Filipino Film Series at the Gene Siskel Film Center

A collection of cutting-edge films from the Philippines will be screening in a month-long series at the Gene Siskel Film Center at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Continue on to see the full month-long line-up at the Gene Siskel Film Center, starting on Saturday, 9/6 at 3:00 PM, with Lav Diaz’s critically acclaimed film NORTE: THE END OF HISTORY, featured at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

Click here to view showtimes and order tickets:
http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/filipino_cinema

The Siskel Center is located at:
Gene Siskel Film Center
of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
164 N. State Street
Chicago, IL 60601

Located in Chicago’s theater district, validated parking is available at the Self Park at 20 E. Randolph, across from Macy’s.

The Siskel Center is easily accessible by CTA Red, Brown, Green, and Blue Lines.

From the Gene Siskel Film Center:
Filipino Cinema:
New Directions/New Auteurs

NORTE, THE END OF HISTORY (NORTE, HANGGANAN NG KASAYSAYAN)

2013, Lav Diaz, Philippines, 250 min.
With Sid Lucero, Angeli Bayana
“An extraordinary achievement,
a truly staggering, even overwhelming
film-going experience…
its thematic breadth is universal.”
-Calum Marsh, Village Voice
“Exhilarating…a perfect gateway into the director’s work.”
-Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, A.V. Club.com

Sat, Sep 6th at 3:00pm
Sat, Sep 27th at 3:00pm

This powerfully slow-burning riff on Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” was a critical triumph at Cannes, putting an international spotlight on director Diaz’s epic work. An indolent blowhard of a law-school dropout (Lucero) murders a shrewish neighborhood moneylender, and the blame falls on a poor but honest family man. Over a luxuriously paced and utterly essential span of cinematic time, Diaz follows the fate of both men, one of them in a hell of his own making, the other staying the course in the hope of redemption. History, politics, philosophy, and ethics blend with ever-expanding moral dimensions in a setting of seascapes and haunting cityscapes. In Tagalog and English with English subtitles. DCP digital widescreen. (BS)

IF ONLY
(SANA DATI)

2013, Jerrold Tarog, Philippines, 100 min.
With Lovi Poe, Paulo Avelino
“Well-written discreetly played…
both moving and finally very mature in
its emotional make-up.”
-Derek Elley, Film Business Asia

Fri, Sep 12th at 6:15pm
Sun, Sep 14th at 5:30pm

IF ONLY takes place amid the chaotic last-minute preparations for an upscale family wedding, but director Tarog has a demystification of love rather than romance on his mind. To the astonishment of her female kin, bride-to-be Andrea appears glum and underwhelmed by her imminent vows with the ultimate catch, a wealthy rising-star politician. The arrival of a strangely inept wedding photographer becomes the catalyst for revelations about her mysterious year spent in Bangkok and the love of her life, who may not be the groom. In Tagalog with English subtitles. DCP digital. (BS)

THE BIT PLAYER
(EKSTRA)

2013, Jeffrey Jeturian, Philippines, 111 min.
With Vilma Santos, Vincent De Jesus
“Wise and witty…constant chuckles
and a fair supply of big belly laughs.”
-Richard Kuipers, Variety

Sat, Sep 13th at 5:30pm
Wed, Sep 17th at 6:15pm

Behind the scenes on the soap opera “You Were Mine First,” long-suffering middle-aged extra Loida (veteran mega-star Santos) keeps a smile on her face while eternally striving to rise to the status of a bit player with lines. This alternately comic and poignant spoof on the indignities of the film business for those on the bottom rung is rife with funny pratfalls and cleverly couched social commentary. Santos turns on the heart-melting charm as her character’s sunny nature masks the true grit of a single mom trying to make a living. In Tagalog with English subtitles. DCP digital. (BS)

THY WOMB
(SINAPUPANAN)

2012, Brillante Mendoza, Philippines, 100 min.
With Nora Aunor, Bembol Roco
“Postcard-worthy landscapes and
all-consuming spirituality…compelling
and revelatory.”
-Carlos Aguilar, Indiewire.com

Sat, Sep 20th at 5:15pm
Thu, Sep 25th at 8:15pm

In this tale set in the sea-and-sky milieu of an island Muslim culture, an emphasis on the intricate and colorful rituals of courtship and marriage by critically acclaimed director Mendoza (KINATAY) has a profoundly bittersweet edge. The happiness of a long-married couple is marred by the ironic inability of Shaleha (Philippine superstar Aunor in a masterful performance), the local midwife, to give her devoted husband a child. She devises a selfless plan to remedy the situation, unaware of the heartbreak in store. Winner of three Venice Film Festival awards, including Best Actress for Aunor. In Tagalog with English subtitles. DCP digital. (BS)

RIGODON

2012, Erik Matti, Philippines, 85 min.
With Yam Concepcion, John James Uy
“Goes deep into its characters…
the film earns its adult designation.”
-Philbert Ortiz Dy, ClickTheCity.com

Sun, Sep 21st at 4:45pm
Mon, Sep 22nd at 8:15pm

The title comes from a quadrille-like dance, which aptly fits this tense, steamy drama of a cheating husband who artfully juggles life with a needy wife and elaborate courtship of an eager lover. Riki, a hunky former reality-show star reduced to modeling for a shopping network, also courts danger, living one step ahead of a loan shark as he leads on new girl Sarah with seeming promises of marriage and calms his wife with lies. Director Matti lets the film’s initial romantic conventions slide into darkness and erotic obsession, with graphic scenes of seduction and coupling made all the more realistic by the palpable chemistry among the three lead actors. In Tagalog and English with English subtitles. DCP digital. (BS)