SELYU Magasin: The Maiden Issue (August 2024)

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AUG 2024

pi s+ Y PSHS-MC

ISSUE #001

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

2

STAFF AND MANAGEMENT

3

EDITOR'S NOTE

5

MEET THE OFFICERS

7

NEL ESTUYA: AN ACTOR'S VISIT TO CELLULOID

9

INTERVIEW WITH NEL ESTUYA

12

ALAB NG PISAY

13

INTERVIEW WITH PAULET REGIDOR

14

I AM A PHILIPPINE SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLAR

17

KANAKANBALINTAGOS: HUNTER OF TRUTH, EXCELLENCE, AND SERVICE

20

INTERVIEW WITH KANAKANBALINTAGOS

23

THE IMAGINARIUM OF LORE REYES

25

INTERVIEW WITH LORE REYES

29

ALIPATO AT MUOG: ENDURING HOPE, FIERY EMBERS

33

MANNY JACINTO: REDEFINING ASIAN MASCULINITY

37

NEW RELEASES

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STAFF AND MANAGEMENT

EXECUTIVES EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR MANAGING DIRECTOR CONTENT DIRECTOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR

QUENSO TAMBALQUE NICO TAN BASTI SAN AGUSTIN THANDIE ALIÑO NICO HECHANOVA

CONTENT FEATURE EDITOR NEWS EDITOR OPINION EDITOR STAFF WRITERS CONTRIBUTORS

AMARIS TOMAS ART DELOS SANTOS ALDRICH TY MIKHAIL BAUTISTA MICHAEL ESCOBIDO STEPH NEBRES KOV APURA TEA JUAN SOFIA REGAYA JUN SALUTAN EJ SANTIAGO

CREATIVES DESIGN EDITOR

LEIF DIAZ

MANAGEMENT FINANCE HEAD

AKI MAGPILY

SOCIAL MEDIA FACEBOOK TWITTER TIKTOK INSTAGRAM LETTERBOXD LINKEDIN MEDIUM

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CELLULOID MC @SELYUMC @SELYUMC @SELYUMC CELLULOIDMC CELLULOID-MC @CELLULOIDMC

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editor’s letter

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here’s not a lot I can say in a first editor’s letter that can sum up everything the club has accomplished since that very first Discord voice chat three to four years ago.

What I can say, however, is I am immensely proud and grateful for how far we’ve come and that we’ve been granted a space to bag the achievements and make the mistakes that we did. The goal has always been to make film more accessible to the Pisay community and allow a place for movie lovers to share their passions. I spent my elementary years talking about movies, movies, movies and hoping someone would come up to me and say they loved them like I did. Going from that to seeing people in showings we’ve organized gasp, scream, and laugh at the screen, as well as express their thoughts on the movie afterwards, is a deeply refreshing experience. If I hear that because of us, someone discovered a movie that helped them enrich the way they think just the tiniest bit, we’ll have fulfilled what we set out to do.

That’s why this is the next step we’re taking. It’s many of our officers’ last year in Pisay, so we wanted to go out with a bang and introduce the SELYU Zine, where we, along with a few club members and outsiders, yap about the thing we love: movies, movies, movies.

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There are some cool articles here about Pisay the movie and an important documentary about Filipino desaparecidos, reviews of recent releases, recaps of a few recent club activities, and best of all, two fascinating interviews— conducted by yours truly—with two legendary filmmakers and PSHS Main alumni: Lore Reyes of Magic Temple and Shake, Rattle, and Roll fame; and KanakanBalintagos a.k.a. Auraeus Solito, director of The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros and Pisay (!).

I’d like to end by thanking people! Thank you to our wonderful officers: Aki, Basti, Art, Aldrich and especially Amaris, the Vice President whose warmth has steadied and anchored us all. Thank you to my co-founder, creative head, and creator of this zine Quenso, whose work he has done to get our club to where it is now I am incredibly thankful for. Thank you to Sir Arnie, for taking a chance on us as our adviser; we could not have asked for a kinder teacher to see us through it all.

Finally, thank you to the Pisay community.

Just by picking up a copy, you’re helping us and you’re learning a bit more about movies with every word you read: a double whammy! We hope you enjoy what we have in store, not just here, but for the rest of the year and forever (if we can help it).

CELLULOID.MC

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MEETTHE

OFFICERS Thandie Aliño President

Mad about the movies—if I’m not a screenwriter by thirty, send a wellness check. I don’t have a genre preference; just as long as the movie will bring some kind of value to my life (or has my favorite middle-aged actress of the month), I’ll watch anything.

Quenso Tambalque Creative Head

Self-proclaimed manic pixie dream girl trapped in an Asian twink’s body—usually lurking at Gateway Cineplex or 123movies. Style over substance always, sucker for boring queer films with good cinematography.

Amaris Tomas Vice President

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Don’t know how I ended up with a niche-like appreciation for local cinema but here I am! I like watching either sweet & sunshine romcoms or animation or heavy socio-political documentaries & dramas (or maybe a mix of both).

CELLULOID.MC

It all started with Marvel, really. I have an enormous soft spot for romcoms, a never ending amusement for action & adventure, and a long list of watched films that do not fall under horror & thriller.

Art Delos Santos Secretary

As a casual enjoyer of movies, I love cozy and beautiful films. Specific genres I prefer are sci-fi and fantasy, as they offer a temporary escape from the boring and stressful reality.

Basti San Agustin Treasurer

The movies I like are reflections of myself: very queer, very opinionated, and very emotional. Even though I tend to get quite busy, it’s always nice for me to sit down and watch a movie from time to time.

Aldrich Ty Auditor

I’m simple; I like animated films and a lot of other movies because they make me smile and laugh. Ironically, I haven’t touched a single movie in a while but I’m slowly coming back to lending time to watching new shows and rewatching the ones I love.

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Akira Magpily Public Relations

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NEWS

NEL ESTUYa an actor’s visit to celluloid

written by steph nebres

However, the talk wasn't just about that, as we also talked about shows and films from overseas.

Estuya mentioned enjoying shows from other countries and appreciating the different fortes they have, like how Korea has K-Dramas, Thailand has many good BL shows, and Japan has anime.

Speaking of animation, he lamented the lack of original Pinoy cartoons and animations, as it is an untapped market yet to be fulfilled. There are some indie animators who are taking it upon themselves to start and give the people what they want. For example, there is The Lovers, an LGBT+ thriller featuring Philippine mythology in a modern light; the Kickstarter campaign has raised a little over $400,000, showing not only the support of Filipinos for it, but people from all around the world. he talk with Nel Estuya was an enlightening and impassioning one, as he shared what it was like being an actor for the Philippine entertainment industry. It all started with a showing of a short and trippy short film (huhumcrediTT dir.

Fea Fortuna) of a girl asking her dad to buy her a laptop.

There were times when the video felt like it was going one direction, but then it swerved to another with ease and fluidity. The catchy jingle, ardent acting and well-made editing and filming made for an enjoyable watch that caught all members’ attention to the end. Afterwards, we were asked to give our thoughts on it and everyone gave glowing reviews for the wonderful short. It was just a taste of one of the many films actors work on. Estuya then talked about how there were two types of actors: the ones who are the "bida" or main character and the ones who play the supporting cast, with him being in the latter. It is unfortunate how hard opportunities are to come by in the industry as there are factors like looks, connections, and popularity that not everyone has. He said that many work just as hard but that it is very difficult to get a big break without a trump card.

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There was also a Q&A session where he answered questions that we had for him, among them being how to enter the industry, what is it like being a full time actor, etc. He also talked about voice acting and gave us some insight on it, too. He gave the dubbed cartoons shown in morning programs as an example, and told us that it is just as hard as regular acting because there is a lot of practice and trial and error to get the perfect voice. Also, when it comes to specific scenes—a tired character for example—they'll also tire themselves out to be able to voice it believably.

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All in all, it was a wonderful experience that was able to give us some insight on the film industry. He was able to show us that hard work doesn’t lead to nothing and that we should take a chance, no matter how small it is. I wish him all the best in his endeavors and am looking forward to seeing the progress of our entertainment industry in the coming years.

an interview with nel estuya Interview: Thandie Aliño, Quenso Tambalque Transcription: Art Delos Santos, Basti San Agustin

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AUGUST 2024 SELYU MAGASIN 08

interview

IN YOUR VARIED CAREER, YOU’VE PLAYED BIT PARTS IN MANY FAMOUS MOVIES AND TV SHOWS (E.G. DARNA, DIRTY LINEN, ANG PROBINSYANO). OUT OF ALL OF THEM, WHICH ONE WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE AND WHY? Of course, it would be Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral because it’s, to date, the most expensive historical film ever made in the Philippines, and also my biggest break. I knew [that] to some extent I hit it big time when I was cast [in that film] because it’s a major production. Even if it was under an independent production, it still had a mainstream distribution and showing. I think it’s also a memorable moment, because my role in that film was not merely a small role, but a pivotal role for the story.

IN YOUR VARIED CAREER, YOU’VE PLAYED BIT PARTS IN MANY FAMOUS MOVIES AND TV SHOWS (E.G. DARNA, DIRTY LINEN, ANG PROBINSYANO). OUT OF ALL OF THEM, WHICH ONE WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE AND WHY?

CAN YOU GIVE A QUICK RUNDOWN OF YOUR PREPARATION PROCESS FOR THE DIFFERENT MEDIUMS IN WHICH YOU ACT (E.G. COMMERCIALS, MUSEUM FIGURES, TV, FILM, THEATER)?

Essentially they’re all acting, so the preparation is usual. You have to do your research. You have to do physical preparation. You have to have a knowledge of the project. Of course, there is also script reading, analyzing the script, and internalizing the character. Now, when it comes to the medium-specific preparations, there’s no special technique for each character except that you have to know that each medium requires different approaches to acting. In theatre, it should be bigger. Lahat naman ‘yan parang you’re just trying to portray the truth. Pero with theatre, you have to amplify that truth. I mean it figuratively and literally, because 'yung boses mo kailangan umabot until the end of the hall or the stadium na pinagpeperforman. The most realistic [approach to acting], based on my experience, [are] independent films. They allow you to unfold the character as is, like how it would happen in real life. That’s why medyo naging comfort zone ko siya to some extent 'yung indie films kasi they allow you to be truthful. In television, I think you have to just be—'yung build up kasi ng character sa TV, the preparation time is [not the same with indie films], where you’re given enough time. With TV, ‘yan ilalagay lang sayo 'yung script. Kahit di mo alam 'yung story. You have to just act out that certain scene na binigay nila. Kailangan makaabsorb ka [nang] mabilis kung ano 'yung lines. For commercials…my friends who do commercials would say na, and based on experience, the acting is more…parang hyper version ng truth, because you only get a few seconds to tell that story.

