you may. In relation to these, the finale also appeared to deliver a filmic message, resembling Roland Barthes’ concept of the punctum. It presented a scene that “pricks” or “pierces” the viewers’ perception with its implicit invocation of meaning. The final picture served as the film’s way of exposing its metaphoric and filmic call to action towards contextual complexity and political dilemma. Like the prevailing filmic discourses embedded during the 1970s-1980s and the late 2000s cinema, “Respeto” elaborates and criticizes its political temporality and socio-cultural implications.

CINE CIRCLE AVENUE • Reel Spaces of Contestation Urban Realism and Politics in “Respeto”

References 1 Elmo Gonzaga, “The Cinematographic Unconscious of Slum Voyeurism,” Cinema Journal 56:4 (2017), 103.

Sharing with Rolando Tolentino’s utilization of the Frederic Jameson’s concept of national allegory in the films of Brocka in the time of Marcos6, Monteras’ “Respeto” engages the perception of its viewers with its contesting features and tropes of political content and critique of its time. The filmic subject showed a discursive resemblance of its period wherein the personal narratives of Hendrix, Doc, and other characters in the film became national. The political efficacy of the film rested on its thematic representation of the narrative and state of politics of its time, or what this paper constantly states as a metaphoric recapturing of historical reality, making the film a valid space for protest and contestation.

Since its release, the theme of “Respeto” endures the current political climate. With the ascending cases of police killings, the themes illuminate and continue to resonate with the current political and temporal state of the Philippines. Its exposition of violence continues to substantiate the contemporary. Its call to action and political empowerment is still ongoing, still piercing and pricking its viewers who are still in search for respect.

Human Rights Watch, ““Our Happy Family Is Gone” Impact of the “War on Drugs” on Children in the Philippines,” accessed February 20, 2021, https://www.hrw.org/report/2020/05/27/ our-happy-family-gone/impact-war-drugschildren-philippines. 3 Nathan Gilbert Quimpo, “Duterte’s “War on Drugs”: The Secularization of Illegal Drugs and the Return of National Boss Rule,” in Nicole Curato, ed. A Duterte Reader: Critical Essays on Rodrigo Duterte’s Early Presidency (Quezon City: ADMU Press, 2017), 145-166. 4 Vince Rafael, “The Sovereign Trickster,” The Journal of Asian Studies 78: 1 (2019): 141–166.

5 Tristan Zinampan, “Respeto: The Futility of Resignation,” accessed February 20, 2021, https://www.filmpolicereviews.com/respeto-thefutility-in-resignation/#:~:text=The%20finale%20 of%20Respeto%20sets,connections%20to%20 the%20drug%20trade.

6 Rolando Tolentino, Contestable Nation-Space: Cinema, Cultural Politics, and Transnationalism in the Marcos-Brocka Philippines (Quezon City: UP Press, 2014); Fredric Jameson, “Third-World Literature in the Era of Multinational Capitalism,” Social Text 15 (1986): 69.

Reel Spaces of Contestation Urban Realism and Politics in “Respeto” • CINE CIRCLE AVENUE

Nueve

| Cincuenta Aiah Gertos

Jandale Jimenez

Julianne Rose Reyes

“Berdugo, berdugo, berdugo, ” sigaw ng mga manggagawa. Manggagawa. Mararangal. Marangal na mga manggagawa, ng “Azucarera De Tarlac” o mas kilala sa ngalang Hacienda Luisita. Isang malawak na lupain. Pagmamay-ari ng punong berdugo— abusado’t sa kapangyarihan ay nalulunod. Mga berdugong nagpasatupad ng Assumption of Jurisdiction, batas na ginawa pala para sa mga mayayaman, di para sa paglaban sa karapatan. Jessie Valdez, Jhune David, Adriano Caballero, Jhaivie Basilio , Jaime Pastidio, Juancho Sanchez, Jesus Laza

CINE CIRCLE AVENUE • Nueve Cincuenta

Mga manggagawa. Magsasaka. Nagkaisa. Nagbuklod. Lumaban. Ninais lamang mabawi ang para sa kanila. Subalit, sila’y ipinagkalooban ng mga bala’t tear gas sa halip na dagdag sweldo’t benepisyo. Libo-libong magsasaka. Patuloy na nakibaka, sa kabila ng kapahamakan, na maaari nilang danasin, sa kamay ng mga berdugo.

us on llow fo thekinopun ch @ N

Ilang beses nagdildil ng asin. Ilang beses nagbenta ng mga pirasong kahoy. Ilang beses lumamon ng kamote, upang mairaos ang kumakalam na tiyan, dulot ng pagod sa pagtatrabaho. Umulan man o umaraw, para sa halagang nueve cincuenta. Sabi sa isang komersyal, Saan aabot ang bente pesos? E ang kakarampot na nueve cincuenta, hanggang saan kaya kayang umabot? Alam niyo sa’n? Humantong sa masalimuot na kamatayan. Kalakip ay paghingi ng hustisya. Batas sana ang pag-asa. Subalit, miski kataas-taasang batas, tila ba’y nabahag din ang buntot. Naging armas kasama ang kanyang mga alagad, Pinantapat sa mumunting picket line na kanilang binuo.

Kahabag-habag na mga manggagawa na may simpleng hangarin, ngunit karumal-dumal ang inani—nabubulok tulad ng sistema. Marami pa ring nabubulag, Sapagkat akala nila’y sila’y mga bayani, Sa kung tawaging, “People’s Power”, o baka naman mas mainam na tawaging “Berdugo’s Power”. Sa isa o makalawa, hindi na nakakagulat kung makagagawa ulit ng panibagong akda, patungkol sa mga manggagawang, inalipusta, kinawawa, pinagkaitan, pinatay. Pasensya na kayo, kung sa pluma’t pelikula na lamang muna maikwekwento, ang mga mararangal na tulad n’yo.

Nueve Cincuenta • CINE CIRCLE AVENUE

ndemya a P a s o in ip il P g n Ang Pelikula al Batch Paper A Kahidlaw's Offici *originally written

for 20

Rudolf Rafael Quimson

JT Trinidad

Nakagisnan na ng mga Pilipinong tumungo sa mga sinehan at manood ng pelikula. Bukod sa mismong pagantabay sa mga bagong palabas, maituturing na isa ring oportunidad ito upang makipaghalubilo at magkaroon ng quality time kasama ang pamilya at mga kaibigan. “‘Pag nanood ka sa sinehan, may kakaibang pakiramdam eh. [Hindi tulad ng] ‘pag mag-isa ka lang, ikaw lang mag-isang iiyak, ikaw lang mag-isang tatawa. Lagi kong tinitingnan ‘yung reactions ng mga katabi ko,” kwento ni Tony Leung**, isang estudyante sa Film Institute ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (UPFI) at masugid na manonood ng pelikula. 32

CINE CIRCLE AVENUE • Palimos ng Akses: Ang Pelikulang Pilipino sa Pandemya

os kses *Palim ng A

Kasabay ng kaw bunsod ng pag panahon, hindi saan na nga ba espasyo ng pel nagiging mala

walang katiyakan gbabago ng i rin matiyak kung a talaga ang likula ngayo’t mas ayo ito sa masa.

Ngunit bunsod ng mga limitasyong dala ng pandemya, napilitang magsara ang mga sinehan. Sa isang iglap, ang dating pagtitipon-tipon ng mga tagapagtangkilik ng pelikula sa iisang espasyo ay imposible na sa kasalukuyan. ‘New normal’ Upang tangkaing makaahon sa krisis na dulot ng pandemya, gumawa ng sariling paraan ang industriya upang makalikom ng mga manonood kahit sarado na ang mga sinehan. Kamakailan lamang, dumami ang mga manonood sa samu’t saring mga application at website tulad ng Netflix, iWantTFC at iFlix. Nauso rin ang mga video-ondemand (VOD) sites tulad ng Upstream PH at Vimeo. Ginagamit ng ilang mga prodyuser ang bagong mga pamamaraang ito upang ipalabas ang kanilang mga pelikula.

