Director: Anna Isabelle Matutina
Director of Photography: Alma dela Pena
Production Designer: Richard Legaspi
Asst. Director: Antonio Payomo III

Airing on February 5, 2009
Thursday night after Saksi

Seventy-one people died and many others were hurt when a stampede occured on February 4, 2006 on the first anniversary celebration of the noontime show, Wowowee.

For several days, people set up camp outside Ultra in the hope of securing themselves a spot in the show and wishing to be one of the winners of big prizes the show promised to give to lucky viewers.

A problem arose when the crowd swelled to around 30,000 because the venue had a capacity of only 17,000. When people were told that not all of them could be allowed inside the venue, the mob started pushing and shoving until a stampede occurred.

Join Rhea Santos as she investigates the incident and talks to one of the victims. Witness the events that led to the tragedy in a dramatization directed by indie director Anna Isabelle Matutina.

Three years have passed but some of the victims still cry out for justice. What has happened since then? Find out on Case Unclosed this Thursday after Saksi.

———————————————

Pitumpu’t isa katao ang nasawi at maraming iba pa ang nasugatan nang magkaroon ng stampede noong February 4, 2006 sa unang anibersaryo ng noontime show na Wowowee.

Ilang araw bago ang nakatakdang pagtatanghal, nagbantay na ang mga tao sa labas ng Ultra sa pag-asang mapabilang sa mga makakapasok sa venue at maging isa sa mga suwerteng magwawagi ng malalaking papremyong inanunsyo sa telebisyon.

Ngunit nagkaproblema nang umabot sa 30,000 ang mga tao dahil hanggang 17,000 lang ang kaya ng venue. Nang sabihan ang mga tao na hindi sila lahat maaaring papasukin ay nagkagulo hanggang mangyari ang stampede.

Samahan si Rhea Santos sa kaniyang pag-imbestiga sa insidente kung saan nakilala niya ang isa sa mga biktima. Tunghayan din ang pagsasadula sa trahedya sa ilalim ng direksyon ni indie director Anna Isabelle Matutina.

Tatlong taon na ang nakararaan ngunit may mga biktima pa ring humihingi ng hustisya. Ano na ang nangyari sa kaso? Alamin sa Case Unclosed ngayong Huwebes pagkatapos ng Saksi.

Space Philippines, A Living Conversation
http://www.spacephilippines.com/
The Katorse Writers’ Group is a group of young writer-filmmakers who were part of Ricky Lee’s 14th Scriptwriting Workshop. They aim to “address” the problem that “short films have remained the… consistently underrated medium that has never been given the exposure it demands. Even with the emerging popularity of independent films in the Philippines, short films are still seen as ‘front acts’ for full-length features or ‘sidebars’ at local film festivals.”

In the interview, spearhead Anna Isabelle Matutina has said of the group that “of course, our appoaches to film vary. Some of us have tried co-writing, but most of us would rather work alone (in the actual writing) because writing films can sometimes end friendships. Haha. Our group is made up of writer-directors, editor-directors, cinematographer-director, production designer-director. So you can just imagine how different our screenplays look like.”

“Despite this, whenever there is an ongoing project, we all do our best to help out and contribute. And because the group started through the Ricky Lee workshop, we have, in one way or another, imbibed the kind of group-writing/filmmaking process wherein we do brainstormings and pitches and grilling of each other’s works whenever we can – or whenever the filmmaker/director allows it.”

What would you say is the genius of the short film form? What can it accomplish with an elegance that full-length features can’t?

It has always been said that short films should not be compared to full-length features in terms of which one is the more inferior/superior form. For me, it always depends on the material. I’ve seen some full-length features that would have been better if they were done as short films (and vice versa).

But I’ve always believed in the power of the short format. I think it’s all about communicating, and those that communicate a truckload of ideas in the shortest time possible are the most brilliant works I’ve seen. Being a Ricky Lee workshopper, we were always told that a five-minute work should say an hour worth of ideas, or something like that.

Another reason why I prefer shorts to full-lengths is because I feel that it is more democratic. Since short films are less expensive to produce, the art form is not controlled by the priveleged few – and therefore, it is more representative of society.

