3 Lav Diaz films + 1 at UP Film Institute

UP Cine Adarna (January 2010) -- The UP Film Institute opens year 2010 with a month-long screening of films by some of the best auteurs in the independent film scene. Among the must-see films are Lav Diaz's epic films Heremias, Ebolusyon Ng Isang Pamilyang Pilipino, and also his short film Butterflies Have No Memories. There's also a screening of Diaz's work-in-progress Agonistes.

Heremias is probably the best local film released since the reign of the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines in the 1980s. The Dostoevskian story of a man tormented by his past, lush ambient sound, and crisp black-and-white cinematography take a vise-like grip on moviegoers. The snail pace of the film puts the patient viewer into contemplative mood during the first half. The last hour of the epic wraps up in dizzying crescendo as a hapless Heremias attempts to rescue a young girl.

Ebolusyon Ng Isang Pamilyang Pilipino is an almost 11-hour depiction of the decades-long journey of two typical local families. The violence and poverty during the Martial Law-era and failed promises of the Cory Aquino administration threaten to tear apart both Filipino families.

Lav Diaz's latest film is the 40-minute short feature Butterflies Have No Memories. A film oozing with lots of symbols, it deals with the lasting effects of mining on a trio of male villagers.

Agonistes follows a pair of male adults searching for hidden treasures in a rural land in Bicol. Look for the scene with a dog helping them out.

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Heremias (Unang Aklat: Ang Alamat Ng Prinsesang Bayawak)
January 6 at 1 pm
January 9 at 1 pm

Ebolusyon Ng Isang Pamilyang Pilipino
January 7 at 1 pm
January 11 at 1 pm

Agonistes (work-in-progress)
January 13 at 4 pm

Walang Alaala Ang Mga Paru-paro (Butterflies Have No Memories)
January 13 at 7 pm

All screenings at Cine Adarna, Magsaysay and Osmeña Avenues, UP Diliman, Quezon City
Tel: 9818500 (UP Trunkline) local 4286, 4289; 9262722 (Telefax); 9263640; 9250286
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