Brillante Mendoza to vie for Palme d'Or

Brillante "Dante" Mendoza's Kinatay will compete for the prestigious Palme d'Or at the 62^nd Cannes International Film Festival on May 13-24, 2009.

Kinatay is one of 20 films and will compete against movies such as Inglourious Basterds by Quentin Tarantino and Taking Woodstock by Ang Lee. Brad Pitt topbills Tarantino's World War II saga while Taking Woodstock is a comedy based on the legendary three-day concert that took place in the '60s.

Two Filipino independent films were also chosen for special screening in the non-competition category. Raya Martin's Independencia will run in Un Certain Regard while his other work with Adolfo Alix Jr.'s Manila will be in the Special Screenings category. Sabongero by Filipino-American Janice Y. Perez was selected for the Short Film Corner.

It is the first time in the history of the film festival that there will be four entries from the Philippines. "It's an exciting year for the Philippines," said Mendoza.

Mendoza made it again to Cannes after his controversial entry Serbis last year. Kinatay, his entry this year is "equally controversial" and delves into the world of hitmen who cut up the bodies of their victims. The film stars Coco Martin, John Regala, Julio Diaz, Jhong Hilario, Lauren Novero and Maria Isabel Lopez.

Medoza was the first Filipino director to compete for the Golden Palm since Lino Brocka's Bayan Ko: Kapit Sa Patalim in 1984.

One commentary says that Mendoza makes his viewer "a believer in his minimal, ultra-realist and brutally honest slices of Philippine life." Another says "His last film Serbis was a difficult sit but, that said, it wasn't a fast fade either...I still find myself thinking about it."

Mendoza also directed Tirador (2007), Foster Child (2007), Manoro and Kaleldo (2006) and Masahista (2005).

In 2008, Raya Martin's Now Showing was screened at the Directors' Fortnight. This year, Raya Martin's Independencia will screen in Un Certain Regard, the "more experimental and adventurous" section of the filmfest,.

"I hope this proves that the world's current interest in Filipino films is not just a fad," Martin said. "We're not just the flavor of the month. We can compete in the global arena. Independencia is the first Filipino film to be screened in the category.

The historical drama set during the American Occupation stars Tetchie Agbayani, Sid Lucero, Mika Aguilos and Alessandra de Rossi. The film received grants from Germany, the Netherlands, France and the United States.

Manila, which Martin co-directed with Alix, is a twin bill tribute to National Artists for film Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal, and is produced by lead actor Piolo Pascual.

In an interview on inquirer.net, Martin revealed the inclusion in the lineup was unanticipated. "We were nervous when we heard that major filmmakers like Pedro Almodovar, Ang Lee, Lars von Trier and Quentin Tarantino had entries," he said.

"From Asia alone, there were a lot of strong contenders: Korea's Park Chan-wook, Taiwan's Tsai Ming-liang and Japan's Hirokazu Kore-Eda.," film producer Arlene Cuevas added.

Cuevas, who also produced Manila, believed that the films' inclusion in the festival changes people's perspective on Philippine cinema. "In the past, foreigners we met were not familiar with Filipino movies. But now when we attend film markets abroad, the Philippines is known as a participant in big festivals," she said

"All the great names of world cinema are here this year, and the old dogs have some fine new tricks in store," Thierry Fremaux announced during the unveiling of the official selection last week at a packed press conference in Paris' Grand Hotel.

The films in the main competition are:

"Bright Star," Australia-U.K.-France, Jane Campion
"Spring Fever," China-France, Lou Ye
"Antichrist," Denmark-Sweden-France-Italy, Lars von Trier
"Enter the Void," France, Gaspar Noe
"Face," France-Taiwan-Netherlands-Belgium, Tsai Ming-liang
"Les Herbes folles," France-Italy, Alain Resnais
"In the Beginning," France, Xavier Giannoli
"A Prophet," France, Jacques Audiard
"The White Ribbon," Germany-Austria-France, Michael Haneke
"Vengeance," Hong Kong-France-U.S., Johnnie To
"The Time That Remains," Palestine-France, Elia Suleiman
"Vincere," Italy-France, Marco Bellocchio
"Kinatay," Philippines, Brillante Mendoza
"Thirst," South Korea-U.S., Park Chan-wook
"Broken Embraces," Spain, Pedro Almodovar
"Map of the Sounds of Tokyo," Spain, Isabel Coixet
"Fish Tank," U.K.-Netherlands, Andrea Arnold
"Looking for Eric," U.K.-France-Belgium-Italy, Ken Loach
"Inglourious Basterds," U.S., Quentin Tarantino
"Taking Woodstock," U.S., Ang Lee

Photo: Cannes 2009 Official Poster by Annick Durban; inspired by Michelangelo Antonioni's "L'avventura

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