Kapag nakapanood ka ng commercial, kailangan makita mo na agad. In voice acting, medyo iba because iba 'yung vocabulary ng voice acting compared to acting on camera. It’s about varying pitches, accents, intonations, etc. Vocalizing is important.

That’s a good question, because playing a historical character comes with so much responsibility. You have to be really accurate. I mean, of course, there are some modifications made, but accuracy is still important. So when it comes to playing historical characters, I make sure that everything is examined, from costumes to the lines itself, because I have to really stick by the book. Since these are historical documents, sometimes when you say lines, it is what is said verbatim in the historical document. It sometimes involves studying deep Tagalog—not our Tagalog today, pero 'yung arcane Tagalog. Sometimes, these are really long speeches na binigay ni Bonifacio or ni Apolinario Mabini. I have to stick with that; I cannot make any changes, which is a challenge. And, the costumes—we cannot be seen goofing around in those costumes behind the scenes or doing things that are not as dignified as the image of these heroes. Siguro, we’d make wacky faces in the costumes. Pwede rin naman, pero parang almost sacred sila. These are really sacred figures when it comes to, not just history, pero 'yung whole film and literature.

You have to be extra careful and responsible. For regular and fictional characters, you can take all the liberty you have, as some directors will let you innovate according to how far you can imagine the character. It’s probably more relaxed in that sense.

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A LOOK AT YOUR IMDB SHOWS THAT YOUR FILMOGRAPHY DATES BACK TO 2013. COULD YOU SHARE HOW YOU STARTED YOUR CAREER AND GOT INTO THE INDUSTRY? As you know, IMDb is only exclusive for movies and television projects. So of course, before 2013 and even during college in UP Diliman, I was already doing theatre, but not actively, since I was still studying. After that, I immediately worked for the corporate world, so I wasn’t as active as I am now. This is a good question because andami kasing nagtatanong, “how do I start?” and “what do I do?” Okay lang ‘yun if people [of high school age] ask. Nagsastart pa lang din talaga kayo. But 'yung iba kasing nagtatanong, they think “what if I act?” out of the blue. Parang feeling nila madali lang 'yung [acting]. “Aba, ganyan ganyan lang sila and they get paid for it. Ako kaya ganyan din.”

Magtatanong din sila sa’yo na, “paano ba at anong gagawin ko?” And, I find that question is sometime kapag a 50-year-old would ask you that…I’m not looking down on them, pero I’d compare them with my own development. The craft of acting, it’s something na nag-develop sa akin in the most organic way. Even when I was an elementary student, I was already directing my classmates, playing make believe, doing role plays. So, it wasn’t far from reality na I would go next into legit campus theatre performances, that eventually graduated to film and television. It’s something na gradual na nangyari. Hindi naman siya pinilit, because my love for it is really there.

It’s deep and I think hindi mawawala [ito]. So, yun 'yung maaanswer ko sa kanila. “Bakit nagtatanong ka ng ganun? Is it because naging interested ka lang?” 'Yung iba kasi, gusto 'yung raket lang eh. If you want to be really good, start from the pinakabasic (theatre sa school or community theatre).

Eventually, you’ll gather enough projects to get easily accepted into even more projects. That’s how I started—in theatre.

LOOKING BACK AT YOUR EXTENSIVE CAREER, WHAT ARE SOME PROJECTS OR ROLES THAT STAND OUT AS SIGNIFICANT MILESTONES FOR YOU?

Maybe you do not know him because you’re very young; he passed away na hindi pa kayo pinapanganak. He’s a character actor in film and the director of the play na unang nag-appear ako professionally as a theatre actor—si sir Ogie Juliano of the UP Department of Theatre Arts. I swear, if he didn’t make the crazy decision to cast me in that play in an important role, I think wala ako dito ngayon doing this craft as an actor.

Because at that time, I was 18? Or 19? What happens in that stage kasi is very crucial sa kung anong mangyayari sa future mo. [His] casting me in that role really determined my becoming an actor in the future because andami ko pang options noon.

Not immediately naman after they casted me dire-diretso na ako nag-act. No, nasa corporate pa ako for seven years. Pero, always after na nagcorporate ako, parang nandoon na bumabalik sa akin na namiss ko [ang acting]. I thanked him for casting me in that play, because that was the biggest reminder that I should be in this field.

After that, I resigned from corporate work, and then went back to acting in plays in UP. Parang contemporary [si Juliano] ni Tony Mabesa, who is a prominent actor na nagpass-away na. Kabatch niya rin si Eddie Garcia. Kung napanood niyo 'yung [Rainbow’s Sunset], siya 'yung nandun. Siya naman naging professor ko rin sa theatre. He’s another person na hindi ko malilimutan.

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I did say earlier that my biggest break is Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral. [Januario Galut] was [a character] I researched heavily for, but ironically, only after the film was released. Because while we were shooting that, wala naman silang binibigay na information, so [Galut] was mysterious to me, especially why he was considered a traitor to Filipinos during that time. He was considered the reason bakit bumagsak sila sa Tirad Pass, e natalo ang mga Pilipino sa Philippine-American War. He might just be a footnote sa history ni Gregorio del Pilar, pero when I was given that role, hindi ko naman siya tatanggapin bilang, “okay masama siya,” or ganyan. You have to really study kung ano ang both sides niya—the good side and the bad side. I also got to meet a lot of historians to talk to me about [the history], which led to a very good friendship with the Bulaqueños. Parang ako na 'yung honorary citizen nila sa Bulacan because I’m always there sa mga events nila, just because of that role. Around December every year, sa death anniversary ni Gregorio del Pilar, umaakyat kami doon sa Tirad Pass. Para siyang pilgrimage to Mount Tirad as a thank you for giving me my biggest break.

So, I guess when it comes to what role stuck with me, it’s that, because it opened so many doors for me. When it comes to roles I got to live with na emotionally invested ako marami yan e. Sa dami ng short films na ginawa ko, which is I think, close to 100 na. So, marami diyan, 'yung iba’t ibang roles of the common Filipino. My career is founded on portraying the common Filipino.

Because, you know, look at me, I look like the common Filipino so that’s another thing na siguro [I didn’t expect about acting], because when I started, I thought actors are really celebrities who stand out in the crowd. Like, kapag lalaki, usually [they’re] matikas, maputi, matangkad. You know, the typical leading man. And for me, who looks very common, parang ‘di ‘ko inexpect na I would enjoy this kind of longevity sa career ko. I think those kinds of small roles na…hindi pa siya distributed publicly, sa special screenings pa mapanood. All of them [are] special to me, because I poured all my time and emotion on them.

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interview

SINCE LIWAY (WHEREIN YOU PLAYED THE RALLY HOST) IS A CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED FILM, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE AUDIENCE’S RESPONSE TO IT, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE OF ITS POLITICAL THEMES? HOW DID YOU COME TO PLAY THAT ROLE?

I really love you for asking that question, because there’s a very special story behind this project.

First of all, I’ll answer that question na, “how was the audience’s reception?” If you were there during the Cinemalaya festival in 2018, Liway was the highest grosser and an audience favorite.

Ilang minutes ang standing ovation sa initial screening, and even sa ibang screening. There’s really something about it na nagreresonate sa hearts—during that time kasi, may threat na of historical record revisionism, and the aim of the film was to fight that, because it tells the actual story of what happened during that time.

Personally, I have many strong opinions when it comes to victims of human right violations. Alam ko na during that time, maraming mga tao naviolate ang human rights nila because of the dictatorship. Sa mga actor kasi, we have this mass Cinemalaya audition na marami ‘yan na pumunta.

Usually, mahirap makapasok, andami niyo e and ilang minuto lang kayong magmomonologue and then 'yung mga directors na nasa panel will just point ikaw, ikaw, ikaw, ganyan, to move on to the next part na gagawin niyo, kung mapili ka or not.

Siguro 75% sa mga tao diyan, ‘di mapipili. With Liway, nung time na when they were about to finish the film, nagkulang sila ng tao, especially this big rally scene na sinasabi ninyo. So, they needed volunteer extras. Extras are different from supporting actors; I started as an extra na walang lines. Then eventually, ‘pag naging supporting actor ka, you’re trusted with lines, like what

happened to me there. Nung naghahanap sila ng volunteer actors, wala ‘yang talent fee or whatsoever. Nasa Facebook lang ‘yun; nagpost sila, “kailangan na namin matapos 'yung eksena this day, so kung sino ang mga interested, please punta kayo [sa location], and we would be very appreciative for you to be part of that rally scene.” Of course, sinagot naman nila 'yung food so wala ng talent fee. Ako, I was already a working actor; I would probably have not accepted unpaid roles, pero I went there because it was my advocacy kasi, and I know that this movie will talk about that period wherein andaming human rights na na-violate, so I wanted to be a part of that, kahit nasa crowd lang ako, kahit nagrarally lang ako. So, I signed up and I went there. ‘Yung assistant director, and some of his people, kilala na ako because I’ve been working professionally. I was given the script suddenly, [even if] I was there lang as a volunteer extra. Nagkaroon ako ng role bigla, so 'yung napanood niyo sa movie, wala sa plano ‘yun. Nung nakita nila ako, naisip nila, “ah okay, ibigay natin ‘tong role sa kanya.” So that’s how it happened; suddenly, I was the rally leader. I thought it was just an extra role, but it became one of my prominent roles sa CV ko because it was a big exposure and well, apparently, it made a mark kasi ito pinag-uusapan natin ngayon, and sinasabi niyo sa’kin naalala niyo [ako] from the movie. That’s why it’s a very good experience na hindi ko akalain [that I would get that] role. And so that’s the story behind that…I’ll always remember the story behind my role in Liway.

ARE THERE FUTURE PROJECTS THAT YOU ARE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THE YOUTH, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO MIGHT BE INSPIRED BY YOUR WORKS?

We’re at the end of the year wherein nagsastart na 'yung preparations for the “grind”— that’s what we call it sa industry. The grind pagdating ng January and February [of every year]. I’m going to do a mainstream movie by next year, one that can hopefully be a follow-up to my big break in Goyo, because na-ano 'yung momentum because of the pandemic, two years na nag stop so sayang. In 2024, there’s preparations for one mainstream movie and one independent film. Of course, ‘di ko po malaman 'yung iba because sometimes tumatawag nalang ‘yan na, “We need the appearance of ganyan.” When it comes to my short films naman, my avenue for promoting them is sa social media lang talaga. Sa Facebook page ko (Nel Estuya), nagkukwento ako doon, mahilig ako magkwento, it’s not just posting. May mga stories behind it, katulad ng [kinuwento] ko sa inyo ngayon. So doon siguro makikita 'yung mga current and future projects ko.

