Film Critic Phil Dy talks New Filipino Cinema

We are admittedly far from finished. We recognize the real work and real experiment happens now, after the premiere. We have some experience with wide-scale marketing and distribution, thanks to our experience working with Cinema One and the Active Vista film festival. We are also taking tips from the tradition of the Arong Brothers who brought projectors and set up screenings of their film “Ang Manok ni San Pedro,” continued by Keith Deligero and the Binisaya film festival with its guerilla screenings. We’re glad for the establishment of Cinematheques and small screening spaces all over the provinces and have reached out for screenings in Davao, Dumaguete, and General Santos, for example. We are also open to bookings and screening requests.

Revolving around the idea of the essence of womanhood portrayed by a homosexual character, her most recent film was not only satirical but at the same time political, hinting at truths while being fictional. When asked if the answer of the lead character regarding the essence of womanhood reflected her own views, Ara answered: “No, I don’t believe that motherhood is truly the essence of being a woman. What about women who will never become mothers because they’re sterile? What about the women who don’t want to be mothers like those who think that if they become mothers they won’t be able to pursue their passions? What if the woman who would discover the cure to cancer had to spend years and years in the laboratory beyond her fertility years? Is she any less of a woman? For me it’s very limited.