Team E.M.C.: The Gathering

After a few months of having almost no contact with my fellow Team EMC members, we finally got together at Chito's house to celebrate the freedom of one of our members who was incarcerated for two years without any charges filed against him, he simply was fighting what he thought was right.

It was good to see familiar faces. Hugs and handshakes, food and beer were plentiful. We exchanged life stories, kept ourselves updated with the latest on-goings in our lives while, as Karlon used to put it, "breaking bread". We reminisced all the things we went through, from the trainings to the events to the infamous operation we had in Ayala Business Park in Cebu. We were also introduced to people who were with our friend during his incarceration. An interesting bunch, if I must say so.

Team EMC, after all the trainings, airsoft games and clandesting operations, issues and arguments, is still founded on friendship. A refuge when everything and everyone seemed to have abandoned you.

As for our friend, he still has to go back to Manila to fulfill his duty as part of an investigating panel. Not bad for someone who was put away and relieved of his duties.

My 10 Things

Here is a list of 10 things I'd like to do before I pass on:

1. Go to Japan
2. Learn and master the drums
3. Direct a full length feature film
4. Lose 20 pounds
5. Visit vigan
6. Travel outside the country with my family
7. Watch a the cure concert
8. Make sure wife and kids have a good future
9. Find and talk to Dylan
10. Visit Rome

of course, this is in no particular order. This will change from time to time as I achieve some of them.

What are your 10 things? Let me know.

Duda / Doubt Screening, A Benchmark.

The screening of Duda / Doubt by Cris Pablo will serve as a benchmark in the readiness of Cebuanos to watch gay / lesbian films. Cebu is probably one of the most conservative provinces when it comes to gay / lesbian matters, I guess this is influenced by the catholic church and it's strong resistance in accepting the reality of gay relationships. While the population of gays and lesbians are apparent, it is still considered taboo and some times mocked by society. This could also be the reason why there are no gay / lesbian organizations here.

The organization of this screening did not come without any hitches, however, this should not stop us showing a film worth watching.

If you're in Cebu today, come drop by at handuraw cafe tickets to the screening are P75.00 pesos only and you get a free slice of pizza or beer. We might also pass some popcorn around just for fun.

Kada-Uwan (Everytime It Rains)

Kada-Uwan (Everytime It Rains) is the latest (and hopefully will be the last this year) short film production of SineBuano. The script written by Denis Judilla is almost finished, save a few footages for the last scene. I directed with Jurly Maloloy-on as DP.

It is a story of three friends realizing the power of imagination and how people have somehow forgotten how fun it could be to use it.

It was an intresting shoot, it was a test of how much I have learned so far and where I stand as a Director. While most of the time I would prefer having a monitor to see how the shot would look like, the scenes in the room just made it impossible for us to put one in and we didn't have jacks long enough to feed it outside. I had to trust my DP which is really an easy thing to do but the photographer in me wants to see what's happening. It also made me realize the technical equipment that we need and what we are able to accomplish as a filmmaking group.

Film is indeed a collaborative art.