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You are at that point in your life where everything is presented to you like a buffet. You could go this way or that way, maraming pwedeng mangyari, and I’m really actually very excited for anyone na I meet na katulad niyo na you are at this point in your life, because anything could happen based [on] the decisions you make starting now. I’d like for you to really know yourself. Don’t be afraid to try everything; of course, keep yourself safe, ‘wag naman 'yung may masasaktan in the process, pero mas magandang i-tatry niyo lahat and then give yourself that time—you owe yourself that time. Then eventually, dadating din kayo sa time na alam niyo na, “this is it, this is what I’m gonna do with my life.” Once you know that, try to stick to it. I know may mga distractions pa rin na mangyayari, pero think that ‘pag tinanong kayo, “what did you with your life?”, ito 'yung sasabihin niyo. Ito 'yung resume na ibibigay niyo. ‘Kung meron akong CV na prinesent sa inyo, ‘yun ‘yun eh because I stuck to it, parang pinakasalan mo siya, try to be faithful to it. Off the top of my head, ‘yun ang masasabi ko: give yourself the time to know yourself, and once you [do], enjoy! I think ‘yun naman 'yung point doon eh, 'yung inaalam niyo sarili niyo for you to be able to enjoy the things that you are meant to do. I’m sure you’ll get there.

CELLULOID.MC

g n b a l A written by EJ SANTIAGO Celluloid recently held a screening of it during our school’s annual opening fair, allowing me, my friends, and many others to finally watch this movie made about the very school which we study in. We were able to watch some of our own experiences being shown on the big screen, while also looking back at our school’s past before the K-12 implementation, and before many renovations and changes. The school really transformed over the years, yet some things still seemed to stay the same. It was fun seeing familiar settings, familiar lessons being taught, and familiar experiences.

NEWS

isay (2007) is a highlyregarded coming-ofage movie set towards the end of the Marcos regime in the Philippines.

Directed by Auraeus Solito, it follows several scholars of the esteemed Philippine Science High School as they navigate life in a challenging academic environment in hopes of a better future for them and their families.

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Apart from this, I appreciated how the movie incorporated the Marcos regime in its story. It added a level of maturity and a deeper message to a light-hearted and wholesome movie. It talked about Pisay’s history during the Marcos dictatorship in a way that showcased how the students and teachers were affected by the regime, with Liway fighting against injustices in and out of the school, and Miss Casas (Eugene Domingo) afraid of more Pisay students being martyred.

Overall, the movie was enjoyable. The writing was especially remarkable, with all of the characters seeming fully realized and well-written. Because of how the movie was structured, every main character was able to tell their story and take the spotlight, and everything seemed cohesive and thought out. Their individual experiences were all explored well, and when put together formed a great film with endearing characters and a fine plot. To this day, Pisay still is a must-watch, especially if you’re a Pisay student. With its portrayal of life in Philippine Science High School during the Marcos administration, it acts as not just a time capsule which should be experienced by future generations, but also a gem of Filipino cinema.

In the movie, Euri, one of the main characters, has an obvious passion for the arts, despite studying in a STEM-focused school. Despite students being required to take up STEM in college, he ultimately decides to defy the Pisay contract, pursuing his passion by applying for a theater arts related course in college. People often discover their passions as they progress through high school as growing adolescents, but for students of Pisay, it is probably already too late. Before they know it, they’re stuck in science. Though, unlike Euri, some choose to follow through with STEM because of the possible opportunities and the repercussions of breaking the contract, even if that means leaving your passion behind. The segment with Euri and Mr. G was by far my favorite in the movie. I loved how the movie featured two characters, both with a love for the arts, but who went down different paths because of Pisay. It felt very personal somehow, especially when you think about how it was directed by Auraeus Solito, a Pisay alumnus-turned-director, who himself decided to pursue a career in film rather than in STEM. SUBSCRIBE @ BIT.LY/SELYUMAGASIN

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interview

Pauline Regidor, our current schoo librarian, is credited as “PSHS Librarian” in the IMDb page of Pisay (2007). She has a roughly 10-second cameo starting at around 27:50 in the movie. She has no lines except shushing the students Rom (Gammy Lopez) and Wena (Annicka Dolonius).

FIRST OF ALL, HOW DID YOU COME TO MAKE A CAMEO IN PISAY? WERE YOU PERSONALLY ASKED? DID YOU HAVE TO AUDITION FOR IT? REGIDOR: The group requested whether we could open the library, and they were looking for someone who could act as a librarian. I agreed to the two requests. I was told to be at the school at 8:00 p.m., so I was there, but the shoot was around 2:30 a.m. The group was in high spirits; it was like daytime. It took just three takes, and I could see Rom and Wena staring at me; they were smiling.

HOW WAS KANAKAN-BALINTAGOS AS A DIRECTOR? DID HE GIVE YOU ANY MEMORABLE TIPS OR PIECES OF DIRECTION? REGIDOR: He was okay. He just told me, "Okay, ma'am," then he smiled. He was intense when staring at the monitor. They had to move the location twice: first at the counter, then near the shelves. I was acting as the traditional librarian, even though I am not usually like that. Probably it’s for the older generation.

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WHAT DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE IMPACT OF PISAY? HOW DOES IT FEEL TO HAVE PLAYED A PART, HOWEVER SMALL, IN THE MAKING OF A FILIPINO COMING-OF-AGE CLASSIC? REGIDOR: I just felt honored when students came to me and said, "Ma'am, are you the one in 'PISAY the movie'?" It’s like playing the role of my work as a school librarian.

LASTLY, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE BEEN IF YOU WERE NOT A LIBRARIAN? PERHAPS, AN ACTOR ?

REGIDOR: I really would have liked to be a social worker, but it was my mother who wanted me to be a librarian. So now, as the school librarian of PSHS, I will be celebrating my 30th next year here at PSHS.

CELLULOID.MC

“I am a Philippine FEATURE Science High School Scholar...”

A RETROSPECTIVE ESSAY ON PISAY (2007)

WRITTEN BY ALDRICH TY As I enter my fifth year here in Pisay, I can’t help but reflect on not only my relationship with the school, but on the history of the school itself.

From the markings on each wooden chair to the photos of those lost during Martial Law, Pisay is a school brimming with history from every person that has studied in these halls. I can’t help but read on and on about the stories of alumni and teachers alike on their experiences, imagining them in the same places I stay at and having the same problems I deal with.

Solito, himself an alumni of Pisay, manages to capture the essence of what it is to be a Pisay scholar through the experiences the characters go through. It also helps that the movie was shot exclusively at Pisay. 40 years removed from its setting and 17 years removed from its release, Pisay (2007) still manages to resonate with me.

The characters of Batch 1986 still remind me of my own batchmates in 2026, and even of myself.

In its timeless portrayal of Pisay scholars, the film manages to become a reflection of Pisay itself.

Sitting on my chair at 7:20 in the morning waiting for the day to start, I can’t help but look back on it all and wonder: what does it truly mean to be a part of Pisay?

Pisay (2007) is a film that seeks to answer that very question.

Directed and co-written by Kanakan-Balintagos, better known as Auraeus Solito, the film follows the Pisay journey of a fictional batch 1986 as they traverse the turbulent final years of Martial Law and four years of studying in the country’s premier science high school. It is a story of not only resilience against the high stakes game of studying at Pisay, but a story of rebellion against the authorities that put us down.

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HISTORY OF REVOLUTION

Pisay (2007) rebels against the preconceived notions that it is science that makes Pisay or that Pisay is solely for the rich and the intellectual class. It instead chooses to show the Pisay scholar as being more than just their education and background. It shows how they can uplift and connect with others, how they can fight for valiant change both with science and without science, how being a part of Pisay does not end when you fail and drop out.

It is a history of rebellion both present in the movie and present in real life. Many Pisay alumni in the years of martial law gave up their lives to fight for the freedom of the nation, and in a sense, that is what being a Pisay scholar truly means.

More than the rooms and paths that each batch goes through, more than the similar experiences and challenges each scholar experiences from when they get in to when they graduate, and even more than the science education all students of Pisay must go through, the most significant thing that connects Pisay scholars is something that goes beyond Pisay: the shared rebellion against injustice.

To be a Pisay scholar is to inhabit the values made and reinforced by those that have come before us, those that similarly fought for the right in the Philippines.

In a time where we are currently being ruled by another Marcos and where dozens of activists and innocents are killed by the state, it is important for us scholars to remember this revolutionary spirit that fights for what’s right.

In the eyes of many, we are Philippine SCIENCE High School first and foremost, but in truth, through the eyes of our heritage and the values we fought for and continue to fight for, we are PHILIPPINE Science High School forever and always.

Just as the characters of the film rebel against ideas of failure or the crushing restriction of authority and contracts, so too do we as Pisay scholars rebel against the injustices present both within campus and outside in the nation. To be a Pisay scholar does not necessarily mean to be the best at science or to be the most obedient of the school’s rules.

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A STUDY IN EVOLUTION

While watching the movie, One thing I found myself doing from beginning to end was listing down all the places I could recognize. From the first floor of the SHB to the AVR at the ASTB, I cannot help but be mesmerized. There is that strange realization I feel when I see that the characters of the film are sitting in places where I have sat and walking in places where I have walked.

And yet there are many locations in the film which are no longer part of Pisay’s campus. Whether because of renovation, disaster, or complete reconstruction, these parts of Pisay’s history are now only reserved for the past, preserved in the film and in the memories of those that came before.

It dawned on me then how there are probably places I hang out in or pass through that future batches may not even get to experience. Places where I have my fondest memories may be replaced or destroyed. Places which I go to everyday may just be forgotten except by the alumni that got to go there.

The places shown in each scene aren’t the only things that strike me as having stayed the same up until today. The class divide between students, from well-off to getting-by, is still very much present here in Pisay. The plays, projects, and presentations seen in each subject still continue to today. The student publications and their articles on the state of the nation are still written and released for the student body to consume.

From young love to heartbreaks, from triumphs to failures, and from hostilities to friendships, the characters in Pisay (2007) grow from naive juniors to experienced seniors while still keeping those fundamental pieces of their character. It is a journey I can personally relate to, a journey still ongoing.

I find myself resonating with the struggles shown in the movie. In my five years here in Pisay, I’ve had to deal with balancing my academic responsibilities with my relationships, whether platonic or romantic. I’ve also seen friends leave Pisay over the years, whether because of failing grades or personal reasons. I’ve even found myself losing my love for STEM, with my true passion lying in the humanities, though I would have to pay back Pisay if ever I chose a non-STEM course in college.