Ngunit, kasabay ng paggamit ng mga makabagong plataporma, lalong umiral ang isyu ukol sa kakayahan ng mga manonood na makita ang mga likhang ito. Sa ilalim ng mga bagong programang binanggit, kinakailangan ng e-money o 'di kaya'y mga debit o credit card upang makapagbayad ng tiket o pambuwanan o pantaunang subskripsyon. Bagama’t maituturing ng ilan na mas madali at mabilis ang ganitong paraan, marami pa rin sa mga manonood ang nananatiling hirap. “Very inaccessible, lalo na [at] ‘yung mga mode of payment ay credit card," daing ni Tony."‘Yung Netflix ko, nakiki-share lang ako sa kaibigan ko,” dagdag niya.

CINE CIRCLE AVENUE • Palimos ng Akses: Ang Pelikulang Pilipino sa Pandemya

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Paglawak ng puwang Ayon kay Leslie Cheung**, isang estudyanteng filmmaker mula rin sa UPFI, isang pagsubok para sa kanila ang tiyaking maraming manonood ng kanilang mga pelikula, lalo na ngayong pandemya. Sa pagsali niya sa mga online film festival upang humakot ng mga manonood, inamin ni Leslie na maraming naging “predators” ng mga short films, sa pag-aakalang maliliit at mahihinang mga produksyon lamang ito. “Dati, pwede pa makapag-outreach sa community para makapag-film showing. Pero ngayon, ‘di na siya magagawa,” kwento ni Leslie. Nasaksihan ng ilan pang naglalakihang film festival ang pagbabago sa pamamaraan ng panonood sa panahon ng ‘new normal.’ Kabilang na rito ay ang Cinemalaya Film Festival, QCinema International Film Festival at ang ika-46 na Metro Manila Film Festival. Ngunit dahil sa kawalan ng akses ng mga manonood sa mga ito, napilitan ang ibang tangkilikin na lamang ang mga piniratang kopya ng mga pelikula na kabilang sa mga nagdaang film fest. “Lahat naman tayo nagsimula sa pirata. ‘Wag na tayong magpakaplastik dito,” ani Tony. “Lalo na ngayong pandemic, imagine mo ‘yung P250. Sa tingin mo, ipambabayad pa ba nila ‘yun ng pelikula kung pwede ka naman bumili ng kung anong mas kailangan nila?” Subalit bago pa man magkaroon ng pandemya, mayroon nang malaking puwang sa pagitan ng pelikula at ng masa. “Mas naging visible ‘yung gap ngayon. Mas nawalan ‘yung mga lower class [ng kakayahan] na makapanood ng pelikula, kasi ang kailangan nilang unahin, ay kung ano ‘yung kakainin nila, lalo pa ngayon na may pandemic,” sabi ni Leslie. 34

CINE CIRCLE AVENUE • Palimos ng Akses: Ang Pelikulang Pilipino sa Pandemya

Kakulangan ng suporta Bunsod nito, naniniwala rin si Tony na nagmumula ang paglawak ng puwang na ito sa mas malaki pang isyu—ang lumalawak na dibisyon sa ekonomikong antas ng mamamayan sa lipunan, kasabay rin ng kakulangan ng suporta ng estado sa industriya ng pelikula. Binigyang diin nito ang labis na pagpataw ng estado ng buwis sa mga lokal na pelikula.

“Imbis na i-angat mo yung pagpepelikula... ba’t ‘di mo na lang hingin yung tax na ‘yun sa foreign at hollywood films na ang dami-dami naman,” wika niya. Para kay Leslie, ang pagdadala ng mga pelikula sa lahat ng komunidad, katulad ng community screenings at pagpapatayo ng ‘microcinemas’ sa malalayong mga lugar ay mahalaga upang mas mapalapit ang mga tao sa pelikula.

“Dapat ang end goal natin ay collective pa rin, pero ‘yung collective natin na sinehan natin, hindi na ‘yung space na controlled nila [ng mga kapitalista]. Nasa community na siya – community viewing. Kasi iba pa rin yung collective viewing sa sinehan,” saad ni Leslie. Kasabay ng kawalang katiyakan bunsod ng pagbabago ng panahon, hindi rin matiyak kung saan na nga ba talaga ang

espasyo ng pelikula ngayo’t mas nagiging malayo ito sa masa. Naniniwala si Leslie na ang mukha ng pelikulang Pilipino ngayon ay mukha ng kapitalismo. Kaniyang panawagan, sana ay bumitaw na ito sa kapitalismo at tuluyan nang tumungo sa masa, sapagkat sa ngayon, hindi masa ang mukha ng pelikulang Pilipino. **hindi tunay na pangalan

Palimos ng Akses: Ang Pelikulang Pilipino sa Pandemya • CINE CIRCLE AVENUE

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Nasa bingit tayo nitong kathang daigdig, nitong monokromatikong pag-iral.

sa panginorin; ang pag-ilandang ng alon sa dalampasigan. Marahan ngunit marahas

Humihiram ng panahon sa hinaharap. Sa ganitong mundo, iniaalok ang ligalig

na nabubuwal ang lahat ng kumukutkot sa ulirat. Tulad ng alinmang mumunting bagay

tulad ng pagsapit ng tag-araw tuwing Abril. Wala tayong magagawa kundi magmasid,

na nawaglit sa kung saan. Ganito lamang ang ating mortalidad. Ano pang nalalabi

madama ang bawat sandali, pintig sa pintig. Itinutulak tayong gumalugad ng espasyo,

kundi ating pinakaubod, pinakatatago. Hinuhubad ang sari-sarili nating balat,

o kung minsan, ng wala. Paano nga ba magalugad ang wala? Ikinukuyom ang mingaw,

ang naiiwan pang realidad. Bago harapin ang ibayo—ang naaagnas na kalibutan,

ang pangamba, pati ang mumunting ligaya sa pagi-pagitan. Monasteryo ng mga pigil

naglalahong mga lungsod.

nating pandama. Na para bang kay lapit ng lahat, ngunit wala tayong masapo kundi nauupos nating mga alaala mula sa isang lumang mundo. At sa mundong iyon, tandang-tanda natin ang paglalagas ng akasya; ang paglambong ng papalubog na araw

Leo Cosmanio Baltar Cyryl Mae Renoso JT Trinidad

CINE CIRCLE AVENUE • Nalalabing Espasyo

Redsh Alba

Christine Gregorio Kung pipiliin ko lang ang mga pelikulang aking papanoorin base sa aking sensibilidad bilang isang babae, malamang sa malamang, hindi lang makakalahati kundi baka

maging ikalabing limang-bahagi na lamang ng mga pelikula ang maaari kong mapanood. Kung pipiliin ko naman sa mga napanood ko na ang mga pelikulang nirespeto ang karakter ng babae, binuo ang kanyang katauhan at ginawa siyang “tao” at hindi lamang isang katawan, signipikasyon o simbolo, sa tingin ko mabibilang lang sa mga daliri ko sa kamay at sa paa ang mga pelikulang sa tingin ko ay talagang nakagawa nito.

Kung aking gagamitin ang lente ng isang feminista sa pagiging masugid na manonood ng pelikula, ang mga paborito kong pelikula ay magiging hindi na kaakit-akit at napakaraming palabas ang hindi magiging katanggap-tanggap. Kaya naman napakahirap maging isang feminista at alagad ng pelikula nang sabay dahil sadyang panlalaki ang natural na lenggwahe ng industriyang ito.

