UPFI Film Center to screen Cinemalaya films 'Tumandok,' 'Alipato at Muog,' 'Gulay Lang, Manong'

The University of the Philippines Film Institute (UPFI) will be screening the big winners from the 20th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, which ran from Aug. 2 to 11.

The films "Tumandok," "Alipato at Muog," and "Gulay Lang, Manong!" will be screened on Aug. 22, Aug. 24, and Aug. 31, respectively, at the UPFI Film Center, UP Diliman campus. More screenings will also follow, although details have yet to be announced.

A 15-minute talk by Direk JL and his mother, Edita Burgos, will also follow after the screening.

Here's the initial schedule, thus far:

• "Tumandok" - Aug. 22, 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
• "Alipato at Muog"- Aug. 24, 5 p.m.
• "Gulay Lang, Manong!"- Aug. 31, 4:20 p.m.

"Tumandok," directed by Arlie Sweet Sumagaysay and Richard Jeroui Salvadico, features an all-Ati cast speaking in their own language, Innate. The documentary-fiction centers on the never-ending struggle of the indigenous peoples to reclaim their land.

"Tumandok" emerged as the big winner at the Cinemalaya film fest, bagging Best Full Length Film, Best Screenplay, the NETPAC Jury Award, Best Original Musical Score, and Best Supporting Actor for Felipe Ganancial's performance.

"Alipato at Muog," directed by JL Burgos, is a documentary that follows his family's relentless search for his brother Jonas, who was abducted in a crowded mall in 2007. The film won the Special Jury Prize for full length film at Cinemalaya.

Meanwhile, BC Amparado's "Gulay Lang, Manong!" follows the story of a farmer's grandson, Ricky, as he gets involved in the cannabis trade with his friend Razer. Themes of betrayal, power, and integrity take centerstage in the dramedy, which won the Audience Choice Award for full length film at Cinemalaya.

— CDC, GMA Integrated News