FILM
Male-dominated Cannes
Feminists slammed Cannes Film Festival once again after presenting an all-male line-up for the top award Palme d’Or.
The award heralds the work of 22 male filmmakers. Also, only two among the 17 finalists for the new talent section “Un Certain Regard” are women, Catherine Corsini and Sylvie Verheyde.
In an opinion piece for Le Monde newspaper, French feminist group La Barbe (The Beard) wrote, "All 22 films in the official selection were written, happy coincidence, by 22 men.”
The group argued that of Cannes’ 65 editions, it would be the 63rd time that a man will receive the Palme d’Or award.
"For its 65th edition, the festival will therefore crown for the 63rd time one among their ranks, defending without fail the virile values that are the pride of the film-making art,” the group wrote.
The only female director to have won the Palme d’Or was Jane Campion from New Zealand for her work “The Piano” in 1993.
Last year, four women were included in the nominees, an unprecedented number for the Palme d’Or.
France's Maiwenn, Australia' Julia Leigh, Scottish director Lynne Ramsay and Japan's Naomi Kawase tackled films about sex, violence and family life.
"Last year, no doubt it was an accident, four women managed to slip in among the 20 in the official competition. Sirs, you have returned to your senses and we thank you for that. This selection sends a strong signal to the profession and the public around the world,” the group sarcastically wrote.
Meanwhile, they pointed out the large number of female stars to grace the event.
"Women make perfect hostesses. Let's spare them the worry of managing a film crew, the tough technical challenges of a film shoot. Whatever we do, we must not let young girls believe they could one day have the nerve to direct films and climb the steps of the festival palace other than on the arm of a prince charming,” they added.
Eclectic Noir
Instituto Cervantes de Manila is again offering screenings of noir films. To be screened every Saturday, 2 p.m. at Instituto Cervantes’ Salon de Actos at 855 T.M. Kalaw St., Ermita, Manila, “Cine Negro” opens on May 12.
The first film is Argentinean Juan Jose Campanella’s crime-thriller drama “El secreto de sus ojo (The Secret in Their Eyes).” It follows the life of retired legal counselor Benjamin Esposito who is seeking closure for his unresolved homicide cases. The film won the Oscar for the Best Foreign Language Film.
Shown on the same day is the rare “Un Oso Rojo (Red Bear)” which is about an ex-convict who returns to his non-existing family, his wide already living with another man and his daughter who doesn’t know him.
The festival closes on May 25 with Josue Mendez’s directorial debut “Dias de Santiago (Days of Santiago)” which is about a young war veteran who returns to Lima after six years of fighting terrorists, the Peruvian drug mafia and a nationalist war against Ecuador.He tries to return to a normal life but everything spins out of control.
Admission to the screenings is free but on a first-come, first-served basis.
For information, call 526-1482 or visit http://manila.cervantes.es.
THEATER
Lea Salonga performs in straight play after 10 years
World-renowned artist Lea Salonga will be returning to the straight play and the Manila stage with the award-winning comedy God of Carnage.
Together with The Kitchen Musical’s Art Acuña, award-winning Mechu Lauchengco-Yulo and one of Singapore’s top actors Adrian Pang, Salonga will perform God of Carnage which tells the story of two couple who try to resolve a playground fight between their sons. “Lines are drawn, allegiances are made and broken, and the evening quickly turns into a laugh-out-loud train wreck, served up with clafouti, espresso and a bottle of rum,” Philippine Star described the play.
In an interview Salonga said, “It’s been almost 10 years since I last did a play, so I come into God of Carnage with a lot of excitement and fear. Excitement that I get to do this Tony Award-winning dark comedy by Yasmina Reza, and fear for that exact same reason.”
The actress added that she is excited to work with Pang and the others. She explained, “I’m also excited that I get to do this with Adrian Pang, my partner in They’re Playing Our Song, a man with whom I couldn’t ever keep a straight face when doing a scene, and with Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, a personal and professional partner in crime (we first worked together in Rep’s Fiddler on the Roof as members of the ensemble, a billion years ago, and have since sang, acted, and even coached together) whose body of work I have only the deepest and more ardent respect for, and I’m thrilled that Art Acuña will be with us, too. I don’t know him personally, but only by reputation, and a very good one follows him from show to show. Bobby Garcia, a frequent collaborator and dear friend, will be at the helm, which only guarantees more belly-splitting laughter at every turn of this creative process. I look forward to sharing all this in July when God of Carnage finally arrives in Manila. We hope you all laugh with us as we explore the baser, more primitive levels of seemingly civilized society.”
VISUAL ARTS
Mourning Anita Magsaysay-Ho
Filipinos took to the Internet last week to pay tribute to pioneering painter Anita Magsaysay-Ho.
Magsaysay-Ho was best known for her modernist style while depicting women who are hard at work, either in the farm or tending to their children. The lone female in the elite group of painters dubbed as the “Thirteen Moderns,” she died three weeks ahead of her 98th birthday.
In a 2005 interview Magsaysay-Ho said, “In my works I always celebrate the women of the Philippines. I regard them with deep admiration and they continue to inspire me – their movements and gestures, their expressions of happiness and frustration; their diligence and shortcomings; their joy of living. I know very well the strength, hard work and quiet dignity of Philippine women, for I am one of them.”
After hearing news of her death, artists tweeted about how her works had inspired them.
Among them is writer Ada Dizon Angeles who wrote, "As a child, I became interested in painting on wood after seeing her works in a collection published by CCP.”
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