All these and more are hardships and situations experienced by the many characters shown in the film. These difficulties are often intrinsically built into the experience of Pisay, challenges each and every one of us has to face.

WHY PISAY? Behind these hardships, both mine and of the characters, is that very same question I asked myself at the start: What does it mean to be a part of Pisay?

GROWING PAINS

How do you balance your human needs and relationships with the pressure of a science highschool? How do you recover and deal with failure in such a prestigious place? What happens when your dreams go against what the school requires of you?

This feeling of change, of new and old, is a sentiment that permeates through the entire film.

The characters in the film evolve over the course of the movie’s runtime in the same way that Pisay has evolved over its 60 year life. This theme of change is highlighted even more by the film’s setting: the last four years of Marcos Sr.’s reign, a time of great change and upheaval in the nation.

Ironically, Pisay (2007) very sparingly delves into science and instead focuses on these questions the characters have to ask themselves again and again. Solito himself has decided to pursue a career in film rather than science despite being an alumni, and through this film he asks the viewer whether or not it is the science education that makes Pisay what it is.

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Kanakan-Balintagos, formerly known as Auraeus Solito, loves to share. It’s evident from the second Quenso and I hopped on to Google Meet to interview him synchronously, a request posted by him since he reasoned it would be faster than just writing his answers down through email.

I asked him what the assortment of “things” behind him are—turns out, they make up a handsome collection of his various film awards, all of which he points out by name: his Berlinale Teddy Award (for outstanding films on LGBT+ topics) for The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros, his Dekada Award from Gawad Urian, his Best Director at the Cinema One Digital Film Festival for directing Esprit de Corps, and many more. He also quickly showed us around his Sampaloc home, telling us about its being used as a location for the Eraserheads’ Ang Huling El Bimbo music video, which he also directed. Finally, in our interview proper itself, he sometimes answered with detours to personal anecdotes about his career that he would suddenly remember or insights he preceded with “don’t quote this, but…” and ended with “did that make sense?”

The excitement Kanakan-Balintagos shows when talking about filmmaking is a plausible feeling that can be chalked up to the storytelling in his very blood. He comes from a line of indigenous shaman-kings from the Palaw’an tribe and often credits his mother with instilling in him a love of tale-weaving with her recounting of Palawanon epics and legends he reflects in his own works on screen (Busong and Baybayin, the first two parts of his trilogy on Palawan) and onstage (Paraan ng Paglipad, about the Calamian Tagbanua in northern Palawan). His indigenous identity is also present in his name, which was dreamt up by his shaman uncle, who “...saw me in the middle of a sandbar holding a camera that turned into a blowgun,” he said in a Philippine Daily Inquirer interview. He has come into his name: a Hunter of Truth, meant to reveal the issues of the world through his cinema.

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His firm place in local independent cinema has allowed him the freedom to explore ideas and direct scripts that have something to say.

Arguably his most acclaimed film, The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (the Philippine submission to International Feature Film at the 79th Oscars and first Filipino feature at Sundance), is about a gay boy’s coming-of-age in the Sampaloc slums amidst crime and corruption. Basal Banar, his little-seen documentary about rituals of the Palawanons, shows the intrusion of multinational corporations on indigenous soil. The Pisay movie itself, about the lives of high school students in Philippine Science High, displays art as a means of student protest, especially against Martial Law and the Marcos administration.

His other movies like Boy, Tuli, Esprit de Corps, Busong, Baybayin, and even his early shorts Impeng Negro and Suring and the Kuk-ok, all encompass similar themes—unapologetically indigenous stories, the LGBT+ experience, the pangs of adolescence, the corruption of governments and authority figures. He also incorporates lyricism and poetry into the often experimental imagery he crafts. In short, you always know when you’re watching a KanakanBalintagos film.

The best thing about him, though, is not the accolades or his international festival appearances or the fact that he has been lauded as one of the Take 100 or among the Future of Film, but that he has kept his warmth and grace through it all. After decades of acclaim, he has still kept his wide-eyed wonder for the world of cinema. His passion for stories has never wavered. He agreed to an interview from a bunch of students with no prior experience and entertained all our questions with openness and amiability. His willingness to share his insights shines in the following interview, the Q&A conducted during the Alab closing ceremony, and we hope, in future projects where he will continue to speak truth to power and become a creative channel for the story of the common Filipino.

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SINCE THEY ARE TWO PURSUITS OFTEN CONSIDERED TO BE EXTREMELY CONTRADICTORY, HOW HAVE YOU RECONCILED YOUR LOVE FOR SCIENCE AND THE ARTS IN YOUR FILMMAKING? I think the magic of science in Philippine Science is how I discovered my art. In Filipino class, we started staging Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

HOW DID YOU DISCOVER THE ART OF FILMMAKING AS AN ARTICULATE TOOL FOR A KEEN STORYTELLER? As an indigenous Palaw'an, we have traditional storytelling.

Like when I was a kid and I couldn't sleep, my mother told me stories about her people to put me to sleep. I guess that's why I became a filmmaker or a theater artist or a storyteller, because my mother told me the stories and I passed [down] the stories in whatever medium I could find. When I was in Pisay, most of my classmates were fascinated by my Palaw'an stories kasi nobody knows about them.

You know, we’re in an indigenous area in the southern tip of Palawan—my mother always said we come from the ends of the earth.

I also started out as a playwright before I became a director. In the writers’ workshop in the evening, we told each other ghost stories.

When I started telling them about the Kuk-ok shapeshifter who can transform into anything, except their fingers which will always be stuck together, everybody was like, “OMG, I’ve never heard of that before!”.

Then when I went home to my tribal land in South Palawan, I experienced the rituals of my people and other stories from my other relatives. Suddenly my mind changed, suddenly I could see the world in frames… and that’s what cinema is made of. I was seeing their stories in frames. Hindi na siya parang teatro—ang teatro kasi, it's alive and happening.

Nagtransform yung worldview ko, suddenly everything I saw was in frames. Luckily, pagbalik ko sa Manila, I was offered a scholarship sa Mowelfund Film Institute and I got first choice there, to make a long story short.

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Doon ko nadiscover yung directing talent ko; even my teachers were in awe. My classmates were like, “doon ka lang nagkaka-uno!”, when I staged a chapter from Noli and Fili.

When it was my turn in class to do a chapter from Rizal's novels, the teacher would call other teachers to watch my direction, so it was quite the spectacle. It was amazing kasi I had the best challenge: you know what they say, “Pisay kids are the most intelligent”, so I had an intelligent audience.

So yeah, that's how I found it.

Even when I was asked in Sundance after a screening of Maximo Oliveros, “how many days did you take to film?” “13 days.” “30 days?” “No, 13 days.” You know how I did it?

Cinacalculate ko yung space and time sa utak ko so I would direct scenes na ma-achieve ko in a day. I divided the screenplay into scenes. I would separate it into easy, medium, and difficult; I would do the easy ones first and difficult ones last. The medium parts are the shots that are one-shot lang which is very [much like] theater—ang ginawa ko ay nagpractice kami ng cast ko.

Actually, I did a workshop a few weeks ago and they asked, "do [you] rehearse?" I do rehearse, because I came from the theater.

Nagrerehearse kami ng actors ko kaya madalas ginagawa [ang scene] in one or two takes kasi prinapractice namin yung dialogue.

We discuss metaphorical characterization, and even animal metaphors. So yun, I combined different styles and made my own.

INTERVIEW

BESIDES THE VIRTUE OF TRUTH, WHAT ARE OTHER THINGS YOU ALWAYS INCORPORATE INTO YOUR MOVIES, AND HOW DO THESE COME TOGETHER TO MAKE A WORK OF ART THAT IS UNIQUELY YOU? I approach my art as a ritual. I trained with a shaman who said, “you have to wear this to ask for the sun, you have to wear this to ask for the rain.

You ask for the sun when you want to plant crops, then you ask for the rain when you've finished planting crops”.

Ironically enough, there was someone who mentioned that Maximo is like a ritual where a tribe is in a certain space. It's also like magic kasi my dream screenplay that I wrote in Amsterdam, it's about the magical Shaman Chief and the magic he passes to his children.

[In a way] parallel to Shakespeare’s King Lear, because in that story, he separated his kingdom among his children. In our mythical history, the Shaman King separated his magic among his children which was what caused the downfall of his people. I also had a talk before in Pisay where I talked about the existence of science in magic. For example, there's a spell where they take a cicadalike insect which stops the flight of cockatoos, which fly in flocks through fields and eat crops like palay. There's a screenplay actually about the cockatoos eating the crops so the Shaman King, who dreamt of this incident, figured out how the birds stop in their flight. The science behind it is, what if the navigation of birds is sound-based?

What if the sounds that the cicada-like insects make disrupt [the cockatoos’] senses and make them all fall down?

Nature gives you the solution, like how they did it in ancient times. In fact, recently, we’re rediscovering the wisdom of the indigenous people, right?

It's modern man's need to encroach on it: that's why we're losing all of it, our natural world.

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WHEN CHOOSING/WRITING A SCRIPT TO DIRECT, DO YOU ACTIVELY SEEK OUT STORIES WITH THESE THEMES OR DO YOU JUST "GO WITH THE FLOW" AS YOU ARE JUST NATURALLY DRAWN TO THESE TYPES OF STORIES? When I got to do Maximo Oliveros, I was in the Boracay co-production fund and I was pitching my dream film about the Shaman King and the origin of the universe. One of the panelists who later became a producer of Maximo said, "I watched your play in UP and your Ang Huling El Bimbo music video and they’re good. I submitted something to Cinemalaya, and if it gets in, you’ll direct it." And that film was Maximo. Sometimes it finds you e. When I did Maximo in the Netherlands, I got an email from a batchmate that said, "hi, I'm Ludy, I'm living now in the Netherlands and I want to watch your film." I said sure, I'll get five tickets for him.

I came from Sundance in the US, then I flew to the Netherlands. I landed right before the screening of my film, so I dropped my bag and I ran to the cinema and I don't even remember who my classmate was but she sounded familiar.

She ran down and we saw each other on the steps to the cinema, then she screamed to her family "I got the tickets!"

Anyway, after the screening of Maximo, they invited me to dinner. They were leftist exiles from Martial Law. They told me their story and I got inspired to do the Pisay movie at that moment. We then had a Yahoo group with my classmates.

