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Nearly 3 decades-old FACINE is the longest-running FilAm film festival
By Joel David This year’s edition of the annual film festival of the Filipino Arts & Cinema International, or FACINE, promises a rewarding three-day treat for film connoisseurs from all over the world. And this time around, no one has to travel all the way to the admittedly pricey city of San Francisco in order […]
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FAHM opens in Queens with a block party
The Filipino community of Woodside, Queens gathered for a Little Manila Block Party on October 2 to mark the beginning of Filipino American History Month. The event took place at the corner of 70th Street and Roosevelt Avenue, where community organizers, leaders and artists held a community fair, a talent showcase, and community workshops and […]
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FYLPRO celebrates FAHM with film screening, comedy show
In celebration of Filipino American History Month, the Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO) in Chicago is launching Filipino Arts Festival featuring a filmmakers panel, U.S. screening of “Akin Ang Korona” and comedy show with Rex Navarrete and JR de Guzman on October 9, 2021. “We are extremely excited to celebrate Filipino-American History Month in Chicago […]
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Macho dancing goes virtual in Joel Lamangan’s ‘Lockdown’
By Joel David A recent Philippine film release will be easy to overlook because it appears exploitative and merely topical – starting with its title, Lockdown. It recently ended its extended streaming run but it has been slated for inclusion in this year’s FACINE International Film Festival in San Francisco (also with a streaming option). […]
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Like the ‘bamboo amid a storm,’ the return of People’s Ball
The People’s Ball, a festive gathering of Filipino Americans in the New York area, returned on August 22 paying tribute to health care professionals as well as economic frontline workers — FilAms and non-Filipinos alike — calling them the community’s Pandemic Vanguards. This is the first time People’s Ball, a companion event to the annual […]
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‘Shang-Chi’ film: A beautiful, poetic story
By Wendell Gaa “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is a dazzling triumph of the highest order. As MCU’s first Asian-led feature, this is a movie which happily exceeded my expectations and is truly the superhero genre’s homage to the best of Asian and martial […]
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Figuring out the ‘safest’ way to film during the pandemic
Up-and-coming New York filmmaker Michael Manese gears up to shoot his fourth film tentatively titled “Asian PersuAsian” amid a coronavirus pandemic that has halted production and possibly the film’s release. Manese’s project has an All-Filipino/ FilAm cast, all based in New York and New Jersey. The film is made possible by a grant from the Inwood Art […]
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In ‘Nerisa,’ Viva brings back Regal’s low-budget blockbuster formula
By Joel David Among the Philippines’s media-streaming participants, Viva Films has resumed its early role as determined new player, the same way it set out to challenge the then-nearly monolithic Regal Films when it first emerged during the 1980s. This time, however, it also seems to be partaking of the innovations that Regal once became […]
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Eric Celerio: When your father is a Master
By Cristina DC Pastor When you’re the son of a brilliant music composer who is also a National Artist in the homeland, one cannot hide in anonymity for so long. At least not in New York City. Somehow, Eric Celerio managed to do so for many years since he came to the U.S. in 1975. […]