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.
Shooting Up 