Miss Bulalacao: Filipinizing magical realism

Excerpt: Filipinos are not new to myths and mysteries. We have a multitude of movies based on characters whose power came from the unseen (Panday and Darna). Miss Bulalacao brings these mysteries and magic in a 21st century crowd. Its story intersperses folk lore and scientific advancement. Such style is reminiscent to Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s magical realism. His stories are set in an isolated poor community whose people’s lives center on Catholicism. Whether used deliberately as an inspiration or not, the film was equally effective.

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Breaking Down the Scene: The Binisaya Film Festival

It could be said that Binisaya’s current curatorial culture is an after-effect of the Cebuano New Wave. Some works that define this exciting, eclectic filmmaking era include Jerrold Tarog and Ruel Antipuesto’s Confessional (2007), Remton Zuasola’s one-take drama Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (2010), Victor Villanueva’s absurdist horror My Paranormal Romance (2011), Ivan Zaldarriaga’s zombie thriller Di Ingon ‘Nato (2011), Ara Chawdhury’s queer magical realist debut feature Miss Bulalacao (2015), Christian Linaban’s stoner comedy Superpsychocebu (2016), along with festival founder Keith Deligero’s Kordero ng Diyos (2012).

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How Do You Make SUPERPSYCHOCEBU?

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.

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