The work of seven film makers were shown at Indie Sine one after another. Was there an organizing principle–or a suggestion of narrative–behind the sequencing of the films?

To be honest, there was really no formal discussion in the group about the lineup.

The 7 short films differ thematically and stylistically. The arrangement or sequencing of the films was mostly based on the heaviness/lightness of the material. We do recognize that it isn’t easy watching 7 short films in one sitting. That is why we more or less interchanged the heavy ones with the comedic/ lighter ones.

The Katorse Writers’ Group had a screening last 2006 in RoundEye Glass (which has closed down) to celebrate our four years as a group. Katorse became a pseudo-production house and we came up with so many shorts that it was about time we had a screening. Through this, we were able to raise funds to produce our DVD compilation and send the films to festivals abroad.

After 2 years, more films were produced, and with the opening of Indie Sine to short films, we figured that it would be a great opportunity to showcase new works so that we could raise funds for our next DVD compilation. Producing our own DVD compilations and putting up screenings are our way of promoting short films in the Philippines.

The line-up basically included 3 short films that will be included in the 2nd DVD compilation – as a teaser/promotion for the soon to come DVD – and 4 other short films that still lacked exposure, even though they were part of the 1st compilation. Most of these shorts were selected in both local and international festivals.

Godard argues that film is its own language, and tends to have a distaste for films that he calls “literary,” meaning those films that the theater or a novel or some other form can do well enough. How does the Katorse Writers Group approach film? What does the group collectively wish to achieve in film?

I have only read Godard (since he has the most overused name in film discussions) but I’ve never really seen any of his films, and I have not come across that specific argument. Most of us in Katorse didn’t have a formal film education, so forgive me if I fail to understand his argument.

In some ways, yes I do believe that those films that the theater or some other form can do well enough are somewhat inferior (if I understand the argument correctly). I would mostly blame the filmmaker for that – although you can’t really separate the filmmaker from the film. The film medium is totally different from the other forms of art, in the same way that dance is different from music, or a poem is different from a painting. It has a different set of parameters. Although a lot of novels turned to film are better as novels, I do feel that films offer something that novels cannot.

A lot of people mistake disloyalty to details of a novel as equivalent to a “bad” film. The quality of a film should not be based on the pre-existence of another art form. In fact, I don’t really like films that are “too loyal” or that try too hard to be “accurate” to the original source material. What happened to the filmmaker? Where is his/ her voice? The film must offer something more than what a 400-page novel offers.

If the point of the argument is originality, intertextual studies have already showed that even “the seemingly original story has its precursors, a fact that somehow reduces the absolute authority of the source text in an adaptation process…” (Literary Fil Adaptations as Film Texts, Arne Engelstad) Artists steal or borrow or whatever they want to call it. It is part of the creative process.

Collectively, the group wishes to promote the short film format. Since most of us had experiences in both local and international festivals, the difference in terms of treatment and recognition of shorts here and abroad is so apparent. Case in point, in light of the Philippines’ participation in Cannes recently, there was no mention in any of the press releases/write ups of Raymond Red’s short film, Anino, which won the Palme d’Or in 2000. That alone says a lot.

NOTE: In June of 2008, the Last year in June, they presented “Katorse Shorts” at Robinson’s Galleria Indie Sine. Films include: “Ang Kapalaran Ni Virgin Mario” by Ogi Sugatan, “Ambulancia” by Richard Legaspi, “Blood Bank” by Pam Miras, “Dead Letter” by Grace Orbon, “Ika-Siyam Na Palapag,” “Panaginipan,” “Puwang” and “Walong Linggo” by Anna Isabelle Matutina, “Lababo,” “Shorts” and “Pagbugtaw” by Seymour Sanchez, and “Manyika” by John Wong. The short films may now be viewed online.

KATORSE SHORTS can now be viewed online. Perfect for fellow Filipinos abroad craving for some Pinoy indies.

Films include: “Ang Kapalaran Ni Virgin Mario” by Ogi Sugatan,  “Ambulancia” by Richard Legaspi, “Blood Bank” by Pam Miras, “Dead Letter” by Grace Orbon, “Ika-Siyam Na Palapag,” “Panaginipan,” “Puwang” and “Walong Linggo” by Anna Isabelle Matutina, “Lababo,” “Shorts” and “Pagbugtaw” by Seymour Sanchez and “Manyika” by John Wong.