Someone secretly emailed me that he was kicked out [of Pisay] and he told me the details about it. He described na dalawa sila, isa siya sa gitna [in the principal's office]. Nung dinescribe niya, nakikita ko yung shots for the scene [in the movie]. Again, as I said, the story found me.

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Then for my second film, Tuli, I was asked by Viva Films. Yung batchmate ko from an animation workshop, his script won in a Viva Films competition. When I arrived in the Philippines, I got a call asking if I wanted to do his film and sabi ko, “sige, basahin ko".

It was one of the first HD films.

I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time, as it was just the beginning of the digital age. I deduced that since a digital video is 30 FPS (frames per second) and film is 34 FPS, we should change the frame rate. Mga kalaban ko lahat gamit ng film—or celluloid—lahat sila, they thought my work was film kasi nakuha ko yung tamang frame rate and I also played with the texture.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE THE JOYS AND STRUGGLES OF BEING AN INDEPENDENT FILMMAKER, ESPECIALLY WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF OUR LOCAL FILM INDUSTRY? The difficult thing is, ano e, the speed of ideas is not directly proportional to the speed of financing. My 5th film [Busong] —I thought of it in 1995 but I only got to do it in 2011. I wanted to do it as my first film but it took time and technology because film was so expensive then. A lot of us were trying to be purists na film lang gusto naming gamitin. We then realized that film is dead, that it's the digital age na. After transitioning [to digital], I got to make Busong, and it was even well-received in Cannes. I think it’s among my best work.

The magic too, of works like Ang Huling El Bimbo and Maximo is the masses at the time, and up to now, who have seen them can relate to them.

Maybe because I grew up in Sampaloc [where they were set], I got the Filipino rhythm and spirit.

The joy [of indie film] is finding kindred spirits; you find friends who are filmmakers who love your work. And I guess, the applause as well. Because I came from the theater, so sanay ako na may applause para malaman kung maganda yung show or hindi. Nagulat ako na maachieve pala yun sa film.

Nakakagulat pag nagpapalakpakan yung mga tao. When it was shown sa UP, people were stomping their feet at may mga kakaibang reaksyon ang mga tao. In theater kasi, they say na, "you direct the audience". I was happy na sometimes people react the way you wish people would react. You know, I was surprised; I didn't even know Maximo was a comedy, I was just taking it seriously, going true to the script. People were laughing and then they were crying, it was a crazy time. I guess yeah, ganun nga, [indie film] has that masa spirit.

WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS THE “HIDDEN GEM” OF YOUR CAREER, SOMETHING IN YOUR BACK CATALOG THAT YOU WISH MORE PEOPLE WOULD SEE? One is Basal Banar, my fulllength documentary shot on 16 mm film, kasi naabutan ko pa yung film before we went digital. Basal Banar, or Sacred Ritual of Truth, is actually the last Filipino film that competed in Yamagata, a very prestigious documentary festival in Japan.

I remember I didn't win but I got close to it. I actually saw my favorite film of all time there by Takamine Gō [Untamagiru], who was part of the jury in the festival. He told me after the awarding ceremony, "I was rooting for your film, but their minds were closed". That's why we became close. We got so close that he invited me to Okinawa, and I even had a fellowship there for a few months. He's one of my mentors, actually.

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WHAT ARE OTHER INDIGENOUS FAVORITES OF YOURS — FILMS AND/OR FILMMAKERS THAT HAVE INSPIRED YOU TO TELL YOUR OWN INDIGENOUS STORIES?

Anyway, that’s my underrated work: Basal Banar. I have unfinished business regarding it. Basal Banar was a stage in my life where I was fighting for my ancestral domain. I was documenting the mapping of our ancestral domain, we had a GPS and we got an NGO to map it, we shot around it frame by frame and showed the map of my tribe's ancestral domain, because there are some islands that were stolen by [Eduardo] Cojuangco, Jr. during Martial Law, that still haven’t been given back up to now.

And like a ghost, suddenly, fineature two weeks ago ni Jessica Soho yung issue sa tribal land ko so the NGO’s asking me now, “ituloy natin”.

Because now, they're trying to get another island again [in southern Palawan]. So yun, it’s unfinished business.

NOW TURNING TO THE FUTURE, WHAT IS ON THE HORIZON FOR YOU AS A FILMMAKER? WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO NEXT? WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEXT? IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS GOING TO BE SUMBANG, THE FINAL PIECE OF THE PALAW'AN TRILOGY?

Right now, I'm developing a series for Sumbang, the final part of the Palaw'an Trilogy. It’s a screenplay that I developed in Amsterdam and which people found mesmerizing.

We're trying to extend it now into a stronger, longer series.

Hopefully by 2025, we will [enter] principal photography.

In January to February 2020, we also shot footage about the issues in my ancestral land because the chieftain, my uncle, just died. I went home and shot some footage, but I haven't edited it. I'm also editing a new documentary right now so parang everything is [coming together]. Now I'm just waiting for the universe to give me that magic again, be bewildered again by life.

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One of the first indigenous films I saw was Once Were Warriors by Lee Tamahori. I was blown away. It opened my mind kasi ang galing ng performances, even up to now.

Then, Atanarjuat by Zacharias Kunuk. I met him at the imagiNATIVE Festival in Canada. He won the Caméra d’Or with [Atarnajuat] sa Cannes Film Festival. Actually, in [that Letterboxd interview], I was caught between choosing Atanarjuat, Once Were Warriors, and Untamagiru for my favorite indigenous film.

For Filipino films naman: Kidlat Tahimik's work. My most favorite of his works are Perfumed Nightmare and Turumba.

Did you know that the boy acting [in Turumba] is a Pisay graduate? Pamangkin ni Kidlat ‘yan. Nagulat din ako na nauna pala tayo sa mga Iranian films in the style of films na may simpleng tao tapos may encroachment of [something foreign] then maaffect yung buhay nila and such.

FINALLY, SINCE THIS WILL BE READ BY MEMBERS OF THE PISAY STUDENT BODY, WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO ALL OF US, ESPECIALLY TO THOSE WHO ASPIRE TO BE FILMMAKERS LIKE YOU? I'll pass this on to you, the next generation. Sinabi sa’kin ‘to from one of my mentors, Rogelio Sikat, who [wrote] Impeng Negro (which I also did a short film on). What he said is to go back to your roots; it's what you have that nobody else has. ‘Wag kang mag-aral abroad, ‘wag sa Amerika.

That's what I did: I went back to my roots, I found myself, I found science in magic, the magic in science, I found the ritual of truth and the aesthetics of the heart in general.

KANAKAN BALINTAGOS BATCH 1986

LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? AKRON.

THE MOVIE YOU HAVE SEEN THE MOST NUMBER OF TIMES? RAN BY AKIRA KUROSAWA. THIS IS MY FAVORITE FILM [SINCE] I SAW IT IN THE 90S. IT’S LIKE KING LEAR IN A JAPANESE SAMURAI SETTING.

A MOVIE YOU WOULD ALWAYS RECOMMEND TO PEOPLE GETTING INTO FILIPINO CINEMA? TURUMBA AND NUNAL SA TUBIG.

WHAT'S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT AS A PISAY STUDENT? NUNG PANAHON NAMIN, NAUSO YUNG BAGETS FILM. I REMEMBER I EVEN WON BAGETS OF THE YEAR, BECAUSE OF WHAT I WAS WEARING. I USED MY ALLOWANCE TO BUY CLOTHES THAT NOBODY HAD EVER SEEN BEFORE. AUGUST 2024 SELYU MAGASIN 22

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Before being a critically acclaimed director, to us in Pisay, you are a notable alumnus of Batch 1969.

Could you paint a picture for us of your time as a member of the first batch of Pisay students? Were you passionate about science or did you already feel a pull to the arts by then?

Entering Pisay at zero-year, I was scared [expletive] to find out that all my classmates were valedictorians and salutatorians in their schools.

My first remembered inclination towards the arts was playing the piano—and begging to be given formal lessons—before I was of school age. As far as the sciences and myself, in my primary grades up to high school, I remember being passionately curious about astronomy and the magic of photography (art pa rin yan, I realize). I assiduously collected Popular Science and Popular Mechanics magazines.

Filmmakers have different approaches to their craft.

Some prioritize the actors, others pay attention to the technicals more. There are directors who want to convey a message, and there are those who only wish to entertain.

How would you describe the cinema of Lore Reyes?

What is it that you prioritize in your filmmaking that you think makes you unique?

I started out being extremely intimidated by big name stars.

My first directorial job had Dolphy and Gloria Romero and Richard Gomez and Janice de Belen in it. My coping mechanisms, I guess, initially drove me to hide behind the technicals. Which wasn’t half bad since early on I gained a mastery of tools I would end up using and fooling around with all my life. I was well into my third or fourth film before I got the confidence to routinely direct and give directorial notes to actors who were big and famous—and therefore in reality more powerful and having more clout than I had.

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close attention to my actors’ acting. Of course, there are a number of actors who are so naturally gifted and full of talent that they needed little tweaking. I never willfully stayed away from addressing political truths and problems in my writing and in my films. But I was seriously wary about aggressively pushing for an agenda. I am instantly turned off by films that proselytize instead of aiming to tell a meaningful story.

Full disclosure: I was an antiMarcos pro-democracy activist from the first day I stepped into UP Diliman the summer of my freshman year, and that’s where my heart still lies to date.

If the UK has Powell and Pressburger and the US has the Coen Brothers, the Philippines has Lore Reyes and Peque Gallaga.

In interviews, Gallaga is described as an “actors’ director”, while you are the “scientist” overseeing VFX and action, even if you do venture into each others’ creative territories often.

Is there a specific moment in your directorial career that you felt a sudden synergy with Direk Gallaga as a creative partner? Or was it a slow and steady process where you didn’t even notice how in sync you were?

Directing partnerships in teleseryes, like what I had with Dom Zapata in Mulawin, Sugo, and many other soaps, are a totally different animal than the partnership that Peque and I had. In television I never literally “directed” alongside a partner; i.e., in our case, Dominic and I would only be together in pre-production and writers’ meetings, and very rarely in editing (soap directors do not edit as a rule, apart from the pilot week). Directing partners in teleseryes routinely never get to see each other for months and months, because we work in separate locations with a different set of actors on any taping day.

The most significant difference when directing solo lies in the planning and prep work. When Peque and I shoot together, we have each other as sounding boards, ideas get instantaneous feedback, and this often results in exhilaration when we find ourselves in sync.

INTERVIEW This is what I sorely missed in the few solo films we made.

They’re not as welldocumented as your career in directing, but you have also written scripts, acted, been production manager on “Misteryo sa Tuwa” and “Scorpio Nights”, and have even contributed to lyrics to songs featured in “Magic Temple”, “Gangland”, etc.