WOMEN’S FREEWAY • Tungo sa Pagbabago ng Naratibo ng Babae sa Pelikula

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Naalala ko noong binalikan ko ang mga unang gawa naming magkakaklase na mga maiikling pelikula noong hayskul, hindi ko kinayang tapusin ang mga gawa dahil bukod sa napaka-corny at napakasabog ay bakas na bakas ang pagkalalaki ng lenggwahe na ginamit. Siguro dahil ako’y wala pang pag-aanalisa sa mga konotasyon ng mga gampanin na binibigay natin sa kasarian kaya hinayaan ko iyon o dahil sa iyon lamang ang aming nakikita sa mga palabas kaya ginaya lang namin. Kung hindi lamang sa sentimental na kahalagahan ay binura ko na sana ang mga maiikling pelikulang iyon. Hindi ko rin naman masisi ang batang ako sa paggawa ng mga ganoong klaseng pelikula dahil ang mga pelikulang ating 38

kinalakihan, si FPJ man yan, Enteng Kabisote, Dolphy, Bea at John Lloyd, o Spiderman, lahat ay ikinuwento sa pamamagitan ng lente ng isang lalaki. Maging ang mga love story na dinirek ng mga babae tulad nila Joyce Bernal at Cathy Garcia-Molina ay hindi rin naiiba ang lenggwahe na naiangkop na nila ang kanilang pagtingin sa gusto ng industriya at ng mga manonood; ang pagtingin ng isang lalaki. Kung saan ang babae sa naratibo—kung hindi tunguhan ng pagtingin o pagnanasa ng lalaki— ay siyang kontrabida, anak, kaibigan o nanay ng bida. Ang mga babae ay ginagawang kasangkapan upang patakbuhin ang istorya ng lalaking aktor, pabaguhin ang kanyang direksyon o paganahin ang kanyang buhay. Kung babae naman ang bida, palagi siyang may katuwang na lalaki na tunguhan ng kanyang pagmamahal at apeksyon: kasintahan, asawa, o anak. Ito ang ating kinalakihang mga naratibo, hindi lang sa pelikula kundi maging sa telebisyon, mga patalastas, kanta, istorya at iba pa. Palagi nalang na ang babae ay dapat maganda, kung hindi, matiisin. Siya ay inililigtas, iniingatan pero ninanasa; isang inspirasyon, sagot sa tanong at tagabigay ng direksyon. Nabaliw si Sisa sa pagkawala ng anak, nagmadre si Maria Clara dahil akala niyang

patay na si Crisostomo Ibarra, si Lumen ay walang ibang ginawa kundi maglaba at magluto, ang mga babae sa patalastas ay palagi lamang pinaglilingkuran ang pamilya, at ang mga babae sa kanta ay sinasamba dahil sa kanilang ganda. Malamang noong bata tayo ay hindi natin ito napapansin, pero ito ang naratibo na pinapakain sa atin. Ito ang dominanteng ideolohiya na pilit pinapanatili ng kulturang patriyarkal. Noong bata ako ay isinusumpa ko ang aking pagiging babae dahil napakaraming bawal. Bawal bumukaka, bawal umakyat ng puno, bawal umihi kung saan, bawal madapa dahil magkakapeklat sa hita, bawal maglaro ng baril-barilan, at kung ano-ano pa. Naintidihan ko namang “iniingatan” lang ng mga magulang ang kanilang anak dahil sadyang takaw-disgrasya ang mga bata at babae. Kabi-kabila ang istorya ng panggagahasa sa mga bata, at ang iba ay pinapatay pa. Noong kabataan ko’y sandamakmak na kamanyakan din ang aking naranasan mula sa mga kapitbahay, kamaganak, kaklase, kalaro at maging sa mga napapadaan lang. Hindi ko alam kung bakit. Bakit ganoon? Isinusumpa ko ang aking pagkababae dahil hindi ko alam kung bakit ganoon ang naratibo ng

WOMEN’S FREEWAY • Tungo sa Pagbabago ng Naratibo ng Babae sa Pelikula

aming buhay—na ginagatungan pa ng mga istorya ng abuso, gahasa, at iba pang kalupitan sa mga serye sa telebisyon. Paglaki ko na lamang dahandahang naintindihan ang dahilan ng ganitong pagtingin, dahil mismong mga naratibong umiikot sa ating sistema ang nagpapatuloy ng pagtingin sa kababaihan nang may kababaan at kadalasan may kamanyakan. Ayon nga kay Laura Mulvey, ang umiiral na lenggwahe ng pelikula ay gumagamit ng mata ng isang lalaki at umiikot ang pagtingin sa isang babae bilang isang “spectacle.” Akala ko nangyayari ang ganitong pagtrato sa naratibo ng kababaihan dahil sa pagiging lalaki ng mga direktor, manunulat at iba pang gumagawa ng pelikula o mga akda; ngunit bukod doon, may mas malalim pa pala itong pinagmulan sa saykoanalitiko at pilosopikal na perspektiba.

Sa saykoanalitikong pagaanalisa ni Mulvey sa kung paano tinitingnan ng kamera ang kababaihan ay kanyang itinaguyod na ang akto ng pagpaparusa at paglalabas ng sekswalidad ng kababaihan sa pelikula ay buhat ng insekyuridad ng kalalakihan sa kanyang ari at sa takot ng pagkawala nito—dahil lamang sa pagkakaroon ng pagkakaiba sa kanya. Ang kanyang kagulumihan ay kanyang nilalabanan sa pagmimistipika, pag-angkin o pagpaparusa sa katawan ng “iba” sa kanya. Itinatago ng kalalakihan sa likod ng machismo ang takot sa isa. Ang tanong ko lang, bakit kami

ang pinagbabayad niyo sa sarili niyong insekuridad? Bakit sa amin niyo ibinubunton ang kawalan niyo ng kapanatagan sa inyong sarili at sa sariling ari? Pero si Sigmund Freud na dapat tinatanong ko rito at hindi naman makakasagot ang mga lalaki nang may pag-amin sa kanilang castration complex. Isang kagalakan na ginamit ni Mulvey ang mga konsepto ni Freud (na kahit hindi matatawaran ang kanyang napakaraming ambag sa larangan ng sikolohiya) na hayag na isang misogynist, sa pagbuo ng isang feministang pagpuna sa umiiral na sistema sa pelikula. Sa pamamagitan ng artikulasyon ni

Mulvey ay naituon at nailihis niya ang paggamit ng katawan ng babae bilang isang representasyon ng kahinaan ng kalalakihan. Sa pilosopikal naman na pagaanalisa ni Elizabeth Spelman ay kanyang ginamit ang mga sulatin ni Plato tungkol sa kababaihan, katawan at kaluluwa upang isiwalat ang maling pagtingin sa babae bilang mas mababa dahil sa kanyang katawan. Dito ay kanyang itinaguyod na ang babae ay ginawang signipikasyon ng materyal na mundo ni Plato dahil sa kanyang pagiging histerikal sa pagpanaw, sa kanyang panganganak, at palagiang pagaayos ng kanyang sarili. Ngunit kung aanalisahin ang pinagmulan ni Plato, sadyang magiging ganoon nga ang tingin niya sa mga kababaihan dahil ang pagtrato

sa mga babae noon ay hindi magkasintayog sa kalalakihan, kundi kapantay halos lamang ng mga sanggol, alipin, at mga hayop. Isa pa, ang isipan ng babae noon ay hindi talaga tutuon sa mga pilosopikal na pinagsasabi ni Plato dahil hindi naman sila binibigyan ng puwang upang makinig o magdiskusyon. Tanging mga kalalakihan lang ang kinilala ni Plato na may kakayahang umintindi ng pagkakaiba ng katawan at ng kaluluwa at ang mga kababaihan ay nakakulong sa kanilang materyal na katawan. Samakatuwid, politikal at hindi biyolohikal ang argumento ni Plato sa pagtingin sa kababaihan bilang materyal lamang. At isa pa, kasalanan ba muli namin ang katawan naming ito? At ano nga ba ang mali sa pag-angkin ng katawan? Isa rin sa mga binatikos ni Spelman ay ang mga feministang sila Betty Friedan at Simone de Beauvoir dahil sa kanilang katulad na pagtingin kay Plato sa katawan ng kababaihan. Dahil ayon kila Friedan at de Beauvoir, upang maging tunay na pantay ang kababaihan sa kalalakihan ay kailangan talunin muna nila ang kanilang hangganan at tunguhin ang mga mental at abstrak na aktibidad na ginagawa ng mga kalalakihan.

