Two Filipino Films To Be Screened In 37th Portland International Film Festival

Two films by Filipino directors are among the 124 motion pictures that will be screened in the upcoming 37th Portland International Film Festival. These are Thy Womb by Brillante Mendoza and Transit by Hannah Espia. Thy Womb will be shown on February 15 and 20. Transit will be shown on February 13 and 15.

Thy Womb was released in 2012 and it tells the story of a Muslim fisherman and his wife who would do almost anything to have a child. It was acclaimed by critics, winning several trophies from award-giving bodies including the Cinema Critics' Prize at the Venice Film Festival. It stars Nora Aunor and Lovi Poe. Read the review by Variety here.

Transit on the other hand is a drama that chronicles the plight of a Filipino family struggling to eke a living in Tel Aviv. Things get complicated when Israel passed a new law which will have the children of foreign workers deported to their home countries. Transit was the Philippines' entry for the Best Foreign Language Film in the Oscar Awards.

For a full list of the over one hundred films scheduled to be shown in the festival, click here. The movies in the lineup include The Wind Rises (an animated film by Hayao Miyazaki), The Rocket, The Good Road, Child's Pose, Of Horses and Men, Omar, and The Missing Picture.

Brillante Mendoza Pitches 'The Embroiderer' and 'The Gay Messiah' In Upcoming Film Financing Forum

It's been a while since movie fans were last treated to a film by multi-awarded director Brillante Mendoza. His last project was Thy Womb, a drama that was released in 2012. It was a critically-acclaimed motion picture but like most Mendoza films, it never really made any money.

Most critics and those people who have seen it agree that it was a well-made film. But as it goes, it's not the kind of film that Filipino audiences go to. Besides, the film wasn't treated with a nationwide release. It was only shown in select theaters. Nevertheless, it's a great example of great filmmaking and a lot of people say it stands as Mendoza's best output so far.

Fans of the director have every reason to rejoice with the news that he has two projects (if things go according to plan) that will start production this year. The Hollywood Reporter reports that Mendoza has not one but two projects that he will pitch in the upcoming Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF). One is a feature film (The Embroiderer) and one is a documentary (The Gay Messiah). These two films are among the 29 projects that were announced by the HAF.

The event which will be held from March 24 to 26 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre will have directors pitch their projects to investors, co-producers, and distributors. Supported by Fushan Features (a film production company), the event also introduced a new Fushan Documentary Award which is worth HK$100,000. That's about US$12,900.

Mendoza's The Embroiderer will be about the power of undying love while the documentary The Gay Messiah will tackle issues on religious beliefs.

Captive, one of director Mendoza's most recent films.

Another Filipino filmmaker, Jun Robles Lana will also be pitching a film in the forum. His project is called Our Father. Lana is no stranger to the forum as he bagged the HAF Award for a non-Hong Kong project in 2013 for his work Barber's Tales.

Brillante Mendoza and Jun Robles Lana will represent the Philippines in the upcoming forum.

The other projects in the lineup are 30 Days of Ginger (Singapore), Angel Whispers (Hong Kong), Dance of Death (Japan), Dead End (India), Devil and Dust (China), Dust (China), Five Star Billionaire (Malaysia/China), Follow You (China), Forgive Me (China), Game (Hong Kong), Hip Hop Kabul (Afghanistan), The Honeygiver Among the Dogs (Bhutan), I Miss You When I See You (Hong Kong), Instant Love (China), Lucy and I (Singapore), Malegaon: Tales from the Terror Trail (India), A Nail Clipper Romance (Hong Kong), Private Eyes (Taiwan), The Sea (Hong Kong), So Be It (Thailand), The Trial (China), The Wedding Terminator (Malaysia/China/Hong Kong), Game of Suspects (Hong Kong), Love Is Speaking (China), Sisters Snake (Singapore/USA), and The Solitary Pier (Taiwan).