For only $4.95, you can watch as much as 3 short films from Katorse. Just go to neTVision and sign up.

Anna Isabelle Matutina won the Miglior Montaggio or Best Editing Award for Richard Legaspi’s short film “Ambulancia” at the 14th San Gio International Video Festival held recently in the Courtyard of the Old Court, Scaligeri Palaces of Verona, Italy.

The good news was relayed to Legaspi via email by San Gio festival director Ugo Brusaporco. The festival (http://www.sangiofe stival.it), an international extension of video and images in motion, was judged by Spanish actress Maria Jesus Hoyos, critic Juan Ferrer, Italian actor Alain Libolt, actress
Donatella Mei, and writer Vanessa Picciarelli.

Alen Drlievic’s “Esma” (Bosnia – Herzegovina) , which tells the lasting search of a woman named Esma for her missing husband, who was abducted by the Bosnian Serb Army inside a United Nations peace camp, won the grand prize Miglior Video or Best Video Award.

The other winners are Nebojša Slijepč ević ’s “Za 4 Godine” / “In 4 Years” (Croatia) for Best Direction, Milos Tomic’s “Plivnuti Polibkem” / “Splitted by Kiss” (Czech Republic) for Best Screenplay, Tibor Banoczki’s “Milk Teeth” (United Kingdom) for Best Animation, Ragnar Neljandi of Mari-Liis Bassovskaja’ s and Jelena Girlin’s “Kleit” / “The Dress” (Estonia) for Best Cinematography, Ollie Davis of Sally Arthur’s “A-Z” (United Kingdom) for Best Music, Rikke Lyllof of Anna Goldblum Treiman’s “Gaven” / “The Gift”
(Denmark) for Best Interpretation, and Jadwiga Kowalska’s “Tãt ou tard” (Switzerland) for the Soave Ways Award.

“Ambulancia, ” which tells of a painful twist in an ambulance driver’s belief that a dying patient can be saved by running over stray animals on the street, was also selected as one of ten finalists in the Open Category of Silvershorts, the short film competition section of the 3rd .MOV International Digital Film Festival (http://www.movfest. com), which will run from September 24 to October 7 in selected Robinsons Movieworld cinemas.

Aside from Ambulancia, also vying for the P100,000 grand prize in the Silvershorts Open are Jan Philippe “JP” Carpio’s “VTR,” Antoinette Jadaone’s “Saling Pusa,” Milo Tolentino’s “Andong,” Jose Maria Basa’s “Ampo,” Ray Gibraltar’s “Tiangge,” J.I.E. Teodoro’s “The Prayer,” CJ Andaluz’s “Nekro,” Ramon del Prado’s “Libingan,” and Leo Valencia’s “#cafe.”

Matutina and Legaspi are both part of the Katorse Writers Group, graduates of Ricky Lee’s 14th scriptwriting workshop for film and television (http://katorseshort s.wordpress. com). The latter, a faculty of the University of the East College of Fine Arts, is a fellow of the 2007 Asian Film Academy, an educational program of the Pusan International Film Festival, South Korea, while the former is also an independent filmmaker and a freelance editor for film and television.

“Ambulancia” will next compete in the 10th International Panorama of Independent Film and Video in Greece, 14th Bite the Mango Film Festival in the United Kingdom, and 11th Pyongyang International Film Festival in North Korea. It earlier won the grand prize in the Viva – Pinoy Box Office (PBO) Digitales 2 short film competition and the best short narrative film in the first Quisumbing-Escandor Film Festival for Health. It also competed in the 32nd Open-Air Film Festival Weiterstadt in Germany and 5th Naoussa International Film Festival in Greece. ##

One would never have thought the literary/lifestyle magazine Rogue, which published its first issue sometime last year, would find its way into any police or military list of “propaganda” (read: subversive) materials, but that was just what happened to a copy of it that was brought over by artists visiting the Tagaytay 5 last July 12. Not only that: those who brought it along with other reading and viewing materials for the detainees were harassed by police at the PNP’s Camp Vicente Lim, where the Tagaytay 5 are detained.

BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
Bulatlat
Vol. VIII, No. 24, July 20-26, 2008

One would never have thought the literary/lifestyle magazine Rogue, which published its first issue sometime last year, would find its way into any police or military list of “propaganda” (read: subversive) materials.

But that was just what happened to a copy of it that was brought over by some members of the Artists’ Response to the Call for Social Change and Transformation (Artists’ ARREST) who went to the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Camp Vicente Lim in Calamba City, Laguna on July 12 to visit the political prisoners collectively known as the Tagaytay 5.

The Tagaytay 5 are Axel Pinpin, a consultant of the Kalipunan ng mga Magsasaka sa Kabite (Kamagsasaka-Ka or Association of Peasants in Cavite) and a poet who was a fellow in the 1999 University of the Philippines (UP) National Writers’ Workshop; Riel Custodio, a Kamagsasaka-Ka member; Aristides Sarmiento, a freelance researcher for various non-government organizations; and Tagaytay City residents Enrico Ybañez and Michael Masayes.

They are facing rebellion charges filed in 2006 for allegedly conspiring with “dissident soldiers” in a supposed plot to destabilize the Arroyo administration.

The five were abducted by a composite team of Philippine Navy and Philippine National Police (PNP) on April 28, 2006 in Tagaytay City.

Pinpin, Custodio and Sarmiento had just come from a meeting with coffee farmers in the city and were on their way to Manila for the forthcoming Labor Day rally. They had hired Ybañez as their driver while Masayes accompanied Ybañez.

Three days after, they were presented to the media as “communist rebels” who were conspiring with “dissident soldiers” in an alleged plot to “destabilize” the Arroyo administration. They were subsequently charged with rebellion.

Following an investigation, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has recently ruled that their arrest and detention were unlawful.

Their July 12 visitors – filmmakers Sunshine Matutina, Waise Azimi, Dahci Ma, Kiri Dalena, and Bong de Leon; Con Cabrera, a visual artist; Edge Genciagan, Vincent Silarde, and Afol Martin – had brought over the copy of Rogue together with other reading and viewing materials for them, fully expecting to be able to personally hand these over to the detainees.

They were, however, refused entry. Several police personnel, led by SPO1 Gaudioso Reyes, told them that only the detainees’ lawyers and their immediate relatives – spouses, children, and siblings – were allowed to visit on weekends and holidays.

This clearly contradicted the agreement that the Tagaytay 5 reached last December with the then newly-appointed Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) PNP Director C/Supt. Ricardo Padilla. In a dialogue with Padilla last December, the Tagaytay 5 put forward a number of demands, among them that they be allowed to receive visitors other than their lawyers and immediate relatives even on weekends and holidays.

“The logic behind that is that for most of our other relatives and our friends, it is more convenient to visit us on weekends and holidays than on weekdays,” Pinpin said.

Padilla granted this demand, along with four others: beddings inside the cell, regular outdoor activities, allowing them to talk with their visitors inside the cell, and regular medical attention.

In fact, according to sources at the Camp Vicente Lim, Padilla even summoned S/Insp. Patricio Baludong Corcha, then the camp’s Base Police commanding officer, and gave him a dressing-down on weekend and holiday visits after the dialogue with the Tagaytay 5. (The Tagaytay 5 are detained at Camp Vicente Lim’s Base Police Detention Center.) “Who told you that you can ban weekend and holiday visits?” Padilla reportedly asked Corcha.

But this agreement between the Tagaytay 5 and Padilla on weekend and holiday visits is apparently lost on several of Camp Vicente Lim’s Base Police, as they have been frequently refusing entry to weekend and holiday visitors – who, on one occasion, even included Pinpin’s brother Berwyn. The July 12 visitors were just the latest to be refused entry.

They tried to negotiate for almost two hours, after which they just decided to leave the reading and viewing materials they had brought for the Tagaytay 5. These consisted of the copy of Rogue; as well as a biography of Cuban cultural leader Haydee Santamaria, a book on the Cuban health system, and a comic book on the political prisoners collectively known as the Cuban Five; as well as DVDs of the recent Gawad Eden Marcellana; Rights, a series of public-service announcements on human rights violations, and several short Southern Tagalog Exposure documentaries. According to them, Reyes promised that these materials would reach the Tagaytay 5.