Tungo sa Pagbabago ng Naratibo ng Babae sa Pelikula • WOMEN’S FREEWAY

Ayon kay Spelman, isa itong politikal na usapin dahil tanging mga may kaya at nakapag-aral lamang na kababaihan ang kayang gumawa nito. Paano naman ang mga nasa mas mababang ekonomikong sektor na sila rin namang magiging tagapagsilbi o tagahalili sa gawaing bahay ng mga kababaihang makikipagsapalaran sa mundo ng mga kalalakihan? Sa pagbabasa ng nabanggit na mga akda ay napagtanto ko na sadyang napakahirap maging isang feminista at alagad ng industriya ng pelikula. Una, dahil bukod sa kaaway mo ang patriyarkal na ideolohiya ng mundo, kaaway mo rin ang mga kapwa mo feminista sa inyong mga pananaw at tindig. Halimbawa, may mga feministang manggigigil sa mga sex scenes na sinimulan ng babae dahil para sa kanila ay mula ito sa patriyarkal na ideolohiya; may ilan 40

namang magdidiwang dahil para sa kanila ay isa itong pag-angkin sa kapangyarihan ng kababaihan. Pangalawa, sadyang panlalaki ang nakasanayang lenggwahe ng mga manonood. Manonood kaya sila ng pelikulang ang lente ay tuwirang mula sa kababaihan? At panghuli, hindi mo alam kung saan ka lulugar palagi dahil ang pagkababae mo ay lagi magiging lugar ng introspeksyon. Laging ikukumpara ang iyong akda sa gawa ng kalalakihan. Laging mas mataas ang ekspektasyon sa iyo dahil babae ka at dapat mas maingat ka sa iyong mga karakter. At higit sa lahat, lagi kang tatanungin kung ano ang pakiramdam ng pagiging babae sa industriya. Hindi ba pwedeng maging tao lamang?

Pero kahit mahirap, nandito pa rin tayo. Bakit? Dahil sawa na tayo sa maling pagtingin sa kababaihan na ginagatungan pa lalo ng mga nangingibabaw na naratibo ng babae sa mga pelikula, palabas, kanta, patalastas, istorya at kung saan saan pa. Mga naratibong nagpapalawig, nagpapalalim at nagbibigay rasyonal sa pag-abuso, pag-oobjectify, at pagmamaliit sa mga kababaihan. At ang tanging paraan para malabanan ito ay ang gumawa rin ng naratibo na kumokontra sa dominanteng

WOMEN’S FREEWAY • Tungo sa Pagbabago ng Naratibo ng Babae sa Pelikula

ideolohiyang umiiral. Kahit na ang mismong pundasyon, lenggwahe at ugat ng industriyang ito ay mula sa paggamit sa katawan ng kababaihan sa lente ng kalalakihan, gamitin natin ito upang sirain ang nakasanayan mula sa loob ng sistema. At sana dumating ang araw na habang nanonood ng mga pelikula ay hindi ko na kailangang lunukin ang aking sensibilidad bilang babae para makatagal sa inuupuan ko.

INSIDE T H E

G A Z E

O F

Aiah Gertos

“It is the place of the look that defines cinema…,” (Mulvey, 1975)

P A T R I A R C H Y

Ma. Sophia Sibal

Ever since I have read Laura Mulvey’s essay, Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema (1973, published in 1975), the statement has always been my motto as an aspiring woman filmmaker. I believe Mulvey’s essay paved the way for filmmakers, scholars, cinephiles, and spectators, on how we shall read women in films and understand the significance of knowing how they are being positioned in them as well as its implications on their real position in society. She gave us the tool, the triangulation viewpoint of the male gaze: 1) the filmmaker’s point of view or the ‘individual filming’, (2) the point of view by ‘the characters within the film’ and (3) the spectator’s point of view, which I believe, can also be extended, and applied to any gazes such as that of female, gay, lesbian, and trans. However, these tools are not sufficient enough if a spectator does not dare to go outside the film itself, to comprehend the context, which is beyond significance in reading a film. It is important to know that history will always be present in cinema, and if we will combine the former and the latter, along with the cinematic properties/elements (shot, editing, sound, movement of the camera, performance, dialogue, etc.), and the courage to use an autoethnographic approach or our voice/s, I believe that one can produce a seminal, critical, and personal analysis that will surely change how we define cinema.

continuously revolutionizing and reacting against the dominant narrative and male-dominated cinema. However, due to the power and gender relations their significance and contributions in their film industries are still being overlooked and underappreciated. But why is this the case? It is because of an ill-rooted disease lying for centuries in their history, even in the world cinema’s history, patriarchy.

For instance, I have used this kind of analysis to tackle women filmmakers’ position and representation in some East Asian films specifically in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. In those countries (even throughout the world), female filmmakers have been

WOMEN’S FREEWAY • Inside the Gaze of Patriarchy

Those aforementioned countries have deep-rooted patriarchal beliefs, traditions, morals, and ideologies which were influenced by Confucian teachings where women are long seen as passive, inferior, obedient to men, and where ‘hierarchical social structure consisting of a royal monarchy, strong class consaciousness and a patriarchal, large family system… tended to maintain separate and unequal roles for women and men’ (Gelb & Falley, 1994). Patriarchy infected men with strong authority and power over their families, giving them the privilege and advantages based on gender and inflicting them with the mindset of dominance and superiority thus subjugating women to certain gender expectations; such ideology can be observed in the representations in their early and most celebrated films.

Patriarchy made male filmmakers capitalize and exploit women’s experiences by presenting themselves as filmmakers who are devoted to themes and realities of women and even calling themselves “feminist filmmaker” when the truth is, they only imagined it and shallowly represented their life (e.g. Kenji Mizoguchi’s Ugetsu [1953]). It is a patriarchy syndrome, where filmmakers always present women as only and solely bearers of meaning to move the narrative of the male characters rather than being the active creators or the diegetic storyteller of meaning. We suffer for men, we become subservient to men, we are portrayed as needy, clingy, weak, and helpless without men; we are always the damsel in distress that has to be saved by men, we can die for men, and despite all of these, we still forgive them. Moreover, women are also being treated as mere spectacle, a flower for the male character, to make his story remarkable despite the present themes of violence on women, objectification, the dependence of women on men, women as gender and class, women’s subordination, etc. (e.g. Im Kwon Taek’s Sopyonje [1993]). As a further illustration, Hou Hsiao-Hsein’s A City of Sadness (1989), one of Taiwan’s cinema pride, tackled the experiences of Taiwanese people under the hands of the Nationalists who imposed martial law and other strict censorship in their time. The film used a woman as a narrator, yet her story—which I claimed that represented women at that time—was not even given significance. She just kept on telling stories of struggling men rather than telling stories about her, as a woman, and their experiences and struggles at that time. The highlighted image of a woman in this historical film is someone who is always serving men. This female narrator did not actually speak her voice as she was just echoing the stories written in a diary. In other words, she is not a creator of meanings but a bearer of them. She only bears the stories of men in which she is made passive and virtually silent.

us on llow fo thekinopun ch @ N

WOMEN’S FREEWAY • Inside the Gaze of Patriarchy

Such binary representations are not yet dead and are also present in LGBTQIA+ communities. They are also persecuted since they are portrayed as “different”, neglected due to stereotypical images, constrained from their identities, and misrepresented by lots of films that immensely affect how society views them, and how they had to alter their personalities. It is because patriarchy still resides in most narrative films, and if a spectator is not careful with how they analyze a film, they can also become a perpetrator of such ideology. Remember, patriarchy succeeds when it influences the way we look and define cinema, let alone perpetuate it further.

