COVER STORY
Sequence 77
In his latest film, Buy Bust, director Erik Matti and his crew, along with lead actress Anne Curtis, orchestrate one of the most ambitious and technically challenging sequences in the history of Filipino cinema. Philbert Dy visits the set to witness the madness unfold.
FEATURES
We Need to Talk About Mike
“Mercurial” is a word often used to describe director Mike de Leon, whose temper and on-set outbursts have become as legendary as his oeuvre. With de Leon’s next film Citizen Jake in the works, Philbert Dy ponders the price we’re willing to pay for genius.
A History of Violence
Widely regarded as the Philippines’s first crime novel, F. H. Batacan’s Smaller and Smaller Circles went beyond genre trappings to became something more complex, tackling the systems of oppression plaguing our country today. With a Raya Martin-directed film adaptation on the way, Emil Hofileña speaks to its ensemble of actors and discovers that each of them has found their own truths behind the mystery, and Batacan’s story is as ripe for interpretation today as it was when it was first published 15 years ago
En Fuite
The French New Wave/Nouvelle Vague electrified the international film scene with its bold and experimental approach in the early 60s. Today, these films still bear a profound impact on popular culture. Follow the story of a man making his way through Paris, the movement’s birthplace, in a dreamy landscape that pays tribute to the era’s greats
Under the Influence
The multiverse of cinema is nothing without its creators and crafters, each film giving way to a new realm of ideas—and inspiration to those who come after them. Three local filmmakers pay tribute to the idols and influences that have shaped their own movies.
Into the Wild
Wong Kar-wai’s second feature, Days of Being Wild, is widely regarded as the first film to showcase the Hong Kong director’s signature style. But before the acclaim, there were money problems, manpower issues, and a race against time. With its final 20 minutes shot in Philippine locations, Emil Hofileña spoke to some of the film’s Filipino crew to hear their personal stories of endless days and 21 sleepless nights
Sight Beyond Sight
Since 2012, The EYE Filmmuseum has not only been a colossal testament to the beauty of cinema, but also a celebration and example of its importance. Thea Garing details this collaboration between private and public entities and talks to the institute’s Publicity Manager, Marnix van Wijk, about its accomplishments for the last five years as well as its future milestones
Before the Curtain Fell
Rolando Tinio was one of the last of Philippine theater’s great enfant terribles, possessed of a savage tongue for errant amateurs, and blessed with a knack for translating Shakespeare and Chekhov into magnificent Filipino. As his last great work, Ang Larawan, awaits its turn on the big screen, Celeste Legaspi recalls soaking in a master’s genius
AGENDA
The story behind Stanley Kubrick’s unfilmed three-hour epic Napoleon unfolds in this limited release by Taschen; eight directors from this year’s Cinema One Originals Festival talk aswang, gender benders, and time travel; set in a call center, Glenn Diaz’s breakout novel explores the Philippines’s complicated relationship with the United States.
SPACE
From an Italian villa built in the 1930s to a futuristic house in California, we revisit five designer homes that have become as memorable across generations as the characters who’ve occupied them in film; from furniture and luminaires to upholstery and tableware, the Maison & Objet Fair in Paris continues to bring together the best in all things decorative.
THE EYE
From steel watches to brass lighter cases, we recommend inspired gifts the discerning recipient (and you) will be pining after this coming holiday season; Jimmy Choo’s men’s fragrance line finds similar paths with the White Wolf; bespoke tailoring shop William Lee is the gentleman’s new destination for well-made clothing.
SLANT
Cebuana actress Chai Fonacier takes us deep into an underground current of good Filipino films fighting to rise to the surface; Petersen Vargas looks for himself in the baby steps local cinema has taken toward LGBTQ representation; Mariah Reodica narrates the events of a gin pageant in Rene Aquitania’s Pink Alley Cathedral Asylum.
