Pandora's Box (1929) will be shown in Manila on September 3 at 5:30 pm as part of the 11th annual
International Silent Film Festival Manila. The screening is co-sponsored by the Goethe-Institut Philippinen. Scoring the film is the Philippine band Sandwich, led by local rock icon Raymond Marasigan. More info follows
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The much-awaited yearly International Silent Film Festival Manila
(ISFFM) is back! Established in 2007 as the very first event of its kind
in Asia, the ISFFM promises to bring once more to Manila film buffs and
music aficionados an extraordinary experience. This year, the
Philippine-Italian Association, the Japan Foundation Manila,
Goethe-Institut Philippinen, the Film Development Council of the
Philippines, Instituto Cervantes, the British Council, and the Embassies
of the United States of America, France and Austria, are extremely
proud to present the 11th edition of the International Silent Film
Festival in Manila. Scheduled from August 31st to September 3rd at the
Shang Cineplex, Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong City, the 2017 ISFFM
brings together the very best of silent cinema from its nine
member-countries, to be accompanied by the best Filipino musicians on
the scene and a French-Vietnamese guest artist.
The Festival reels off at 8:00PM on Thursday,
August 31st with
Instituto Cervantes presenting the classic action/comedy
El Golfo (1918),
directed by José de Togores. Starring Irene Heredia, Mariano Ozores and
Ernesto Vilches, the film tells the story of Enrique Villar, a tramp,
who goes through much trouble to win the heart of his lady love. The
rock band Talahib will accompany this film with a live performance.
On Friday,
September 1st, at 07:30PM, the
British Council
will present a unique offering. Thanks to the discovery of an
alternative print at the Brussels Cinematheque Royale, and advancement
in photo-chemical and digital techniques, the British Film Institute has
restored the magnificence of Anthony Asquith's
Underground,
a 1928 silent romance that reveals 1920s London life in the underground
tube system. A live musical performance by dub band Goodleaf will
accompany the film.
At 9:30PM, also on
September 1st, the
Embassy of France to the Philippines will present
L'Inhumaine or The New Enchantment (1923),
a story of love and deceit directed by Marcel L’Herbier. The film will
be scored by the French-Vietnamese harpist Heloïse LaHarpe, together
with Ryan Villamor on piano and synthesizer and Aldous Castro on
percussion and handpans.
On Saturday,
September 2nd at 03:00PM, the
Philippine Italian Association together with the
Embassy of Italy will screen the world premiere of an experimental silent film by Filipino-Italian director Ruben Maria Soriquez:
Una Famiglia Perfetta or A Perfect Family (2017). The movie will be live-scored by the instrumental rock trio Tom's Story.
At 5:30PM, the
Japan Foundation, Manila will feature
Hijosen no Onna or
Dragnet Girl (1933) by Yasujiro Ozu. This screening will feature a rare performance by Ichiro Kataoka, a noted
benshi or
silent film narrator/actor/storyteller from Japan, who will provide a
live interpretation of the silent film. The screening and narration will
be accompanied by
The Celso Espejo Rondalla, a group which plays Filipino music on traditional native string instruments.
Ending the night with an 08:00PM screening will be the
Philippines with Gym Lumbera's 2-person drama
Taglish (2012), which started as a damaged film entitled
Tagalog, then
English, and finally the present title
Taglish. The film will be accompanied by the stoner-metal quartet Kapitan Kulam.
On Sunday,
September 3rd at 03:00PM, the
Embassy of Austria will feature
Cafè Elektric (1927) directed by Gustav Ucicky.
Café Elektric was
the last film made and released by Sascha-Film, the first major film
studio in Vienna. The live score will be played by one of the most
established Filipino bands, Rivermaya.
At 5:30 PM,
Goethe-Institut Philippinen will screen one of silent cinema’s masterworks,
Pandora’s Box (1929),
by George Wilhelm Pabst. Based on the controversial plays of Frank
Wedekind, the film features the dazzling Louise Brooks in her classic
bobbed hairstyle as Lulu.
Pandora’s Box will be accompanied by the band Sandwhich, led by local rock icon Raymond Marasigan.
Closing the festival at 08:00PM will be the
U.S. Embassy's screening of one of the most-revered comedies of the silent era,
The General (1926).
Co-directed by Clyde Bruckman and Buster Keaton, the film also stars
the iconic Keaton as an ill-fated railroad engineer. The film will be
scored by a band of veteran musicians -- exponents of Motown, Stax,
Funk, Blues and Soul - the Flippin Soul Stompers.
This year's film's festival experience will have a unique addition,
an exhibit at The Atrium of the Shangri-La by partner organization Para
sa Sining, from August 31
st to September 3
rd. This
community of creative collaborators will also present contemporary
films of the silent film genre by their member-filmmakers.
On September 3
rd at 2:00PM, 7:15PM and 9:30PM, the group will present
Musika x
Pelikula, during which their films will be scored by live musical performances from young and upcoming Filipino artists.
The 11th International Silent Film Festival is made possible in partnership with Shangri-La Plaza,
Para sa Sining,
the National Film Center of The Museum of Modern Art of Tokyo, the
Embassies of Italy, Japan, and Spain, Filmoteca de España, Institut
Français, JEC Philippines and Marks & Spencer London . All
screenings will be open to the public on a first come, first served
basis. Watch and listen as we score the silents again!