This is the reason why women and the sexual minorities in East Asian countries, despite being overlooked and underappreciated, created an alternative cinema that opposes and negates those representations and realities. The names Naomi Kawase of Japan, Byun Young-Joo of Korea, and Zero Chou of Taiwan all pioneered an alternative cinema in their respective countries. They broke gender stereotypes and expectations; they gave women and LGBTQIA+ people more exposure, revealing their fears, vulnerabilities, and dreams, giving them a more intimate view that provides a space for self-expression. As patriarchy

has long repressed them, these filmmakers present audiences real-life experiences, tell meaningful narratives with masterful use of cinematic elements. They also paved the way for controversial topics to be shown. The alternative cinema became a weapon to defy and to counteract patriarchal representations and expectations. Just how those filmmakers oppose an oppressive system, the spectator shall also find

themselves the capacity to read the cinematic space, on how to be mindful of a certain gaze, how to reflect and write and not just mindlessly watch films. We shall join women filmmakers, the LGBTQIA+, the sexual minorities, the underrepresented, all the victims of the patriarchal disease, in our fight and dissent against patriarchy. We should never be silent until it no longer exists!

Inside the Gaze of Patriarchy • WOMEN’S FREEWAY

Trinity in “Insiang” Lino Brocka and the Exploration of the Female Space JT Trinidad

Redsh Alba

The development of cinema emerged from the invention of the camera and the basic output was a photograph. Eadweard Muybridge’s obsession with movement gave birth to the early discoveries in cinema— the locomotion of organisms he captured were shown through putting one frame after the other, following the previous one with another shot to create an ‘optical illusion’ of a moving picture. Such initiatives by the pioneers all root in one filmic element: the shot. Filipino film director Dwein Baltazar, in a tweet, said that a great frame, even filled with objects, is still empty if it does not elevate the story. Therefore, the argument of a great shot is not all about how well-lit or glossy the shot is. It tries to debunk the contemporary idea of cinematography which depends on the technical elements such as lighting and color; this technical side of film production is solely based on resources that determine one’s disposal of such elements to have an ‘incredible cinematography’. Now the real question that a shot must answer is, does it say anything that would help the film narrative develop? If not, then what is the purpose of capturing and putting it there?

WOMEN’S FREEWAY • Trinity in “Insiang”: Lino Brocka and the Exploration of the Female Space

One of the major ways of communicating cinematically is to communicate visually. The shot, the basic unit of cinema, is where the meaning of the film lies. Everything that was put in the film is deliberate and political. How the director positions the characters within the space around them is telling of the film’s direction (even if it’s unintentional). The space that a certain subject occupies can hold meaningful ideas. Are they placed in the margins of the shot? If there’s an object between two characters, what does it suggest? Everything can be tackled through the argumentation of the shot’s form, the mise-en-scène. The exploration of geometry and space in Lino Brocka’s “Insiang” shows that shots alone can produce messages. The utilization of shapes cannot be seen easily as it does not adhere to the conventional idea of geometry in film. The film made use of geometrical composition through the blocking of the characters. That is why we can easily see the relationship of the three main characters of the film: Insiang, Dado, and Tonya. They were placed in an invisible triangle that helped develop not just the story, but also Insiang’s reclamation of the female space.

Figure 1. The Christian idea of Trinity

Brocka’s obsession with triangles can say a lot of things, but I am here to argue about two Filipino-relevant concepts of the triangle: (1) the Christian idea of Trinity and (2) the society’s triangle-like structure. These two above-mentioned concepts (see figures 1 and 2) are essential to the main idea of the film as it tackles the intersectionality of class and gender as Insiang is a female who lives in the urban margins of the capital. Figure 2. The Filipino social stratification.

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WOMEN’S FREEWAY •

Trinity in “Insiang”: Lino Brocka and the Exploration of the Female Space

The camera movement of the film, filled with zoom-ins, acts like a voyeur. This shot (see figure 3) encapsulates the core idea of voyeurism. We have Tonya, who is anxious and paranoid, observing Dado and Insiang from behind. This shot shows the developing conflict of Tonya between the two. And here, Dado, represented by the blue lines, still occupies most of the space against the two women. The female space in this shot is still dominated by men like Dado, an epitome of a macho and feudal man. This specific visual technique would be evident as the film develops. Another shot (see figure 4) visualizes the relationship of the three by framing them within a reflective object. Here, we can see that Tonya is still watching from behind, but now, they share the same objective space— the mirror. While Insiang, represented by the red lines, is placed in front of Dado. A female occupying a male territory hints at an act of subversion from the hegemonic masculine power.

Figure 3. Tonya, Dado, and Insiang in a triangular blocking; Tonya at the top being the omniscient, a God-like attribute.

Understanding the context of the film that it was made during the regime of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, it tried to mirror the society that favored the men and the rich. To read “Insiang” using gender analysis alone is not enough. If we are going to read the social milieu through the lens of feminism, the wife of the dictator, Imelda Marcos, would be intertextually considered to be marginalized just for being a female. And that is definitely not the case. That is why it is significant to embed gender analysis in the context of social class when reading a film like “Insiang”.

Figure 4. Tonya, Dado, and Insiang (red) now share the same space. Insiang occupies most of it.

Films mirror us. Films see through us. Cinema was born through the emergence of technology; it is a byproduct of our history. Stories in films are defined by reality. In “Yi Yi” (2000) by Edward Yang, Fatty said that movies are so lifelike, that is why we, humans, are so into it. Brocka’s “Insiang” proves to be a product of its time, of a tragic history: the killings, discriminations, and inequalities.

WOMEN’S FREEWAY • Trinity in “Insiang”: Lino Brocka and the Exploration of the Female Space

However, films being a mirror of reality do not always have a say about the conditions of society. In films, when problems are presented, as much as possible, solutions must follow. Finally, this shot (see figure 5) shows Insiang’s repossession of the space stolen from her. She is placed in the middle of the triangle and now occupies the entire space. We see her in the center of the frame, asserting a sense of dominance. The mirror reflects nothing as no one is observing them anymore. Here, we could see that Insiang takes over. She succeeds and gains control of the whole shot. The shot is often overlooked and dismissed yet it defines the totality of the director’s and cinematographer’s vision. We can derive meanings from such shots just like how Lino Brocka’s “Insiang” made use of the triangular figure and cinematic space to show the relationship of the characters and the major developments in their arcs. Brocka’s direction shows us how a single frame or shot is important to elevate the narrative. It is “very Filipino” as it was imbricated with significant Filipino sensibility and contexts such as Catholicism and social inequality. “Insiang” uses the physical cinematic space to show its feminism as it illustrates Insiang’s gradual retribution against the men.

