Two critically
acclaimed Filipino films, which tackle death and the realities of life in a
whole new light, are featured in CCP Arthouse Cinema and Cinemalaya's
"Buhay at Kamatayan" special free screenings at the CCP Tanghalang Manuel Conde (Dream Theater) on November 10.
Showing at 2:00pm
is Director Paul Sta. Ana's multi-awarded "Oros" (The Coinbearer),
the official entry in the 2012 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival where it
won the Best Actor award for its lead star Kristoffer King. It also garnered
international awards, including Best Feature at the (Washington) DC
International Film Festival (DCIFF), an honorable mention for Best Narrative
Feature at the Landlocked Film Festival in Iowa City, and was also featured at
the Vancouver (Canada) and Asiatica Filmmediale (Rome, Italy) film festivals.
"Oros"
tells the story of how a group of slum dwellers exploit the dead by holding
fake wakes for unclaimed cadavers so they can hold a sakla or illegal gambling
operation to generate profit. A funeral parlor owner sells an unidentified
corpse to Makoy (Kristoffer King), who teams up with his brother Abet
(Kristoffer Martin) in holding a three-week long fake wake as cover for their
illegal saklaan. The film also stars Tanya Gomez, Kim Komatsu, Diva Montelaba,
and Angelita Raymundo.
"Two Funerals" by Cinemalaya Best Director Gil M. Portes is screening at 5:00pm. A finalist under the Directors Showcase category of the 2010 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, "Two Funerals" depicts 'grief as a
seriously funny business' as it tells the story of two families awaiting the
arrival of their dead after a passenger bus and 18-wheeler truck collision in Nueva Ecija claims the lives of two dozen people and a funeral parlor mixes up
the remains of the two families' dead relatives.
The film tells the
struggle of a mother (Tessie Tomas) who tries to recover the body of her
daughter (Princess Manzon) after a funeral parlor sends her the corpse of a
wanted man. She journeys with her daughter's boyfriend Gerry (Xian Lim) from
Tuguegarao, Cagayan to Matnog, Sorsogon to claim her daughter's remains.
"Two
Funerals" was a crowd favorite in the 2010 Cinemalaya, where it won the
Audience Choice award in the Directors Showcase category, along with the Best
Screenplay , Best Cinematography, Special Jury Prize, the Best Director awards.
The film also stars Robert Arevalo, Benjie Felipe, Althea Vega, and Mon
Confiado.
Catch the free screenings of "Oros" and "Two Funerals" on Thursday, November 10, at the CCP Tanghalang Manuel Conde (Dream Theater) at 2:00pm and 5:00pm.