Of your filmmaking contributions besides directing, which are you the proudest of? And how did all of these strengthen your overall artistic craft?

The most ego-boosting of all my non-directorial accomplishments, kidding aside, is my having written the lyrics of “Buto Kalansay” from Magic Temple. We would be out in the boondocks as sponsors to some stuntman’s wedding, and the moment the tambay kids recognize Peque, they start singing the whole song, sometimes with choreography. Moments like that are a pure delight. I am especially proud of the Tagalog dialogue in the scripts I have written and co-written. I have gotten positive feedback, most inspiringly from natives of the Tagalog provinces Rizal, Laguna, Batangas, Bulacan and such, praising my dialogue for being distinctly contemporary “Manila Tagalog”.

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Though much of your career has been defined by your creative partnership with Mr. Gallaga, you’ve also undergone solo directorial efforts in “Ate” and “Litsonero”, and have even been credited alongside other directors (especially Dominic Zapata) for teleseryes like “Marimar” and “Captain Barbell”.

What were the differences you experienced between all three circumstances (i.e. your regular partnership with Direk Gallaga, solo direction, direction alongside other collaborators), and what is your personal preference of the three?

Directing partnerships in TV teleseryes, like what I had with Dom Zapata in Mulawin, Sugo, and many other soaps, are a totally different animal than the partnership that Peque and I had. In television I never literally “directed” alongside a partner; i.e., in our case, Dominic and I would only be together in pre-production and writers’ meetings, and very rarely in editing (soap directors do not edit as a rule, apart from the pilot week). Directing partners in teleseryes routinely never get to see each other for months and months, because we work in separate locations with a different set of actors on any taping day.

point, how exactly has the Philippine film industry changed from then to now? What do you think has gotten better? What do you think has gotten worse?

Rapid technical advances have been a boon to the industry, undeniably. But that progress has made it “too easy” for millennials and Gen Zs to become a director, or a DOP, or whatever. What many current filmmakers miss experiencing is the crucible of apprenticeship, of being mentored, of going through the often painful practical failand-fail-again learning phases that those of my generation (and older) had to go through before attaining any level of accomplishment or success.

On the plus side, I think diversity of film subjects and storytelling styles in the work of young filmmakers have become immensely better.

Solo direction is not much different from directing in tandem in the execution, on the set. The most significant difference when directing solo lies in the planning and in doing prep work. When Peque and I do shooting homework together, we have each other as sounding boards, ideas get instantaneous feedback, and this often results in exhilaration when we find ourselves in sync. That is what I sorely missed in the few solo films I made.

Concerning cinema as a whole, one thing I feel that has gotten worse—and this is a global thing—is that we have lost the joy of seeing films as a community of humans.

Streaming on demand in the comfort of our homes has cost us the loss of the collective experience of enjoying a film in the company of a captive audience in the confines of a dark theater. What a glorious experience it is to be in the middle of a gathering like that, each and everyone mesmerized by a good film.

You are one of the directors of the Philippines who can safely say their work has spanned decades and genres, who has worked with several iconic actors and filmmakers, and has cemented a legacy in Pinoy cinema.

Speaking of your work spanning genres, you always seem to go back to the fantastical, with action adventures such as “Magic Temple”, horror films such as “Shake, Rattle, & Roll” and “Tiyanak”, and even superhero media like “Darna: Ang Pagbabalik” and the “Captain Barbell” show.

From your unique vantage

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Speaking of your work spanning genres, you always seem to go back to the fantastical, with action adventures such as “Magic Temple”, horror films such as “Shake, Rattle, & Roll” and “Tiyanak”, and even superhero media like “Darna: Ang Pagbabalik” and the “Captain Barbell” show.

What is it exactly about the fantasy genre that keeps you coming back for more? Do you choose projects that lean more into fantasy or do they always somehow fall into your lap?

Notwithstanding the scope and depth of Oro Plata Mata, the success of Peque’s Manananggal in the original Shake, Rattle & Roll sort of stereotyped him as a master of horror, and therefore a bankable bet for producers.

The subsequent success of our Shake films (movies 2, 3 and 4) in the immensely lucrative Metro Manila Film Festival cemented that notion.

We certainly did not mind being placed in the fantasy and horror box—it gave us leverage (and money LOL) to do more films—many of them outside the fantasy and horror genres.

Peque and I both had an intuitive fascination for Filipino mythology and folk beliefs. At the same time, we found so much delight in inventing creatures and dreadful or otherwise deeply human circumstances, and this is what spurred us on to consciously cultivate fantasy as our specialty genre.

What do you feel is the “hidden gem” of your career, something in your back catalog that you wish more people would see?

I wish they would restore Isang Araw Walang Diyos, whose original title is Wakwak. When we wrote it, we were planning to make it the second part of a trilogy along with Oro, Plata, Mata and the third is Hacienda Olympia, which I have written already and plan to submit to Palanca next year.

Maganda yung Wakwak—it’s so deep at tsaka may magpakatimeless siya, and it has a very patriotic message, but it doesn’t get the usual knee-jerk reaction from people on the [political] right, because CELLULOID.MC

ang bida namin ay isang sundalo. It has a lot of violence.

It’s about a cult in Mindanao; when we wrote it, there was a real cult which the military was using as mercenaries.

It was written during the time when the eldest son of Peque [Gallaga] had just graduated from Pisay, and [the son] kept it a secret from his parents [the Gallagas] that he had taken the PMA (Philippine Military Academy) exams. The first time that Peque learned that his son had been accepted was—nagpahatid siya sa driver and then the driver kinuwento kay Peque, “inihatid ko po sa physical exam niya”. Peque was a very nationalistic person, pero when he learned that his son was going to the PMA, he was really sad. At the time, people there became officers and died in Mindanao. When his son graduated, that’s when we started writing Wakwak, which Regal Entertainment retitled into Isang Araw Walang Diyos.

Now turning to the future, what is on the horizon for you as a filmmaker? What would you like to do next? What ARE you doing next?

I have nothing active that has me directing in the near future, but of course, I miss directing so much. The pitch deck of Batang X, which was passed on by an International Producer to one of those Europe/US streaming services.

—kung matutuloy yun, I’ll be directing the pilot season. But, pitch work in international streaming, oh my God, ang bagal. But you’d be surprised how big the budget—dito kasi, mga isang linggo sa teleserye, mga 4.5 million ginagastos namin e. Doon sa international [streaming], they’d give me 60 million per week. Kaya when I submitted the draft budget of Batang X, feedback kaagad ng International Producer: it’s too low. They sent me a list, “lagay nito, lagay ng health insurance ang lahat; yung DOP (director of photography) mo, lagyan mo ng backup; lagyan mo ng understudy yung kids, they can get sick anytime”...so, yun. I hope that it gets greenlit and I can direct it, pero pag na-2026 pa ‘yan...I hope I’m still alive by then.

Finally, since this will be read by members of the Pisay student body, what is your advice to all of us, especially to those who aspire to be filmmakers like you?

Unang-una, of course, try to get into all the available classes or seminars or workshops that are available to you. And whatever field you’re in—I always tell this to filmmakers— study acting. Even if you don’t plan to be an actor, study acting, because a basic understanding of acting is very important in whatever job [in the film crew] you have. Pero ang pinakamabigat na advice na binigay ko whenever I talk to students, if you ever want to be a relevant filmmaker, keep reading. Of course, it applies to any profession, but especially for filmmakers. It’s sad that a lot of [film students] —ang education nila, 50% galing sa pelikula. That’s not a real education; what a filmmaker needs is a complete basis sa Humanities, whether arts or philosophy. Magbasa ka lang. I mean it. Anything that interests you. A filmmaker should be reading when he is not doing anything. It frees your mind, it keeps you curious, you keep learning without going out of your way to study anything.

Tapos ewan ko kung empathy can be learned? Kasi, I find that a lot of the filmmakers I don’t admire or whose work I find kulang, when I meet them in person, they lack empathy.

Yung magagaling are the exact opposite; they have a lot of empathy, kaya naiintindihan nila yung problema ng mga tao. Their kindness comes out in the movies they release.

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LORE REYES

BATCH 1969

LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? THE REVENANT.

THE MOVIE YOU HAVE SEEN THE MOST NUMBER OF TIMES? AMONG MY FILMS, PUSO NG PASKO. FOR OTHER FILMS, ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA.

A MOVIE YOU WOULD ALWAYS RECOMMEND TO PEOPLE GETTING INTO FILIPINO CINEMA? PAGDATING SA DULO, MANILA BY NIGHT AND TINIMBANG KA NGUNIT KULANG.

WHAT'S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT AS A PISAY STUDENT? PAG PASOK SA ZERO-YEAR, NUNG NAREALIZE KO NA SECTION 1 AKO, DURING INTRODUCTIONS, PURO VALEDICTORIAN ANG CLASSMATES KO TSAKA [I WAS LIKE] “OH MY GOD, ANO BA ‘TONG PINASUKAN KO?” IT WAS REALLY SCARY. CELLULOID.MC

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AUGUST2024 2024SELYU SELYUMAGASIN MAGASIN30 00 AUGUST

At noon of April 28, 2007, the bustling Ever Gotesco Mall would witness five civilians (four men and a woman), supposedly part of the military, dragging a man by the name of Jonas Burgos out of a restaurant and into a van.

No one knew it would be the last day he would be seen alive.

This is the major story featured in Alipato at Muog, a 90-minute documentary film scrutinizing the Philippines’ history of enforced disappearances and the impending search for justice.

Directed by JL Burgos, Jonas’ younger brother, first-hand footage and several key people drive the film forward to relay a message eternally important: surface all desaparecidos and surface the truth, NOW. I didn’t know how harrowing this documentary would be. In fact, I only learned it existed until Thandie, Celluloid’s president, invited the club’s members to watch it as part of the recently-concluded 20th Cinemalaya Film Festival. And so a mere invitation sparked curiosity in me to search up its synopsis.

From there, I instantly picked up the heavy nature of the film.

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THE FIGHT CONTINUES

17 long years have passed since Jonas’ abduction. At the forefront stands his family, particularly his mother, Edita Burgos, his brother, JL Burgos, and his wife, Mary Ann. Friends and other people whom he’d helped all say that he was a kind and protective soul, providing aid in ways he knew best. After all, he consistently did his best in contributing to the welfare of farmers and indigenous people.

The film touches on these experiences to create a bigger picture behind a question seemingly unanswered until now: what reason would the military have to utilize inhumane means in ensuing Jonas’ disappearance? The answer seems obvious, but even then, those who hold power would go to greater lengths to paint an antithesis of the aspirations Filipinos like Jonas have for his fellow countrymen. Ironic, isn’t it?

