Art and Culture
2016: Good Year for Philippine Cinema
Not only did 2016 was the year the Indie film genre breaks the local mainstream market by being enlisted as entries for the MMFF, it was also a year where various films from the genre earned international acclaim and recognition.
A few Filipino films made British Film Institute’s Sight and Sound Magazine’s “Best Movies of 2016”.
The list sought the consultation of 163 critics and curators from all over the world.
Three of Lav Diaz’s films made it on the list. “Ang Babaeng Humayo” (The Woman Who Left) peaked at no.31. The film was a Golden Lion Winner in the Venice Film Fest and garnered five votes from the panel. While “Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis” (A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery) and “Ang Araw Bago ang Wakas” (The Day Before the End) were also chosen by respondents.
Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis was a Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize in Berlinale 2016 while Ang Araw Bago ang Wakas won top prizes in Germany and Croatia respectively.
Two panelists on the other hand went for Brilliante Mendoza’s “Ma.Rosa”
Canadian curator and critic James Quandt listed the film in his Top.5 while French critic Jean-Michel Frodon added it in his extended Top 15 list.
