INDIE FILM: Pagdadalaga nI Maximo Oliveros woot!

[Cardinal Bunal]

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yo! international ISTORYANS!! we're gonna need your support once this film gets inside SUNDANCE 2006!

until then, mabuhay ang independent filmmaking!

There are talks of a re-swhoing of the film after the MMFF (holocaust) in january maybe sa E-mall.

Really? Well, good... E-Mall is within the vicinity where I'm studying.

Hmmm... It's great to see that the films
Masahista and Pagdadalaga have been reasons for
discussions and discourse "announced" in this group.
But unlike the exoticism that Masahista tries to
portray (which is hardly real and tries to bank on a
world audience that follows Sibak, and other gay
oriented films that exhibits lower class males that
are "exploited" by filipino homosexuals and not the
way around,) what is noticeable is that the reason why
Pagdadalaga is a family film is that it affirms that
homosexuals are not anymore seen as a negative image
in the basic unit of Filipino society. Well, not
totally, but it has been more (I cringe by saying)
tolerant, or more flexible. What it's trying to
affirm is that, yes, there are families that accept
gayness, which is why it's ahead of its time.
In reference to Lopez' recent claim/post that
Pagdadalaga is not REAL, then maybe it's because he
may be living in a middle class family that conditions
him to think that the notion of gayness is still seen
as negative (well, it isn't a dominant group, but it
already has a voice and representatives) if not
stereotypically loud, effeminate and evil. Bumabalik
tayo kasi sa mga problema ng 1990s which is not the
case anymore.
Lopez' notion of gayness is in reference to Freud
wherein gender is like a box, you're either straight,
gay or bi. However, it is worth noting that the Asian
concept of gender is similar to the yin and yang,
where in masculinity and femininity are part of one's
gender and its fluidity creates images of people who
can swing from one *** to another, unless that person
chooses to be feminine or masculine.
And to say that it is "romantic" is hardly the
case, because Pagdadalaga affirms that there are gays,
flambouyant or not, who can claim that they had a
happy childhood that accepted their gayness.
Pagdadalaga revolutionized the notion that gays are
acceptable, and yes, it is also a possibility that
they are loved by their fathers and brothers even if
this is a macho and patriarchal society. Look at mass
media, the gay icons are all flambouyant. Look at how
PBB's Uma is lambasted because he does not fit the
generic notion of "gayness" that discombobulates the
straight crowd. Who is to say that gays should act in
one way or the other? Who should say that straights
should act in a particular way either? For whose
convenience is it?
Yes, Mr. Lopez, Pagdadalaga has a gay hero. Does
it therefore make it a gay film? If the artist is
gay, is the artwork gay also? Isn't it beautiful that
for once, people see past the gayness? Which leads to
the bigger social issues which you are referring to
(but did not mention), which are more politically
correct, where in gay boys like Maxi have a space to
exist like everyone else?
To say that it is not Filipino for families to
accept gayness, or to those that don't, "tolerate"
gayness, is more hypocritical, and you may be living
on the other side of the suburbs.
There are still a lot of Maxis and older Maximos
that still need to be loved and accepted, and
Pagdadalaga, as a social tool that exhibits
Filipinoness (through its milieu) affirms that need
and that desire, which is what makes it different and
"filipino." To say that it is abnormal, and that
society tolerates transvestites (like who? please
differentiate from cross dressers and variety and talk
show hosts, you are stepping on a lot of hardworking
people) goes back again, to what gender critics and
scholars try to address since the 90s or even earlier,
that yes, gays and lesbians ARE normal, they are a
part of society, they have a history, they are born
everyday and they have existed since time immemorial.
Yes, gay icons are still flambouyant and effeminate,
but that's because that's what the producers think
what the masa wants them to think of gayness, but that
doesn't make it exactly REAL or CORRECT.
And please, every time a Filipino film is talked
about, there is always an issue of ORIGINALITY. There
is no such thing as ORIGINAL anymore. ALL the stories
that could've been written have been written by the
MASTERS of literature. There is, however, such a
thing as CONTEMPORARY, which makes romeo and juliet
stories work 100 times over and over again.
Pagdadalaga may not be an original love story, but its
the times, its the theme that makes it contemporary.
I hope everyone has been through and through with
stereotypes, which is what Pagdadalaga is not about.
It's not your typical family, or policeman because it
reinvents it. Digital Films exhibit stories THAT
AREN'T DONE by major film outfits because it's an
"OTHER." And to make that "other" part of mainstream
cinema is quite astounding in itself.
Cheers to the filmmakers of Pagdadalaga. May you
astound and reinvent stories that may overwhelm the
world over again (if not in this country.)

Explekatot.

[Flame alchemist]

from WOW davao website
http://wowdavao.com/blog/?p=312

[img width=202 height=350]http://www.abs-cbn.com/imgs-tmp/maximomovie.jpg[/img]

Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros: The film for all ages, and for all sexes!
Davao City (22 December) — It is considered a breakthrough in the Philippine movie industry and has captured the hearts of both the local and the international moviegoers. Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros offers a different touch and a unique tinge of “gayness” that one could find irresistible.

The movie was shot in Sampaloc, Manila. It was unbelievably shot for only 13 days on December 2004.

Made and produced by UFO Films, the movie talks about loyalty, survival and falling in love for the first time.

Amor Olaguer, Creative Consultant of the film says that the love Maxi (Nathan Lopez) felt for the policeman resulted in a conflict with Maxi’s family, but also through this love he grew as a person, a friend and a son.

The story was written by Michiko Yamamoto, the same person who wrote “Magnifico”.

“Nathan” compares

Nathan Lopez got the lead role by some fortunate accident. “Friend ko talaga yung mag o-audition sana,” the 13-year-old who played Maximo recalls. He was with his twin brother that time and they both decided to audition for the role. The lead role eventually landed on Nathan.

This film is Nathan’s first big break in the movies. He, however, joins plays and is into theatersss in school.

A sad point

Amor Olaguer expressed her disappointments during an interview of Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros Press Release at the Kapihan sa PIA recently

“It’s just sad that we must first be recognized abroad before we are acknowledged here in our own country,” she says. She further stated her grief over the country’s support on foreign movies.

” In cinemas, you could see the ratio is like a hundred to one!A hundred foreign films being shown against one local movie,” Olaguer exclaims. Olaguer suggested that there should be a regulation of foreign movies in the country. “We created a market for them, why can’t we create a market for ourselves?” she finally stated.

Something to be proud of

The film which won Best Picture in three prestigious Film Festivals abroad will compete in the Sundance Film Festival on January 19-29, 2006, and in the San Francisco Film Festival on the second half of April next year.

The movie will be released in Singapore, Europe, Canada and the US. DVD release will follow soon after the international distribution.

The movie is rated A by the Cinema Distribution Board And PG 13 by MTRCB. (Sheryll Jane B. Sanico, PIA XI)

another related article here by inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/entertainment/index.php?index=1&story_id=58803

[img width=250 height=166]http://images.inq7.net/news/entertainment/images/2005/dec/05/nathan5.jpg[/img]
Nathan and JR flirt with fame
First posted 11:21pm (Mla time) Dec 04, 2005
By B. Carlo Tadiar
Inquirer
Editor's Note: Published on page A2-3 of the December 5, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

WHEN THERE IS A PAUSE IN the demand for his autograph, 14-year-old Nathan Lopez, who plays the title role in the much-talked-about movie, "Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros," rests his head on his arms, outstretched on the table. His mood is inscrutable, and this underscores a feline quality in his beauty. The pose is one he assumes at a turning point in the movie, a moment of helplessness, when two bright teardrops roll down his cheeks and he breaks the cycle of retribution that's got his heart caught in the middle.