Such actions have existed way back.

Activist censorship always meant putting out the burning fires of reform and change. This is why the notion of desaparecidos as well as other associated keywords including ‘freedom’ and ‘oppression’ feel very much alive in the Philippines.

DAMNING FACTS

But it does not end there. The mission for truth now carries on to the relatives who remain.

They remain steadfast in their hopes of facing and experiencing better times.

One thing that struck me was the huge chunk of information spilling throughout the film.

Several names—like Eduardo Año and Harry Baliaga, Jr.— were discussed as military officers in power during Burgos’ disappearance.

Screenshots of conversations and a then-recent image of the victim surfaced. Eyewitnesses and organizational heads provided reports to try and make sense of what went down and why there seemed to be no progress at all. All these were shown, and yet not a single suspect has been thrown into jail. What makes the situation worse is that most, if not all of the assailants were even promoted to higher ranks. They were and are given protection to this day by the very governing bodies who have sworn to protect the people.

There’s also a moment where my screening gave an extended round of applause when Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano shone in their respective scenes.

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Known as the student environmental activists who “supposedly surrendered” to the military, they were prominently featured on several news channels due to their revelations of a false narrative pushed by the military forces. It was a brief moment of triumph; how it went down confirms a cliche, albeit timely concept in our country: the truth will always prevail.

I felt both relieved and worried for them for what they did.

Their lives are at an even bigger risk but until now, they remain firm and continue the causes they have always fought for.

FLYING EMBERS AND A FORTRESS At the time of this writing, the MTRCB has given the film an X rating; according to them, the documentary is an attempt to “undermine the faith and confidence of the people in their government.”

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Lost Sabungeros, an investigative documentary surrounding more than 30 cockfighters’ sudden disappearances, faced cancellations due to certain “security concerns.” It was originally slated to premier last August 8.

I like to believe that despite everything, it is the filmmakers who are at an advantage. They may face dire challenges at the moment but in the greater scheme of things, there is something glorious waiting for them at the end of the battle.

By exposing the public to the cold truths of happenstances in the world, they are fueling the spark that seeks to shift the power dynamics in the country. By standing their ground do they carve a certain kind of message towards the vile perpetrators who think they are untouchable. By keeping aflame the pursuit for their loved ones, for their people, they are upholding justice for the people of the Philippines.

They will not and never will be silenced.

It has been more than 50 years since the first ever recorded case of desaparecidos and yet, it seems like society hasn’t changed one bit when dealing with anything concerning the betterment of human lives. But until anyone’s sure that there is indeed no chance of light winning against the dark, we must continue to fight. We must keep speaking up. We must continue building a solid fortress of truth and maintain a raging torch of hope.

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y n n a M o t n i c Ja 33 SELYU MAGASIN AUGUST 2024

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CREDITS

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Manny Jacinto is no longer just a rising star in Hollywood; he’s a movement.

With his magnetic charm and undeniable talent, Jacinto is reshaping the landscape of the entertainment industry, challenging long-standing stereotypes and redefining what it means to be an Asian actor in Hollywood.

FROM VANCOUVER TO THE SPOTLIGHT

Manny Jacinto’s path to Hollywood was anything but typical. Born in the Philippines and raised in Vancouver, Jacinto initially pursued a degree in civil engineering, a career path that quickly proved unfulfilling.

"I wasn’t passionate about it," Jacinto recalled. Driven by a desire for something more, he turned to acting—a decision that would transform his life.

Jacinto’s early roles in shows like Supernatural and The 100 were small but significant, showcasing his potential. The true turning point came with his casting as Jason Mendoza in NBC’s The Good Place. As a lovable yet dim-witted DJ, Jason could have been a mere caricature, but Jacinto infused the character with depth and warmth, making him one of the show’s most beloved figures.

CHALLENGING STEREOTYPES Jacinto’s portrayal of Jason Mendoza was more than just a career milestone; it was a cultural shift. or too long, Asian men in Hollywood had been confined to stereotypes.

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Often depicted as asexual, nerdy, or undesirable. Jacinto’s Jason, however, was a refreshing departure from these tropes. He was goofy, yes, but also charming, fun, and fully realized. In an industry that had long sidelined Asian men, Jacinto’s portrayal was groundbreaking.

“Jason was a character we hadn’t really seen before,” notes Nancy Wang Yuen, a sociologist who specializes in race and media. “He had his own story, his own desires.

That’s incredibly important for representation.”

Jacinto’s success in The Good Place not only showcased his versatility but also challenged the consensus around Asian masculinity in mainstream media, proving that Asian actors could be central to the story’s narrative.

BREAKING INTO STAR WARS

Manny Jacinto’s recent role in The Acolyte, a series set in the Star Wars universe, marks another significant milestone in his career. Beyond all the TikTok thirst traps, his involvement in such a major franchise sends a powerful message. Historically, Star Wars has been dominated by white leads, so Jacinto’s inclusion signals a meaningful shift toward greater diversity in one of Hollywood’s most iconic franchises.

“Manny Jacinto’s role in The Acolyte is huge,” says Keith Chow, founder of The Nerds of Color. “It’s about time Asian actors are seen as central figures in major franchises, not just in supporting roles.”

Jacinto’s casting in The Acolyte further challenges outdated stereotypes, demonstrating that Asian men can be complex, dynamic characters who drive the narrative forward — and are equally capable of being portrayed as both attractive and desirable.

SETTING A NEW STANDARD

Manny Jacinto’s career is more than just a series of personal achievements, his roles have redefined how Asian men are portrayed in the media.

Jacinto’s success is not only a win for him but also a significant step forward for all Asian actors who have been historically overlooked in the industry.

As Hollywood evolves, Jacinto’s career stands as a blueprint for what meaningful representation can look like.

He’s not just changing the industry— he’s helping to create a new one, where every actor, regardless of background, has the opportunity to shine. His rise is a reminder that the stories we tell — and the people we choose to tell them — shape the world that we live in.

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NEW RELEASES

NEW RELEASES AND CURRENT PICKS OF FILMS AND SERIES HOW TO MAKE MILLIONS BEFORE GRANDMA DIES P[]

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE

LONGLEGS

PULANG ARAW

MAXXXINE DESPICABLE ME 4 INSIDE OUT 2 ALIEN: ROMULUS HOUSE OF THE DRAGON S2 TRAP THE BOYS S4 UMBRELLA ACADEMY S4 37 SELYU MAGASIN AUGUST 2024

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NEW RELEASES

LONGLEGS 101 MINS | DIRECTOR Osgood Perkins | GENRE horror, crime, thriller REVIEW BY MIKHAIL BAUTISTA

With the mystery set by its outstanding advertising, you join Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) as she tries to uncover the identity of the birthday murders killer, Longlegs (Nicolas Cage). It's wonderfully atmospheric, with beautiful cinematography and a great score to partner. The entire film is absolutely crazy; it’s always keeping you reeled in, and as someone who went in blind, I wasn't able to predict absolutely anything. The ending leaves you puzzled, wondering whether Lee was truly successful in her mission. I'd say that it's not just one of the best horror movies of 2024 but of this entire decade.

ALIEN: ROMULUS 119 MINS | DIRECTOR Fede Álvarez GENRE sci-fi, horror

REVIEW BY THANDIE Aliño

Though bogged down by its need to make egregious callbacks—whether through visuals, dialogue, or a baffling cameo—to previous Alien movies, Romulus, when allowed to become its own thing, is some of the most thrilling cinema you’ll see this year. A group of young space colonizers band together to seize their own destiny and make their way across the cosmos to a new home…but first, they must scavenge the remains of a ship owned by the company who’s exploited them all their lives. There, they’ll happen upon horrors like they’ve never seen before. Director Fede Álvarez moves the camera through the interior of the ship smoothly, steadily, and almost like a video game, especially in the film’s most hair-raising sequences. The sound design is scarily evocative, chilling in the film’s quieter moments, and exciting during scenes like those in the crazy third act. Finally, although the lead Cailee Spaeny (who is having an amazing year) and the supporting Isabela Merced are highlights, no one shines brighter than David Jonsson, who effortlessly embodies the body and facial language of a synthetic android, switching between naive and heartless like clockwork.

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NEW RELEASES

INSIDE OUT 2 94 MINS | DIRECTOR Kelsey Mann | GENRE Animation, Family, Comedy Review by Steph Nebres

Inside Out 2 is a great sequel to the first movie. The introduction of new characters made for a great plot and Anxiety's effect on Riley was very fleshed-out and trueto-life. It had a similarity with the previous film, as they once again journey through Riley's mind to get back to headquarters. The concept of

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CURRENT PICKS

AUTUMN SONATA 1979 / 94 mins

director Ingman Bergman genre drama Review by Thandie Aliño

This is the peak of the chamber piece drama, the simmering tension between neglectful mother and resentful daughter bubbling up until they can’t hold it in anymore, and their gripes with each other explode in a tearful geyser of regrets and ruin. “Autumn Sonata” is Ingmar Bergman’s late-career opus, encased in warm fall colors that evoke its title and a somber atmosphere that permeates throughout the whole film. If you love the tragic erosion of a family or can’t get enough of plumbing the mother-daughter dynamic in film, then this movie is for you.

This movie is beautifully scathing, tragically honest, and just a step over extremely painful. The best way to come out of this movie is with nary a dry eye.

The Red Shoes 1948 / 113 mins

director Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell genre drama, Romance Review by Thandie Aliño self was also introduced, a complex web made of Riley's beliefs that make her who she is. It's a good addition, as when one gets older, they do develop as a person and the plot point is a great way to introduce the concept to kids on the big screen. In terms of the animation and voices, everyone did a great job; the voice actors were spectacular and the animators really put their all for the movie. Overall, it was a wonderful film that was just as emotional as the first.

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Martin Scorsese has this to say about The Red Shoes, “it’s cinema as music…the way the film’s edited, the movement within the frame and the movement of the frame, the dialogue, the milieu.” And he’s right. Almost every film nowadays is full of color, but they do not worship the medium, not quite like how this movie does with its Technicolor visual banquet of vivid textures and hues that embrace and swarm the eyes like an explosion of beauty. Its haunting story is a timeless one; a young ballerina is caught in a poetic love triangle, one between her love for a man and her love for dance. Her conflicting desires crash and burn into each other, culminating in an indelible finale that will imprint itself in your mind and leave you wondering how far you’ll go to achieve perfection in your passions.

