Pen Medina Movies

Produced to mark the twentieth anniversary of the largely non-violent People Power revolution that forced Ferdinand Marcos into exile, Imagine Nation is comprised of twenty short films from twenty leading Filipino filmmakers and offers a more personalized summary of the country as opposed to a formal commentary on the state of the nation. Featured filmmakers include Ogi Sugatan, Neil Daza, Poklong Anading, and Dennis Empalmado. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Ritualistic rapes and pagan sacrifices are at the center of this melodramatic Filipino film, directed by Carlos Siguion-Reyna. Thanks to an El Nino-inspired drought, a remote village's crop withers and dies. Villagers fear the re-emergence of a long-quiescent death cult that demands the oblation of young maidens. When newly-arrived priest Father Joey (Tonton Gutierrez) notices a marked decrease in his congregation, everyone fears the worst. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

A three-hour epic on the life and struggles of poet and patriot Jose Rizal, the national hero and martyr of the Philippines, this film was commissioned to mark the 1998 centennial of the country's independence from Spanish colonial rule. Rizal was a remarkably educated man; not only was he a writer, but he was also a painter, sculptor, doctor and surgeon, teacher, natural scientist, economist, engineer and theologian. He was an excellent fencer and marksman; he studied at colleges in Europe, America and Asia, traveled to many different nations and could speak twenty-two languages. He was a champion of his country's independence, a Filipino Gandhi who faced the firing squad at the age of thirty-five for inciting rebellion. He was the instigator of the Philippine revolution of 1896-98, the first national uprising against a colonial power in Asia. He also wrote two books, Noli me tangere and El Filibusterismo, which sought to increase his people's political awareness. Director Marilou Diaz-Abaya deliberately avoids a historical lesson. The Rizal of her story Cesar Montano is thinking back on his life and writings from his prison cell in the fortress of Santiago; the characters that appear are a blend of the real people, friends and enemies as well as those he created in his books. The script is solid, with a contribution by Diaz-Abaya's long time collaborator, Ricky Lee; the soft tones of the cinematography helps to create an atmosphere of magic appropriate to the story of a legendary hero, and the acting by Cesar Montano is quite remarkable. Jose Rizal was screened as part of the Panorama section of the 49th International Berlin Film Festival, 1999. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, Rovi

In this soap opera melodrama from the Philippines, prostitute Ligaya (Rosanna Royce) works for flesh-peddler Lolay (Chanda Romero). After farmer Polding (John Arcilla) visits the whorehouse, he extends a "respectable" way of life to the skeptical Ligaya. But no sooner does she move in with Polding than she is denounced by his mother, raped by his stepfather, and subjected to humiliations by both past clients and Polding himself. Shown at the 1997 Toronto Film Festival this film is also known as They Call Me Joy. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi