INQUIRER ENTERTAINMENT
Raymond Red
ANDREW TADALAN
RAYMOND RED: “Develop a strong national cinema with or without
international festivals to legitimize it.”
R
ICO Maria
Ilarde takes
great pride in
being an outsider
—even within a com-
munity of so-called cin-
ematic rebels.
In a filmmaking scene
where social realism is the
norm, Rico has boldly pur-
sued genre films—a hodge-
podge of horror, drama and
action flicks that defies clas-
sification in the end.
For his daring and deter-
mination, Rico has been re-
warded with recognition on
foreign soil—with screen-
ings in “fantastic”-niche
events like Puchon (Korea),
Sitges (Spain) and Santiago
Rojo (Chile), as well as in
more “general” festivals like
Fribourg, Udine (Italy), Van-
couver (Canada) and Rotter-
dam (The Netherlands).
He also won two interna-
tional Best Picture awards:
for “Sa Ilalim ng Cogon” at
the 2005 Buenos Aires Rojo
Sangre Film Fest in Argenti-
na and for “Altar” at the 2009
Montevideo Fantastic Film
Fest in Uruguay.
Son of radio and TV host
Eddie Ilarde, Rico was cer-
Sherad Anthony Sanchez
S
HERAD Anthony
Sanchez can speak
passionately about
cinema, even between
sips of beer and drags on
his cigarette.
Seems his films are just as
potent and feverish as his ideas.
His short film “Apple” pre-
miered at the Rotterdam fest in
2006.
A year later, Sherad, as a se-
nior college student, made his
“IMBURNAL”
TELLING THE FILIPINO STORY TO THE WORLD
Rico Maria Ilarde
“ALTAR”
tain of his passion for cinema
even as a child. “Nine out of 10
of my childhood heroes were
filmmakers,” he recalls.
He grew up on a steady diet
of movies by Sam Peckinpah,
Steven Spielberg, Martin Scors-
ese, Stanley Kubrick and Alfred
Hitchcock, among others.
In his early 20s, he made the
superhero film “Z-Man,” which
was picked up by the Los Ange-
les-based firm Overseas Film-
group/Firstlook Pictures in
1988. “It’s still available on
Amazon, but it’s in German,” he
quips.
first feature “Huling Balyan ng
Buhi (The Woven Stories of the
Other).” His debut topped the
Cinema One Originals fest and
was screened in Jogjyakarta
(Indonesia), Singapore, Seoul,
Torino, Kuala Lumpur, Hong
Kong, Vienna, Mexico, San
Francisco, Paris, Mexico, Rome,
among others.
“Balyan” also won top prizes
at the Osian’s-Cinefan (in In-
dia), Munich and Marseille
fests.
B
Y HIS own admis-
sion, Raymond
Red has witnessed
the evolution of the indie
scene—from its infancy
in the days of 16mm,
8mm and super-8mm to
its recent resurgence with
digital technology.
“What we are witnessing now
is only a revolution in technolo-
gy, as the cinema revolution has
been happening for decades,”
Raymond notes. “It is a continu-
ing evolution and revolution.”
A dogged revolutionary for
the cause of cinema, he dared,
in the 1990s, to tackle historical
themes in the landmark films
“Bayani” and “Sakay.”
As short filmmaker, Ray-
mond won in Montreal (Cana-
da), Brussels (Belgium) and the
ultimate prize: a Palme D’Or
(Cannes) for “Anino” in 2000.
He and Kidlat Tahimik are the
only Filipinos mentioned in the
Oxford History of World Cinema.
He served as juror in the Singa-
pore, Tokyo Short Shorts Asia,
BMW Shorties Malaysia and New
York Asian-American festivals.
In 2009, Raymond made his
first digital feature, “Himpapaw-
id,” which competed in
Tokyo—the first time the country
participated in the 22-year history
of the A-list festival.
Then and now, Rico regards
filmmaking as “an opportunity
to share stories with people
from all over the globe.”
The world is now paying at-
tention to Rico and other out-
siders.
He sums up the last five years
as “exciting and exasperating.”
It’s thrilling, he says, “because
of the worldwide acclaim,” but
frustrating because “no one is
making any real money from all
the attention. The world buys
films from all over Asia, except
the Philippines.”
To make a dent in the foreign
SHERAD ANTHONY SANCHEZ: “Cinema is a powerful healing medium.”
His follow-up “Imburnal”
was equally well-received and
well-traveled, in spite of an X
rating from the local censors in
2009.
It was shown in Hong Kong,
Jogjyakarta, Granada, Thessa-
loniki, Rome, Goa (India), Izola
(Slovenia), among others, and
won the Grand Prize, Netpac
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2010
“ANINO”
“Inspiring,” he describes the
“emergence of Philippine cine-
ma as a major force in festivals
abroad.”
It’s a “cause of pride,” he
adds, but swiftly cautions, “I
have seen trends come and go.
We should take advantage of
the moment to establish our
cinema, not for the glitz and
glamour ... but rather to redis-
cover cinema as part of our cul-
tural heritage, as a recognized
and respectable art form.”
There is a need to “develop a
market, Rico says, “the indies
need to upgrade the overall
production value of films, while
the mainstream folks need to
do the opposite and tackle grit-
tier and more dangerous mate-
rial.”
He urges the youth to learn
from the experiences (mistakes
and successes) of the indies:
“Read Khavn de la Cruz’s book,
‘Philippine New Wave.’ You’ll
get a healthy dose of wisdom
from people who’ve survived in
the cinematic trenches and won
a few battles along the way.”
Bayani San Diego Jr.
and Woosuk awards in Jeonju
(South Korea).
“Imburnal,” which swept the
Cinema One fest and cinched
the Lino Brocka award in Cine-
manila, won Special Mention
prizes at the Bangkok and
Buenos Aires fests as well.
He described the making of
“Imburnal,” a gritty story of
15
strong national cinema that will age makers, and the new audi-
survive, with or without interna- ences. They will create and de-
tional festivals to legitimize it.” mand according to their will,
Digital technology sparked and they will have to adapt to
the revolution anew in the last the swiftly evolving technolo-
five years, he says, but, “I go gies that will continue to
back to the realization that change our viewing habits, the
these are just tools or weapons way we will make, as well as
as I focus on the true intent of absorb, new motion pictures.”
making a film. That is, commu- It’s a never-ending story.
nicating with an audience.” “Every generation, or possibly
The future is here and now, every decade, will have a ‘new
he says. “Philippine cinema is in wave.’ I hope they have sincere
the hands of the new genera- and progressive convictions.”
tion, both the new moving im- Bayani San Diego Jr.
ROMY HOMILLADA
RICO MARIA ILARDE: “No one is making any real money from
all the attention.”
Award, which comes with a
JIM GUIAO PUNZALAN
HK$150,000 (US$19,230) cash
prize, for his proposed film
“Kaluha” this year. (The HAF or
the Hong Kong-Asia Film Fi-
nancing Forum is the region’s
premier “pitching” market.)
He proudly said of his film
work: “The term industry is de-
fined on the basis of economy.
My practice doesn’t have one.”
He admitted that his stint as
scholar in the University of
Southern California (as part of
the US Embassy of Manila’s Fu-
sion Arts Program) in 2007
opened up a world of possibili-
ties. “It showed me that I can do
mainstream if I wanted to. It
showed me what I like about
Philippine cinema.”
The last five years witnessed
a boom, he conceded. “There is
an increase in number of films
produced, as well as in the
Davao gangs, as a personal number of aspiring filmmakers.
journey, a “healing process.” But with diversity also comes
“It may sound like a cliché recklessness.”
but cinema is a powerful heal- The next big task is formulat-
ing medium. I hope it continues ing “distribution strategies” for
to heal me ... that the film will these films.
connect to people who under- He pushed neophyte film-
stand and relate with the film’s makers to be fearless: “There is
message,” he said. no formula! There is no dead-
He also picked up the HAF line!” Bayani San Diego Jr.