They would, however, learn from friends who visited the Tagaytay 5 a few days later that the materials never reached their intended recipients.

Two of them (whose names are being withheld upon their request, for security reasons) went back on July 16 to be able to talk to the Tagaytay 5, as well as to demand an explanation on the confiscation of the reading and viewing materials. As they were entering the detention center, they asked a policeman identified only by his surname Sangria whether the materials they had brought on July 12 had reached the detainees, to which Sangria replied in the affirmative. They were later informed by the Tagaytay 5 that as of that date, the materials still had not reached them.

The two then went to the office of the current Base Police commanding officer, Insp. Alex Pornes, to ask for an explanation on the confiscation of the materials. Pornes advised them to go to R2 (Intelligence Division), which is headed by P/Supt. Primitivo Tabojara.

This they did, only to find that Tabojara was not present. They were instead led into the office of another officer, who was later identified by R2 personnel only as Inspector Mendoza.

“The materials you brought are propaganda material,” Mendoza told the two visitors. “So we placed them under custody and they are now the subject of investigation.”

As one of the visitors was asking him to elaborate, Mendoza started asking for their names. They agreed to give their names, on the condition that the officer (who had not yet been identified at that moment) would give his first. Mendoza said it was the two visitors who should give their names first since they were the ones who entered his office. The two argued that it was he who should give his name first so they could be sure that if anything happened to them, someone would be held accountable.

The argument almost turned into a shouting match, but Mendoza eventually stopped asking for their names and sent them out of his office.

The two July 16 visitors brought five more books for the Tagaytay 5. These are: an anthology of flash fiction edited by Vicente Garcia Groyon; as well as poetry, essay, and fiction collections by E. San Juan, Jr., Jose F. Lacaba, Conrado de Quiros, and Jun Cruz Reyes. These were all confiscated. Bulatlat

(Photos courtesy of Artists’ ARREST)

Sun Star Davao, November 26, 2005

A TOTAL of six short film entries to the recent Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival will be exhibited during the upcoming Mindanao Film Festival slated this coming December 4-11 at the Gaisano Mall cinemas.

The showing of the six shorts that were produced, written and directed by promising independent filmmakers from all over the country is one of the highlights of the first ever-movie festival held in Mindanao.

“The Cinemalaya films serve as an inspiration to promising filmmakers here in Mindanao, these well-crafted films produced at a low cost will show to us that we can make quality films by putting a premium on ingenuity and creativity rather than relying on large budgets,” Lou Raphael Cañedo, organizer of the Mindanao film fest said.

The short films are:

Mansyon
By Joel Ruiz

Winner of the Best Short film in the Cinemalaya Film festival; The film’s plot revolves around Dolores, a housemaid and her husband Ambo, a gardener who were hired to take care of a mansion while its owners are on a long vacation. Uneventful weeks go by until a small accident sparks a series of discoveries between the couple.

Panaginipan
By Anna Isabelle J. Matutina

A story about two young deeply disturbed women struggling to find an end to the pointlessness of life, After unsuccessful suicide attempts, they discover a fool proof way to end it all- that is to consciously stop breathing.

Blood Bank
By Pamela Miras

Story of three people and the uncanny ties that bonds them; DES who suffers from aplastic anemia who receives weekly blood transfusion in a blood bank where EMMA works as a med tech. And CLETO a notorious robber who transforms into a weekly blood donor after he mugs Des, his way of making up for the crime he has done to her and to others before her. The ties that bind the three are soon strained with their respective wants going against their dependency on each other, until a discovery forces the advent of a catalyst that will break the connection.

Alimuom
By Milo Tolentino

Inside a dark room, a man commits a murder. An act of madness that left him emotionally crippled with guilt and paranoia. The man struggles to hide his crime and cleanse himself with water. But it seems the corpse has its own agenda, haunting him again and again. The films shows a struggle of a murderer hopelessly trying to atone himself of his sin of violence but to no avail.