Figure 5. Insiang is now on the top of the triangle occupying the center of the cinematic space, implicating the societal structure. She now has the God-like attributes: omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent

Trinity in “Insiang”: Lino Brocka and the Exploration of the Female Space • WOMEN’S FREEWAY

ME M E N T O M R I Ace Balbarez Gabie de Leon Derrell Steen Barrion

MEMORY LANE • Memento Mori

What reminds you of death? Our memory holds so many moments, both lived and imagined, that we accept as true. It is a reality that we enjoy and suffer. Remembering is human, but so is forgetting. But do we really forget, and do we really remember? Someone has told me that ‘false memory’ is redundant, as there is essentially no true memory. We believe what we want to believe and ignore what we cannot accept. But death, in any form, is something inevitable. It is confrontational yet vague. It is the conclusion to all stories, and an odd aspiration – we live only to die. There is no perfect timeline as that of life. We have our individual and collective affliction with mortality that immortality would become an antidote to our frailty. And we have materially succeeded on that venture of preservation: previously on language and writing, and now on still and moving images. What film

What film reminds you of death? Try to remember what you forgot, or did you forget what you must remember? Try to remember what you felt or just even feel what you remember. We shall task ourselves with remembering and forgetting. We shall proceed after our memory. What reminds you of death? Our memory gives many images, both real and abstract, that we take as reminders. It is an experience that we hold so dearly and even ruthlessly because it plays a huge part in our life. And when we experience the same event and feel the same feeling upon seeing even a semblance of the idea from the screen, we identify ourselves with the fantasy the moving images offer. The disappeared appears to our minds without permission as they violently linger and torment us. ‘Remember me,’ it calls. How could you even start forgetting the pain when it just reminded you? How can a character speak through you and vanish without remorse? How can a photograph evoke forgotten agony that is already relieved? How is it possible that fiction reminds you of everything you set to escape from in life? They are just moving images that speak. They are just moving images that feel. They are just moving images we remember and then forget. They cannot be as real as we can be. They cannot be as painful as life is. How many times have you cried in the dark and cold room? How many times have you held yourself from breaking and screaming? You have done it to yourself, frankly, and you keep doing it anyway. But why? It reminds you of death.

s e v i g y r o m e m r u O , s e g a m i many d n a l a e both r t a h t , t abstrac s a e k a we t . s r e d n i rem

Memento Mori • MEMORY LANE

The moving images are full of life that its absence is to be imagined and questioned. To present a life is to present a death. As you walk down the stairs and exit under those red lights, their existence only survives within you. Your memory keeps them alive until it fades away, and it will as it always does. And so, you see it again on your own yearning, at a forbidden or paid site, and in a different room. Nothing changed. The images are still moving, perhaps just smaller, but they move and speak just the same way the first time you saw and heard them. It never died at all but there seems to be a difference.

You changed. Certainly, you got closer to death and life hits you with more consciousness this time. You notice the details you never did. You hear the lines on equal effect but with more familiarity and purpose. You discern the colors, the actions, and the reasons better as they become more than the aesthetics after all. You are reliving a life with the same death and you are willing to go through it all the way, again. Just for the sake of remembrance. Just for the sake of resurrecting what is gone. Just for a reminder of life.

This supposes that moving images are the antidote to our frailty, or are they? They are just images that move. They only remind us of our actions and inactions, dreams and misfortunes. They remind us of the possibility of the impossible. They just remind us of how we think, what we do, and where we have left and are now heading. Moving images remind us of ourselves and it is a reminder we have conjured so that we remember and not forget.

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MEMORY LANE • Memento Mori

On On On On

the the the the

GO GO GO GO

a collection of photographs taken from a mobile car. Gabie de Leon

Ma. Sophia Sibal

On the Go • MEMORY LANE

Echoes in Silence

MEMORY LANE • On the Go

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Heroes

On the Go • MEMORY LANE

A Fake Night Sky

MEMORY LANE • On the Go

Running Late

On the Go • MEMORY LANE

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Silver Racca

Elaissa Bautista

EXIT LANE • Talinhaga ng Mundo sa Lente at Tinta

Mahirap, masukal, nakakatakot, masikip. Nakakabingi ang ingay ng katahimikan. Balot sa mga salitang ito ang mundong kinamulatan. Malayo sa pangako ng unang pag-iyak sa mundo. Walang sabi-sabi ay tila tinapon sa tinatawag nilang reál, pinakain ng salimuot, pinainom ng gulo.

Malawak ang mundo, ngunit sa mga mukhang nagkakagulo, unti-unti itong sumisikip. Nawawalan ng espasyo. Sa sobrang sikip, mas pinili nalamang itiklop at itago ang mga pakpak na nakalapat upang makalipad nang malaya. Mas pinili na lang hindi lumabas, malayo sa ingay ng reál. Patungo sa madilim ngunit payapa, mag-isa ngunit malaya. Sa maliit na mundong ginawa, natagpuan ang mahika ng panulat at pelikula. Marikit na musika, ihehele ka at iduduyan. Limot ang kung ano ang naghihintay sa labas. Sa bawat paggalaw ng mga imahe at pagsayaw ng ilaw nakarating sa ibayong walang mga pader, walang harang, basta malaya ka lang. Walang mga matang nakatitig sa bawat pagpilantik ng daliri. Walang “tigasan mo” na nakasunod sa pag lambot ng mga tuhod. Walang mga bulong na nakakabingi, nakakapatay sa talim. Taban ang mga kwentong ng mga gamu-gamong matapang na susuong sa apoy. Baon ang mga talinghaga ng pagtanggap na ninanais na maisabuhay. Ngunit kailan kaya ipapalabas sa pinilakang tabing ang mga kwento na katha, salimuot, at pighati maaninag lamang ang kalayaan at pagtanggap? Ang mga salitang hinugot mula sa kailaliman ng bangin ng pagkatao, Ay siyang mga salitang hindi kaya isigaw ng mga sugatang labi. Paos sa pagsigaw ng tulong na walang tainga ang nakaririnig. Sa bawat paglakbay ng panulat ay siya ring paglawak ng maliit na mundong kinatha. Naging matalik na kaibigan ang panulat. Kasabay yumapak sa iba’t ibang mundo. Mga salita, mito, at elehiya ang yumayakap sa pagod na kaluluwa, Pagod nang malunod, pagod na’ng sumubok. Pero magpapatuloy.

Ngunit gaano man kapayapa at kalaya ang maliit na mundong kinatha, babalik at babalik pa rin tayo sa hambalos ng reál. Sabi nila, matatagpuan mo ang kalayaan sa labas sa mga lugar na madalas gumala ang iyong kaluluwa, Kung saan ka lagi dinadatnan ng dapithapon, hanggang lamunin ng dilim ang langit. Sa 5th floor ng KAL, sa lobby ng AS, sa mga pasilyo ng PAV, sa Maginhawa, Recto, Cubao, Katipunan. Wala. Hindi naaninag ang kalayaang inaasam. Sa pagyakap ng lente at tinta natagpuan ang mundong mapagtanggap. Sa mga estranghero nakisilong, walang iniisip na paghahatol. Sa mga kaluluwang walang mukha nakatagpo ng pahinga. Sa ilalim ng kama o loob ng aparador, nakahanap ng espasyo. Nangangarap ako ng isang mundo, na kung saan wala nang batang kailangan magtago sa loob ng aparador o gumapang sa ilalim ng kama, lumakad sa daang puno ng bubog at tinik, manlimos ng atensyon at pagtanggap. Dahil ang labas ay isa nang mapagpalayang lipunan, limot na ang salimuot at kalungkutan. Wala nang mga sugat na kailangang langgasan. Wala nang mga hiwa na kailangan tapalan. Dahil sa labas ay may bagong mundo at espasyong handang mahalin sila Tanggap kung saan nagmula. Tanggap ang mga sugat na pinahihilom pa lamang. Bitbit ang mga kwentong ibinahagi sa pinilakang tabing. Yakap ang mga istoryang ipinahiram ng papel at tinta, na nagsilbing mundo ng isang batang noo’y sugatan. Ngayon ay unti-unting sumusulyap sa sumisiwang na ilaw.

