This year’s Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival is a mix of the traditional and modern filmmaking.

Based on trailers, teasers, press releases and interviews with the filmmakers and actors, each of the ten finalists in the fifth edition of the festival, has shown relatively innovative and modernist efforts while maintaining conventional and off-the-cuff presentation.

Launched Thursday afternoon at the lobby of the Main Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Cinemalaya Cinco, offers a myriad of impressions especially from the independent filmmakers which the festival might have been aptly attributed to.

“24K” is director Ana Agabin’s foray into the infamous fortune hunting in the country which features Julio Diaz as the middle-class treasure hunter. It is a daring film which Diaz sees as a catalyst to the doldrums of the local film industry.

“Kung ganito ang ginagawang mga pelikula sa Pilipinas, makakaahon ang industrita natin,” says Julio, who came late to the launch.

Political killings

The late nationalist politician Jose W. Diokno’s grand grandson, Pepe Diokno, embarks on a new devise to present his story of political killings in the country in his first feature film, “Engkwentro,” and he says he initially finds the technique experimental and challenging as well.

“I already shot most parts of the film like a stage play. I just let the actors play their parts in a whole stretch of thirty minutes without interruption. We just told them the blocking and bahala na sila,” says the 21-year-old Pepe, the youngest finalist in the contest. 

He finds senior filmmaker Celso Ad. Castillo very convincing as the town mayor who orders the mayhem. “No’ng una, natatakot ako kay Celso, pero as we went along, kampante na ako.” He adds that he was even the one who personally picked Castillo to play the villain. “Because he looks frightening,” Diokno chuckles.

A second timer to Cinemalaya as director, Mike Sandejas uses deaf actors in his enrty “Dinig Sana Kita” led by Romalito Mallari who has played several stage productions as actor and/or dancer and members of Dulaang Tahimik ng Pilipinas and DLSU-CSB Silent Steps Deaf dance group.  

Irma in two entries

Good actors should be given enough room to free artistic expression, and one of them is Irma Adlawan who stars in two 5th Cinemalaya entries. The results are two separate, distinct performances.

Adlawan plays wife to an abusive husband and a paramour to a former suitor in director Alvin Yapan’s “Ang Paggagahasa kay Fe”.  She also plays mother to an abused daughter in Jerrald Tarog’s “Mangatyanan.”

Both roles required from Irma a battery of emotions and thoughts to infuse believable characters into them, and she makes the two films more interesting, exciting and multi-dimensional.   

According to Mercedes Cabral, who makes a cameo participation in “Ang Panggagahasa…”, “Adlawan is a terrific actress. She is one of my idols. Marami akong natutunan sa kanya lalo na pag umaarte siya, and she’s very supportive of new actors like us. Hindi siya madamot mag-share ng kanyang artistic wisdom.”

A first for Trillo

Director GB Sampedro finally convinced matinee idol Dennis Trillo to do digital films unlike four or five years ago when the actor easily dismissed offers of independent filmmakers. Trillo appears in “Astig (Mga Batang Kalye)," an episodic tale of four young men whose stories parallel and contrast with the landmarks and various images of Manila.

Finalist Jon Steffan Ballesteros’ “Colorum” may be the usual follow through of two protagonists’ road trip across the historic Philippine east coast, but the film promises unconventional discoveries of realities in the moral fiber of the country.

Star Cinema’s Directors’ Training Program staff and full-length feature directress Veronica Velasco is humorous and at the same satiric of the judicial buffoonery in her solo outing as director in “Last Supper No. 3."

Meanwhile, Vic Acedillo, Jr.’s “Nerseri” is a filmmaker’s dream of a theater-of-the-absurd-type of film, while “Sanglaan,” by commercial photographer Milo Sogueco, is a cerebral drama with a twist.

Laurice Guillen, one of the prime movers of Cinemalaya, expresses her hope and vision about the continuing efforts of the filmmakers, especially the young, to enliven the so-called death of Philippine cinema through these gems of film. “I will never tire helping the young filmmakers realize their dreams,” exclaims Guillen.

Cinemalaya Cinco starts screening on July 17 at the various venues of CCP.