indie cine weekend.

Downloaded quite a few local indie flicks and most them were gay-themed indie movies. sometimes, it makes me ponder if indie movies really caters to more intellectual audiences or do they just use it as an avenue for pornography? i happened to watch 'serbis,' 'sagwan' and 'dayreak + centerfold' and the nudity and sex scenes will definitely not make the cut considering MTRCB's rule on censorship. i wasn't surprised with the nudity and all since this is what indie films is all about right? be bold. be brave.  i was just surprised that the these indie movies were literally bold and brave, almost pornographic. anyways, here's the synopsis for everything care of Wikipedia. 

~Baler~


In 1898, a band of Spanish soldiers heroically defended Baler (which would later be the capital municipality of Aurora in 1951) against Filipino forces for 337 long and grueling days.

The battle, now referred to as the Siege of Baler, is the setting of a forbidden love between a Spanish-Indio soldier and a Filipina lass who lived at the end of the 19th century.

The movie is based on a true story and is directed by Mark Meily.

Cast

* Anne Curtis (Feliza Reyes)
* Jericho Rosales (Celso Ressurecion)
* Phillip Salvador
* Baron Geisler
* Bernard Palanca
* Carlo Aquino
* Niki Bacolod
* DJ Durano
* Joel Torre
* Mark Bautista
* Michael de Mesa
* Ryan Eigenmann

2008 Metro Manila Film Festival Awards

Baler romped with 10 of the 21 trophies handed out during the 2008 Metro Manila Film Festival Awards ceremonies held at the Harbor Tent of the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila. Baler won the following awards:

* Best Picture
* Best Screenplay
* Best Cinematography
* Best Production Design
* Best Editing
* Special Citations
o Gatpuno Villegas Cultural Award
o Gender Sensitive Award
* Best Director: Mark Meily
* Best Supporting Actor: Philip Salvador
* Best Actress: Anne Curtis


~Sagwan~

Sagwan is story of an 18-year-old rural boy named Alfred, whose routinary life as a boatman complicates as he discovers how much more life around him has to offer. His haunting family’s dark past inhibits him from living his young life freely.

~Daybreak (2008)~


Category Drama Gay-Theme
Label Others

Tagalog Movie

Daybreak i think is a low budget short film shot entirely in a rest house in Taal, Batangas with only with two actors: Coco Martin and Paolo Rivero.

It was a single narrative time, intending by way of voyeurism, to discover what happens to two men spending one night contemplating whether to break up or continue their relationship. William (Paolo Rivero) a pedetrician and JP (Coco Martin), a local boatman/tour guide, spend the night in William's resthouse in Taal trying to find words, answers, and tears to decide whether to break-up or take their relationship to the next level- William leaving his wife and finally living with JP. Memories and dreams, truths and lies, fears and desires, honesty and betrayal, a love and hate- they all closely entwined in this night. Behind the veil of words, they become intimate, but will the light of sunrise bring this intimacy to end? (source: Wikipedia)

* Coco Martin
* Paolo Rivero


~Serbis~


Serbis is an independent film by Brillante Mendoza, starring Gina Pareño and RP’s prince of indie movies Coco Martin. The film is a story of men who offer sexual services inside a movie house. It was invited to the official competition of the 61st Cannes Festival in France and was regarded as the most controversial in Cannes for the year 2008.

Synopsis:

A rural family decides to run a prostitute service based in a fake theater in Angeles, Pampanga. The theater shows dated sexy double-feature films. The old building also serves as the residence of the family. Nanay Flor serves as the matriarch of the movie house while her family serve as her employees. Her daughter Nayda, son-in-law Lando and adopted daughter Jewel take turns in manning the ticket booth and canteen. Her nephews Ronald and Alan also help in the family business as a projectionist and billboard painter respectively.

Nanay Flor files a bigamy case against her husband but loses the case and feels betrayed when her own son testifies in court in favor of his father. Alan, financially unprepared for marriage, feels burdened by the fact that his pregnant girlfriend wants him to marry her. Nayda is torn between her commitment to her husband and her attraction to her cousin Ronald.

Unknown to the family, aside from movies, there's another kind of business going on inside the theater. The movie house also serves as a den for "serbis" boys (male prostitutes) who offer sexual services to gay patrons for a price. (source: Wikipedia)

There you have it. Oh sorry btw, i'm just too lazy to write my own synopsis right now.