DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 11 July) – The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) will stage the three-day 24th French Film Festival at the Cinematheque Centre Davao where the Dabawenyos can watch eight award-winning French films for free from July 17 to 20.
La Belle Et La Meute (Beauty and the Dogs), among the films to be shown during the 24th French Film Festival at Cinematecque Centre in Davao City. Photo courtesy of the film’s Facebook page
Christine Grace D. Ruta, lead operations officer at the Cinematheque Davao, said during “Wednesdays’ at Habit at Kape” that the FDCP has partnered with the Embassy of France to the Philippines and Micronesia to bring the festival here that will feature films that “have never been seen before in the Philippines” at the 119-seater Cinematheque.
Ruta encouraged the Dabawenyos to watch the films that the FDCP and the French embassy have prepared for the Dabawenyos. Two films will be screened daily from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. within the festival period, starting with La Belle Et La Meute and Corniche Kennedy on July 17, Les Heritiers and Baden Baden on July 18, Elle S’en Va and Paris La Blanche on July 19, and Otez-Moi D’un Doute and Kiss and Cry on July 20.
Established in June 2012, she said the Cinematheque in Davao is the only full running film arthouse of the FDCP in Mindanao that holds film labs and training workshops for students and organizes monthly screenings of local, national, and international films.
Ruta said the other two – in Zamboanga City and Nabunturan, Compostela Valley – are venues for film labs and workshops.
“The FDCP promotes not just Philippine film industry but also international. Most of the embassies reach out to the FDCP to organize films in the regions,” Ruta said.
In celebration of the International Friendship Day on July 30, she said the Cinematheque here would also screen five quality Filipino independent films highlighting stories about friendship at P100 admission for every film.
These films are Musmos na Sumibol sa Gubat ng Digma on July 30, Tol and Kuya West on July 31, High Tide and Pangarap Kong Holdap on August 1, Pangarap Kong Holdap and High Tide on August 14, Kuya Wes and Tol on August 15, Musmos na Sumibol sa Gubat ng Digma and Kuya Wes on August 16, Tol and Ang Pangarap Kong Holdap on August 17, Musmos na Sumibol sa Gubat ng Digma on August 27, and Tol and High Tide on August 28.
From August 20 to 23, the Instituto Cervantes, Embassy of Spain, and FDCP will present “Contemporaneous,” a film cycle featuring four contemporary Spanish films, July 1st, Maria y los demas, Saura, and No se decir adios.
(Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