Babae
By Sigrid Andrea Bernardo

Winner for Best Direction, BABAE is a coming of age story of two women who grew up together in a slum community along the railroad tracks. A mixture of drama, comedy, musical and fantasy that would surely touch the Pinoy heart in you.

Kultado
By Lawrence Fajardo

Winner of the Philippine Star Special Jury Prize. The story of a young vegetable vendor who seeks vengeance against a meat butcher who is also a leader of a gang of butchers- cum- bribe collectors. Beaten several times by the gang leader as he continually picks fights with his unbeatable foe. Until one day the leader hurts his younger brother. The young vegetable vendor promises vengeance and practices hard for the fight. The task may be difficult but he is willing to kill and be killed in the fight of his life.

MANILA, JULY 7, 2006 (MALAYA) EIGHTEEN new independent digital films will compete in the 2006 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and Competition on July 17 to 23 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Eight films will be battling each other in the full length category. These are “Ang Huling Araw ng Linggo” by Nick Joseph Olanka; “Batad: Sa Paang Palay” by Vic Acedillo, Jr. and Benji Garcia; “Donsol” by Adolfo Alix, Jr.; “In Da Red Corner” by Dado C. Lumibao and Bong Ramos; “Mudraks” by Arah Jell G. Badayos; “Rotonda” by Ron Bryant; “Saan Nagtatago si Happiness” by Florida M. Bautista and Rea Florido; and “Tulad ng Dati” by Michael Sandejas.

Ten films will compete in the short film category. These are “10:25 ng Gabi” by Reggie Gulle, “Gee-Gee at Waterina” by J. Dennis C. Teodosio and Mariami Tanangco, “Kwarto” by Jose Emmanuel C. Taylo, “Labada” by Raz dela Torre, “No Passport Needed” by Jeanne Lim and Pepe Diokno, “Orasyon” by Rommel Tolentino, “Parang Pelikula” by Hubert Tibi, “Putot” by Jeck Cogama, “Puwang” by Anna Isabelle Matutina and “Sa Silaw” by Reinzi L. Balao.

The eight finalists in the full-length category were selected from a short list of 15 semi-finalists and chosen out of a total of 232 entries submitted to the full-length category of the 2006 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and Competition. They were chosen by the Cinemalaya Selection Committee composed of Nestor U. Torre, Ma. Marta Ines Dayrit, Robbie Tan, Jeffrey Jeturian and Armando Lao. Each of the eight finalists in the full-length category received a P500,000 seed grant from the Cinemalaya Foundation Inc., as investment for the production. The Best Full-length Feature Film receive a grant of P200,000 and the Balanghai Trophy during the awarding ceremonies of Cinemalaya on July 23 at the CCP.

The ten finalists in the short film category were selected by a committee composed of Emily Abrera, Socorro “Sockie” Fernandez, Juaniyo Arcellana, Antonio Jose “Butch” Perez and Narciso “Jun” Reyes. They were selected from a total of 108 entries submitted to the short film category. The best short film will receive a grant of P 100,000, plus a Balanghai trophy at the awarding ceremonies of Cinemalaya on July 23 at the CCP.

Cinemalaya is a competitive film festival that aims to discover, encourage, and honor the cinematic works of Filipino filmmakers and seeks to invigorate the Philippine film industry by developing a new breed of Filipino filmmakers. It is held in two categories, short and full length, and features all original works in digital format.

Cinemalaya 2006 will also be highlighted by the Cinemalaya Film Congress on July 20 to 21 at the CCP Little Theater. The theme of the Congress will be “Back to the Future: The State and Prospects of the Independent Film.” The Film Congress will explore the various issues and aspects of independent filmmaking in the Philippines as it looks back to the recent past to map out directions into its future.

Cinemalaya 2006 also features film exhibitions, seminars, and other film-related events. The festival will move over to the UP Film Institute in Diliman on August 7 to 10.

Roundup
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:16:00 06/15/2008

MANILA, Philippines – Ongoing until June 17 at the Robinsons Galleria IndieSine are the screening of the following short films under the “Katorse Shorts” program:

“Ang Kapalaran ni Virgin Mario” by Ogi Sugatan stars Yul Servo and Forsyth Cordero as gay lovers who experience the most joyful of mysteries.