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TRAP 105 MINS | DIRECTOR M. Night Shyamalaman GENRE horror, mystery

REVIEW BY THANDIE Aliño

With this and “Knock at the Cabin” (even “Old” has its merits), the 2020s are shaping up to be M. Night Shyamalan’s most exciting decade since the 90s. The idiosyncrasies of his films—his uncanny dialogue and zigzagging narrative—that were once the sources of ire from critics, are now masterfully wielded to craft offbeat worlds that mirror our own, but also aren’t quite like it. Josh Hartnett is singular as a killer seemingly at an impasse: every entrance to the concert he took his daughter to is lined with armed officers looking for him. Beyond being a hair-raising thriller chock-full of twist-and-turns, Trap is an exaggerated display of the difficulties in maintaining a work-life balance, of juggling two faces—one fit for the all-American suburbanite family, and one catering to your dark inner desires. If you’re watching Trap, buckle up; you’re in for the ride of your life.

MAXXXINE 104 MINS | DIRECTOR Ti West | GENRE horror, crime, mystery REVIEW BY MIKHAIL BAUTISTA

MaXXXine follows Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) as she pursues her dream to become the star she knows she is in 1985-era Hollywood until a serial killer and her past come back to haunt her.

While it is beautiful with great contemporary costumes and a stellar performance by Goth, it just feels quite messy. The death scenes range from great to just nonexistent, and some of the acting feels half-done, with an accent from Halsey that was different in every scene.

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The 1980s setting, while not unique for the genre, isn’t just a backdrop, but is integral to the plot, showing the real-life satanic panic during that time and featuring the Night Stalker. Overall, I’d still have to recommend this if you are a fan of “X” or “Pearl,” as while it is the weakest in the trilogy, it handles Maxine’s character with great care and has a fun first two acts that I liked.

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despicable me 4 94 MINS | DIRECTOR Chris Renaud | GENRE comedy, family REVIEW BY MICHAEL ESCOBIDO

Despicable Me 4 feels like the most stereotypical children's corporate slop that could be released by a big company: the movie juggles with several different plot points and subplots throughout the first two-thirds, leading to a smorgasbord of half-baked ideas with barely ANY development whatsoever. This feels like the writing room's first-ever foray into set-up and pay-off, with characters being introduced, forgotten about, and brought back again for the "final showdown." They also somehow introduced the first-ever antagonist that does NOTHING evil for almost the entirety of the movie! For the first two-thirds of the film, he meanders around, attempting to look for Gru while having NO sort of methodology in sleuthing; he simply travels blindly across the country, praying to whatever deity that he just lucks upon his nemesis. The only reason why my opinion of this movie isn’t lower is because at least the animation was actually appealing and Pharrell made a damn good song for it.

BADHAAI DO 2022 / 147 mins

director Harshavardhan Kulkarni genre drama, comedy Review by Thandie Aliño

One glance of the premise and already, it intrigues: a gay cop and a lesbian teacher enter a marriage of convenience to get their family off their backs. This Bollywood film may seem to exist partly as an education for straight people on the plights of LGBTQ+ people, but for the most of its existence as a full-fledged film, it is the perfect SUBSCRIBE @ BIT.LY/SELYUMAGASIN

dramedy. It leaves you feeling every single emotion during its runtime, developing the characters and their burgeoning friendship enough to keep you invested in them, as we follow their moments spanning both laughter and tears. It also addresses almost every queer issue under the sun: intersectional solidarity, ostracization by family and society, gay marriage and adoption, and even the sexism that can occur between members of the queer community.

Sometimes corny, always heartwarming and well-meaning— Badhaai Do is a great gateway into the increasing diversity in modern Indian cinema.

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DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE 127 MINS | DIRECTOR Shawn Levy GENRE action, comedy, and sci-fi

REVIEW BY Art Delos Santos

Deadpool & Wolverine was one of my most awaited movies of the year, and safe to say, it did not disappoint. It was a hilarious and action-packed ride, combining the irreverent humor of Ryan Reynolds' wisecracking Deadpool and the gruff charm of Hugh Jackman's iconic Wolverine in marvelous ways. The story will surprise you with moments of genuine heart, making you care about these characters even as they're slicing and dicing their way through. Reynold and Jackman's chemistry also makes them such an unexpected legendary pairing. While the film leans heavily on fan service, it does so with such selfawareness that it becomes part of the fun. The film is a wild, entertaining ride that not only satisfies longtime fans but also sets the stage for exciting future developments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It’s a movie that doesn’t just entertain—it leaves you grinning long after the credits roll. Overall, this is a must-see for fans, blending humor, action, and nostalgia in a satisfying addition to the MCU.

HOUSE M.D. 8 seasons

creator David Shore genre Medical, Comedy, Mystery, Thriller Review by Leif Diaz

House M.D. is a medical show, but it offers more than just medical storylines. The show revolves around a flawed yet brilliant diagnostician, Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) who works at the only hospital that puts up with his eccentricities because of his sharp

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personality, Dr. House often finds himself in disagreements with his colleagues while trying to solve intricate medical mysteries. With its unique approach and script so carefully tailored to the characters and their complexities throughout, the show redefines the medical genre. The tension that builds with every episode until the final diagnosis is something “House M.D.” consistently does well, which is what has kept the show so captivating over the years.

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HOW TO MAKE MILLIONS BEFORE GRANDMA DIES 127 MINS | DIRECTOR Pat Boonnitipat | GENRE drama, family Review by Sofia Regaya

How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies is a simple family drama that highlights both the meaningful and inconsequential moments in our lives. Death is presented from both perspectives: those who grieve and those who yearn to be grieved. Through a beautifully woven narrative, the film thoughtfully explores themes of language and culture within family while also lightly touching on feminism and gender dynamics. A sense of nostalgia and sentiment is drawn out of the audience as the film revisits scenes that echo memories many will find familiar from their own childhoods. For some, it evokes a longing for a time that has since fleetingly passed, along with the people who have gone with it. For others, the film acts as a poignant reminder to cherish the present with their loved ones and recognize that the most valuable gift we can ever offer them is our time.

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY 4 seasons | DIRECTOR Steve Blackman GENRE Fantasy, Adventure

Review by Nico Tan

The Umbrella Academy lost its charm in its final season.

Its life was taken away by awkward pacing and, most of all, awful mischaracterizations. It seemed that the writers forgot who the characters really were, especially with Five Hargreeves. It's out of character for an implied asexual man who always puts his family first, to be romantically paired with Lila, his brother's wife, whose actress Ritu Arya met Aidan Gallagher (Five) when he was a child. Additionally, the gloomy color grading and general dramatic atmosphere made all the jokes fall flat.

It also lacked the exciting needle drops that the series is iconic for. When fun songs were played, they would often be played at the wrong time; when action scenes arose, the upbeat music was missing. Unfortunately, this is not my “Umbrella Academy.”

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THE BOYS 4 seasons | DIRECTOR Eric Kripke GENRE action, comedy

Review by Steph Nebres

This season of The Boys thrusts the viewers into a new landscape with higher stakes, as it is the penultimate outing as it is the penultimate outing setting everything up for the end. The flow of this season is different from others as this sometimes has moments where things seem slow, but with the explosive ending leaving you impatient and hungry for more. It still retains its top-notch comedic value, and even excited fans with the awaited coupling of two fan favorites.

Redemption, loss, and identity are tackled in the various backstories and journeys undertaken, immersing the audience in the story with the help of some skillful performances, particularly a surprising double act by Erin Moriarty and a heart-twisting turn by Anthony Starr. It had a bumpy start, but redeemed itself in the last episode, showing us why we should see it through to the end.

PULANG ARAW 1 season | DIRECTOR Suzette Doctolero | GENRE drama, history, war Review by Tea Juan

In a world where stories about the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines are sparse, “Pulang Araw” offers an in-depth portrayal of the Filipino struggle to come to terms and reclaim our identities, break free from the shadow of the United States, and develop a sense of patriotism. As you watch its first few episodes, the series paints a picture of siblings thrust into adulthood by dire circumstances,

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losing a comrade in war and pursuing one's dreams in vaudeville. As much as it deals with heavy themes, the series doesn't forget to include the spice of the Filipino sense of humor.

Beyond feeding your minds and hearts, Pulang Araw is a feast for your eyes, with its enchanting cinematography that frequently echoes the Philippine flag and the elegant costumes that take us back to the early 1930s.

CELLULOID.MC

House of the Dragon 127 MINS | DIRECTOR Ryan Condal, George R. R. Martin | GENRE action, comedy, and sci-fi

Review by Jun Salutan

For a show that had everything it needed to be great, House of the Dragon Season 2 fell frustratingly short. This season’s focus on character arcs is its own undoing, as the writers couldn’t properly execute the character-building and political tension the same way earlier seasons of Game of Thrones had; instead, the world feels at rest even at the crux of a major civil war that promises to bring ruin to the realm. The choice to sacrifice screen time for battles in favor of more dialogue would’ve been excellent if the writing was stronger. That aspect of the show is mostly saved by the talented cast, who gave incredible performances for their respective roles. It didn’t help that the writers seemed to not care about the characterization from both the book and the previous season itself, which made so many character decisions make no sense by the end of it.

Hopefully, with my expectations tempered, Season 3 will be much better.

MODERN FAMILY 11 seasons

Superstore 6 seasons

Review by Kov Apura and Nico Hechanova

Review by Thandie Aliño

creator Christopher Lloyd, Steven Levitan genre mockumentary, sitcom There is an indelible 'something' in the way this series depicts the 21st-century family unit, in all its quirks and moles. Despite being in completely different shoes, and having completely different crosses to carry, there seems to be this invisible string tying these people together - rendering them inseparable despite being completely different. But there's really nothing much to it.

That's just what family is. It's the force that pulls us to different colors of people, and it's the force that this show ever-so-subtly, but heartwarmingly expresses in all its 11 seasons.

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creator Justin Spitzer genre satire, sitcom There are workplace sitcoms and then there is Superstore. Set in a Missouri branch of a fictional big-box chain store called Cloud 9, this zany yet true-to-life sitcom is in a league of its own, trumping all others like it with its radical consistency. It’s consistently funny, a laugh-perminute affair packed with wry humor, hilarious cutaway gags, and insane hijinks akin to that of an old Sunday cartoon. It’s consistent in characterization; none of its characters undergo an unbelievable personality shift, but ease into the gradual development of their arcs as the show progresses. Lastly, it’s consistent in its social awareness; it tackles the hardships of working under a megacorporation and is surprisingly sound in its depiction of failed unionization and denied maternity leave, all without sacrificing the potentness of its comedy. If you’re looking for a sitcom that’ll lift your spirits but won’t sugarcoat the trials of life, then you can’t get any better than this.

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