We had a chance to be invited to an intimate presscon with Brillante “Dante” Mendoza at SM City Bacolod during the Brillante Medoza Film Festival. Direk Dante won Best Director for his independent film Kinatay at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. His other films Lola, Serbis, Foster Child, among others have also won various awards here and abroad.
For somebody who has achieved so much, he is so down-to-earth. It’s quite ironic that his films get to be viewed first abroad before they were shown in the country. He added that most of his patrons are foreigners. He opined that it’s probably because our culture is not mature enough to appreciate art films. He suggested that our education system should include art appreciation and should start as early as elementary.
What makes an indie film different from a commercial one? Aside from the budget, indie films are based on real life situations. They may usually make you feel uncomfortable but they these stories are what happens in real life. There are some films he said that parades themselves as indie films but actually they’re not.
Direk Mendoza’s films that were shown at SM were those that have wholesome themes so that students can watch. We challenged ourselves to watch some of his most controversial films at a special screening at the Negros Museum. I missed Serbis but I got to watch Kinatay.
Kinatay is about a young criminology student who was just married to his girlfriend whom he had a child. He was involved with Kotong Cops as collector of protection money from vendors. He later found himself an unwilling participant in the killing of a woman and chopping her to pieces. At the end of the movie you’d feel down because you would think you have just witnessed the making of another scalawag.
Kinatay i’s quite disturbing, to say the least. It’s the kind of movie that you probably watch once in your lifetime. Direk Dante said he’s not bothered at all because that’s what he wants. He wants his films to be remembered because those that we want to watch often are the ones that doesn’t have as much impact.
He’s really a brilliant director. After watching Kinatay, you would feel like you were also a witness to a murder. He makes you feel like you were a part of the film. It may not be as graphic as some Hollywood films but the sound and the scenes make you think of the gruesome murder in your head.
Should I watch Mendoza’a films in the future? Yes, I’d like to challenge myself how much of the reality on film I can take. But first, I think I’m going vegetarian for a few weeks.
.