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Talinhaga ng Mundo sa Lente at Tinta • EXIT LANE

Laging dinidikta ng espasyong labas ang siyang espasyong loob ng sinehan, anumang ebolusyon ang kanyang daanan, at siyang dinidikta ng labas ang siyang pakay ng sinehan at manunuod.

Cyryl Mae Renoso Julianne Rose Reyes

Naitala ni Chuckberry Pascual sa kanyang librong “Pagpasok sa Eksena” ang kalakaran ng mga lumang sinehang nakahilera sa Recto: ang Ginto, Roben, Dilson, at Hollywood. Kung sa labas ng mga sinehang ito makikita ang mga anyong sira-sira na’t napagiwanan ng panahon, sa loob ay hindi naman maipagkakaila ang nananatiling buhay na ugnayan ng mga patrono na hindi pelikula ang kanilang pinagkakaabalahan. Kung maglalakad ka naman sa kahanayan ng Cubao ay makakakita ka rin ng parehong kababalaghan. Ito’y isang bunyag na lihim naman, kaya interesanteng tingnan ang dipagkakasundo ng tingin ng mga dumadaan sa labas at mga patrono sa loob ng mga sinehan sa Cubao at Recto.

EXIT LANE • Paglabas ng Eksena

John Patrick Manio

Maaari mong itanong: anong nangyari sa mga sinehang ito? Kung iuugat ang kasaysayan ng sinehan sa bansa, nagsimula naman talaga sila bilang mga independent na establisyemento. Naitala ni Nick Deocampo sa kanyang librong “Cine” ang iba’t ibang mga sinehang unang naitayo sa bansa: ang CinematógrafoTeatro Nuevo Cervantes, Gran Cinematógrafo Teatro del Oriente, Gran Teatro Cinematógrafo Libertad, Teatro Y Cinematógrafo Rizal, Teatro Cinematógrafo Walgraph, at iba pa. Ngunit kung makikita sa mga pangalan ng iba’y hindi ito mga espasyo na para sa pelikula lamang. Bihirang puntahan ng mga patrono ng panahong ito ang mga nasabing tanghalan para sa pelikula dahil nakalaan lamang sila bilang mga dagdag palaman sa mga sarswela at Kastilang teatrong siyang kinagigiliwan talaga ng masa. Naging prominente rin naman ang mga sinehang para talaga sa pelikula sa mga sumunod na dekada nang pormalistikong mahiwalay ang espasyo ng teatro at sine.

Sa Cinematografo Ideal, Lux, Empire, at Majestic—dito direktang nanggaling ang mga sinehan sa Cubao at Recto. Ngunit namatay din ang kanilang “prestige” dahil sa mga nagsulputang cine complexes (o cineplex) sa mga mall ng SM, Robinsons, Ayala, atbp. Ang nagtitiyagang mga sinehan sa Cubao at Recto ay senyales ng pagpupursige ng pag-angkop ng espasyo ng sinehan patungo sa isang espasyo bilang merkado ng sekswalidad. Isang sinehan pa nga ba ang sinehan kung ito ay naging isang espasyo para sa homoerotikong palitan na ng laman? Pagdating sa panahon ng cineplex, extra effort na sadyain pa rin ang mga pelikula kahit mangyaring biglaan pa ang panonood. Ito ay dahil nakapaloob sila kadalasan sa pinakataas na palapag ng mga mall kaya kinakailangan pang pisikal na pagdaanan ng mga patrono ang iba’t ibang kainan, bilihan, at aliwan. Sadyain man ito ay mag-iiba rin ang headspace ng mga manonood sa paglabas ng sinehan dahil nga sa dami ng mga panibago at halo-halong distraksyon na kailangang daanan muli. Naging hari ang cineplex, kung saan walang ibang pagpipilian kundi ang mga pelikulang ipinapalabas lamang dito na karaniwang mula sa Hollywood. Magiging dominanteng sine sa bansa ang sine ng Hollywood, kasama ang kapitalistang modo nitong kita ang pangunahing layunin na masasalamin sa mga sinehan at manonood bilang nakapaloob sila sa kapitalistang espasyo ng mall. Lumabas bilang sagot sa homogeneity ng cineplex ang mga micro-cinemas. Sa Cinema Centenario, Cinema ‘76 Film Society, mga Cinematheque Centres, at Black Maria pinapalabas ang mga lokal, na may iilang banyaga, na pelikulang may limitadong takbo sa mga mainstream na sinehan. Sa wakas ay nagkaroon ng espasyong pinapaandar mismo ng pelikula.

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Paglabas ng Eksena • EXIT LANE

“Where buildings are placed matters much. They define an environment, a context of people and other places. Vicinity is not a neutral arrangement; rather, it is a neighbourhood, a village. Movie houses are strategic locations. They are in the mall, near the church or school. They are memorable because they mark occasions and bring friends together. Also, the sinehan may be able to signify urbanization, a cosmopolitan lifestyle. That the sinehan is in downtown has a lot to say about its role in the formation of mass culture,” sabi ni Gerard Lico sa kanyang librong “PA(ng)LABAS”. Sa buong kasaysayan ng sinehan sa bansa, laging nakatuon sa espasyo ng syudad ang mga ito kahit na magkakaiba ang konteksto at lokasyon ng mga sinehan: ang mga sinehang pinag-aralan ni Pascual na nakatuon sa masangsang at karnal na siyudad, ang mga sinaunang sinehang itinatag sa mga maiinit at masangsang na basement ng mga alahasan, ang mga sinehan na nakakulong sa maliit na komersiyalisadong mundo ng mga mall, at maski ang mga alternatibong sinehan na matatagpuan sa mga estratehiyang lokasyon ng iba’t ibang sulok ng siyudad na malakas ang trapik ng tao. Kung magkakaroon man ng sinehan sa probinsya ay kadalasang nakapaloob pa rin naman sila sa isang mall. Ang hindi pantay na bilang ng mga espasyo ay dahil sa siyudad umiikot ang kapital na siyang pinakapangunahing pakay ng sinehan. Kung walang kita, walang sinehan. Ito ang katotohanan. Sa ngayon ay makikita ang pinakadehadong ebolusyon ng espasyo. Habang nagsara ang lahat ng sinehan sa bansa dahil sa pandemya, nagsilipat ang iilan sa virtual na mundo. Kagaya na lamang ng Cinema Centenario, na siyang pisikal nang permanenteng nagsara, inilunsad ang MOOV bilang alternatibong plataporma nito ng distribusyon. Sumabay ang ktx.ph, FDCP Channel, Upstream PH, iflix, at iWantTFC bilang online streaming platforms. Dito pumapasok ang isang interesanteng nosyon: sa destruksyon ng hangganan ng espasyo ng loob at labas ay mas lilitaw ba ang purong pakay ng eksibisyon ng pelikula? Tunay nga bang wala nang pagpasok o paglabas sa eksena ngayo’y nauubos na ang pisikal na sinehan? O nakatali pa rin ba ang karanasan ng ating panonood sa paligid, sa ating cellphone at laptop, na kung saan tayo nanonood sa kasalukuyan? Sa kasaysayan ng sinehan ay makikita na patuloy na magbabago ang espasyo nito kung kinakailangan: mula sa paghihiwalay ng teatro at pelikula, sa paghalubilo ng sekswalidad at paglala ng kapital sa paligid hanggang sa makabagong birtuwalidad. Saan man tayo dalhin ng hinaharap ay mananatiling nandiyan ang “sinehan”. Ngunit kagaya ng sinabi kanina ay lagi itong nakaangkla sa eksternal na mundo at sa bawat pagpasok natin sa eksena, mag-iba man ang espasyo, ay kinakailangan pa rin nating lumabas muli.