“Ambulancia” by Richard Legaspi stars Alan Paule and Nor Domingo in a story about an ambulance driver’s belief that a dying patient can be saved by running over stray animals on the streets.

“Manyika” by John Wong stars Bor Ocampo and Sheenly Vee Gener in a tale of talking teddies, an impatient miss and a misunderstood lover.

“Puwang” by Anna Isabelle Matutina stars Elmo Redrico, Roence Santos, Bon Reyes and Lorena Landicho in a look into a family on the verge of falling apart in the face of impending death.

“Dead Letter” by Grace Orbon stars Gamaliel Nicolas and Edel del Llarte in a tale about a young man’s journey into the world of writing.

“Lababo” by Seymour Barros Sanchez stars Nerissa Icot, Virnie Tolentino and Stephen Patrick Moore in a story of two women who fall in love with the same soldier.

“Walong Linggo” by Anna Isabelle Matutina stars Jaymee Joaquin and Joey Santos in a story about a young man who sits alone in a cafe every Sunday morning and suddenly finds himself falling in love with a stranger.

1 July 2008 | 7:41 AM
Yehey.com

Due to insistent public demand, the Katorse Writers Group, a collective of young writer-filmmakers who were part of Ricky Lee’s 14th scriptwriting workshop, will be having another special screening of their short films at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Little Theater on July 17, 6:15 P.M. after a successful run last month at Robinsons Galleria.

Katorse Shorts, as they are more commonly known, showcase short films with themes ranging from the romantic to the absurd to the tragic – a program that is meant to bring to the consciousness of the Filipino audience the short film as a form that can hold its own.

Headlining the program, which is part of the fourth Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, is Richard Legaspi’s “Ambulancia” (Ambulance), grand prize winner of the Viva – Pinoy Box Office (PBO) Digitales 2 short film competition and the best short narrative at the first Quisumbing-Escandor Film Festival for Health. It was previously screened in competition at the fifth Naoussa International Film Festival in Greece this year and exhibited at the Asian Film Academy 2007 Fellows Night in South Korea and ninth Cinemanila International Film Festival last year. It will compete next at the 10th International Panorama of Film and Video in Patras City, Greece and at the 32nd Open Air Filmfest Weiterstadt in Germany and will be shown in the Informative Section of the Pyongyang International Film Festival in North Korea.

Showing again with Legaspi’s film are similar award-winning and internationally screened shorts such as Ogi Sugatan’s “Ang Kapalaran ni Virgin Mario” (The Fate of Virgin Mario), Grace Orbon’s “Dead Letter,” Seymour Barros Sanchez’s “Lababo” (Kitchen Sink), John Wong’s “Manyika” (Doll), and Anna Isabelle Matutina’s “Walong Linggo” (Eight Sundays).

However, compared to its week-long Indie Sine screenings, the line-up will include two new selections from the group, Matutina’s “Ika-siyam na Palapag” (Ninth Floor) and Sanchez’s “Pagbugtaw” (Waking Up), which is part of “Guimaras: Short Films on the Oil Spill.”

“Ika-siyam na Palapag” tells the story of a young woman’s futile attempt to reach the father of his unborn child while she wrestles with the idea of abortion. It won third best short film at the 19th Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Bidyo and also competed at the Creteil International Women’s Film Festival in France and Malescorto International Short Film Festival in Italy. It was also exhibited at the Jakarta Slingshort Festival in Indonesia and 7th Cinemanila.

Matutina’s “Puwang” (Space Between), which was originally part of the Robinsons Galleria Indie Sine line-up, will be screened instead as part of the Cinemalaya 2006 Shorts B on July 18, 12:45 P.M. at the CCP Silangan Hall. In addition, other Katorse short films, namely “Blood Bank” by Pam Miras and “Panaginipan” (The Dreaming), also by Matutina, will be shown on July 16, 12:45 P.M. at the same venue as part of Cinemalaya 2005 Shorts.

Tickets to the screenings cost P50 to students and P100 otherwise. For more information about the short films and the filmmakers, please visit the group’s website at katorseshorts.wordpress.com.