EXIT LANE • Paglabas ng Eksena

Si Mark Christian De Jesus ay guro ng Filipino at Araling Panlipunan sa University Science High School ng Central Luzon State University sa Lungsod-Agham ng Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. Kasalukuyan siyang nag-aaral ng masterado sa Pagtuturo ng Filipino sa Pamantasang Normal ng Pilipinas-Maynila. Miyembro siya ng ilang propesyunal na samahan sa wika at panitikan kabilang na ang Pampelikulang Samahan ng mga Dalubguro (PASADO).

Redsh Alba

Redsh Alba studies film at the UP Film Institute. For them, watching films is almost like therapy. They believe the art of cinema aids our need to feel as it stimulates parts of our memories and psyche. They don’t like writing about themselves, which is ironic because most of their work are personal and autobiographical. They like living the contradictions of life.

B I O N O TE S

Mark Christian De Jesus

Gabie de Leon

Gabie de Leon is a multimedia artist from Mandaluyong City. She is a student in UP Manila under the BA Philippine Arts program. She loves capturing candid moments for they are genuine. You can view her works on her Instagram: @gabie.shoots for photography and @artbygabieboo for other forms of art. Other works are available on her website gabiedeleon.wixsite.com/portfolio. She is the current Multimedia Editor of Kalasag and the Director of Membership Welfare and Development of UP Cinema.

Leo Cosmiano Baltar

Kasalukuyang kumukuha si Leo Cosmiano Baltar ng kursong BA Journalism sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Diliman. Junior Contributor siya sa Vox Populi PH. Nailathala na ang kaniyang mga akda sa The New Verse News, Hong Kong Protesting, proyekto ng Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, 聲韻詩刊 Voice & Verse Poetry Magazine, Katitikan: Literary Journal of the Philippine South, & (Ampersand), Vox Populi PH, Dagmay.online, SunStar Davao, INScapes, at sa iba pang lunan. Mababasa rin ang kaniyang mga artikulo sa Tinig ng Plaridel.

John Adrianfer Atienza

John Adrianfer Atienza is a graduate of the Bachelor of Arts in History program of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. His research articles have appeared in the University of Santo Tomas’s TALA: An Online Journal of History (2019), Saliksik E-Journal (2019) of Bahay-Saliksikan ng Kasaysayan/Bagong Kasaysayan Inc. (BAKAS), and University of the Philippines’ Humanities Diliman (2021). He currently serves as a faculty member of the Department of Social Studies of Marist School Marikina.

Bionotes • THE END POINT

Johnmark Villanueva

Si Johnmark Villanueva ay isang mag-aaral mula sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Pamantasang Bukas. Siya rin ay isang miyembro ng UP Cinema at ng The UP Repertory Company, kung saan nahubog ang kanyang malikhaing kakayahan at kung saan niya natutunan ang paglikha ng sining na mula sa masa, tungo sa masa. Halos lahat ng kanyang likha ay matatagpuang nakaimbak sa Tumblr. Nais niyang tumatak sa isip ng mga tao bilang isang kaibigan, aktibista, at maarte na laging bukas sa lahat ng uri ng pagpupuna.

Silver Racca

Si Jolasco ‘Silver’ Racca, dalawampu’t isang taong gulang, ay isang mag-aaral ng pelikula sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, Nagsusulat ng mga malayang tula at maiikling kwento na hinuhugot mula sa mga pansariling karanasan at makulit na kaisipan. Miyembro ng iba’t ibang organisasyon tulad ng UP Cinema, KALikha UPD, at UP ONE. Maaari ring bisitahin ang ilan sa kanyang mga maikling tula at mga litrato sa @lentengpilak sa Instagram.

THE END POINT • Bionotes

Acer Batislaong

Acer John Batislaong is a film student at the University of the Philippines Film Institute. He is a member of the premier student film organization in the country, U.P. Cineastes’ Studio, and U.P. Photography Society (OPTICS), a university-wide photography organization. He served as the head of the Film Production Workshop program of U.P. Cineastes’ Studio which aims to promote film literacy among high school students. He has written scholarly articles about Lav Diaz and his cinema. He also worked as an intern at the Film, Broadcast, and New Media Division, Production and Exhibition Department of the Cultural Center of the Philippines working on programs like the 16th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival and the 32nd Gawad Alternatibo.

Lanz Calonge

Lanz Gabriel Calonge is a Cinemaster, an official member of UP Cinema, and currently a student taking up Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication in the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Aiah Gertos

Aiah Gertos is currently a junior film student at the University of the Philippines Film Institute, a Film Representative of UP Diliman College of Mass Communication Student Council, Director of Academic Affairs of UP Cinema, and one of the Managing Editors of the Kino Punch: LAYA6. She is a queer feminist, activist, and parent of 3-year old cats, Skitty and Dusky.

JT Trinidad

JT Trinidad studies film at the University of the Philippines Diliman. At 17, his personal essay was published in “Metro” together with other literary works from Campus Tagaan 3, a workshop conducted by Kataga Manila. He used to contribute writings and photographs to Philippine Collegian. In 2020, he was able to get into Ricky Lee’s Screenwriting workshop under its 25th Batch. He is also part of the first Pelikultura Film Criticism Workshop under the mentorship of Richard Bolisay. As a representative of Sine Liwanag, he covered the 50th International Film Festival Rotterdam. In 2021, he was recently selected as one of the inaugural members of the Society of Filipino Film Reviewers, the award-giving body of Pinoy Rebyu Awards. Recently, he was appointed to be the Assistant Editor of SINEGANG. ph. He is also a new member of Cine Critico Filipino.

Ace Balbarez studies film at the University of the Philippines Diliman and is the current president of UP Cinema for AY 2021-2022. In 2020, he founded SineSalita where he writes about films. He has served as a festival jury in Maginhawa Film Festival 2020. He is also a pioneer member of Cine Critico Filipino, a young film critics group.

R J

John Patrick Manio

John Patrick Manio is a freelance filmmaker, writer, and graphic designer. His debut short film Lysistrata (2019) won Best Director, Best Film, and Best Cinematography at the tenth Sine Bulacan (SiBul) Film Festival and is a part of Viddsee Juree Philippines 2019’s and Juree Awards Luzon 2021’s out of competition selection. He writes about films on various sites online, most notably Cinema Centenario and CNN Philippines Life. He has done book cover designs for Hinabing Salita Publishing House, Limbagang Pangkasaysayan, SIDCERFERCAP Foundation, and the Department of Social Sciences (DSS), University of the Philippines Manila. He recently graduated cum laude at UP Diliman, under the B.A. Film degree program.

Ace Balbarez

Rudolf Rafael Quimson

Rudolf Rafael Quimson is a graduate of BA Film at the University of the Philippines Diliman. During his time in film school, he had written and directed films that focus on his own life experiences and the plight of the people whom he is most attached to. He co-wrote the short film, “Hello... DJ Eros,” which became part of the Top 20 finalists in Star Magic’s Lights Camera Magic short film competition in 2018. One of his notable works, “Banyo Kings”, won a special citation in screenplay in the 2019 UPFI Black Beret Film Showcase. He was also part of some organizations, particularly UP Cinema, a film organization and Union of Journalists of the Philippines-UP, a mass-oriented journalism organization. He is currently working in television as a social media producer for Brightlight Productions.

Bionotes • THE END POINT