Achieving a dream-like success, the small, independently produced digital film opened commercially in Manila theaters last week after winning accolades everywhere.

Inadequate translation

A lot has been written about it, too, but an error has repeatedly been made in its synopsis. Nathan does not play a gay 12-year-old (he was 13 at the time of filming) who falls in love with an idealistic policeman and becomes torn between love for him
and love for his doting widower father and pair of brothers, who are petty thieves.

"Gay" is an identity that emerged in America in the middle of the last century, and it is defined by sexual orientation. But it is a crucial aspect of the story that "Maxi" is what (s)he is well before discovering an object of desire and thus becomes "dalaga." He is a "girl" even before he turns into a "dalaga" (young lady) and falls in love with a man. Maxi is binabae, bading, or cruelly, bakla, which doesn't exactly mean "gay." This is what prevents the patently apt Filipino title from being translated into English. Thus, "pagdadalaga" is rendered as "blossoming."

Likewise, it is the particularity of the lower class, un-bourgeois, underworld milieu in which the story takes place that makes believable the touching tenderness toward Maxi of his outlaw father and brothers.

Director Auraeus Solito is primarily known as a documentary filmmaker (this is his first feature). He lives-and has previously filmed-in the neighborhood in Sampaloc where "Maximo" was shot.

Quite the goofball

There's a mirror in the plot. The story is a coming-of-age, not just of the title character, but also of the beloved who prompts the awakening, the policeman Victor, played seamlessly by JR Valentin. Victor comes to realize that the law for which he stands, the principle of order and justice which makes us humans, stands at a gap from the law that is a national set of prohibitions and punishments enforced by the police. He, too, loses his innocence.

Unlike Nathan, JR has acted in films before, though in small roles. He has a part in the simultaneously released "Hari ng Sablay." He is also a professional model. Being comfortable in front of the camera, he has helped his young co-star. "Noong first meet namin sinasabihan ko siyang, basahin mo muna; huwag mo-i-act kaagad," recounts JR. "Kung baga, sagutan lang tayo. Kung anong nakikita mong reaction, ganon rin ang ibigay mo sa akin." (I told him to feel the scene first before emoting.

The pair of actors are markedly different in person from the characters that have thrust them into the limelight. Where Victor is serious and isolated, JR is a bit of a goofball, constantly making light of everything, with varying degrees of success. "Hay, nakaka-turn off," teases the film's producer Raymond Lee when JR makes an outstandingly corny joke.

But JR is not without his own share of problems that require his maturity. Remarkably, the most memorable scene for him in the movie is its turning point, the climax, a moment of fatal violence. Minutes before they shot it, he got word that his grandfather had died.

'I'm a star now?'

After one of numerous small previews, Nathan is taken aback by how distant he feels from his onscreen character. "Ibang-iba ako sa sarili ko doon," (Not me at all) he exclaims, breaking the reticence and formality that he assumes for the greater part of the interview. Like JR, he is surprised at how beautiful the film turned out and how warmly it is being received. "Ano ba ito?" (What is this?) he remembers thinking to himself when he was repeatedly asked for his autograph after the very first screening of the film. "Artista na pala ako." (I am already an actor)

Whenever he is interviewed on TV, he is asked if he is bading. Sometimes he is even asked to do a Maxi moment on the spot. It is not easy for him impromptu, he tells Inquirer Entertainment. "Name-mental block ako." (I develop mental block). With klieg lights trained on him in a room full of people, one interviewer asks Nathan to invite viewers to watch the movie as Maxi would. He crosses his legs like a dalaga (young lady) but then the words fail to come out of his mouth. With each interview, though, he grows more relaxed. After the premiere on Tuesday, girls asked to kiss him.

For sure, celebrity is flirting heavily with the lead actors of "Maximo." JR dismisses the notion: "Gusto ko lang magtrabaho." (I just want to work.)

[DHated]

kuyawa posing ahh.. anha nalang ka diha Valentin kay wa jud kay talent sa skuwela.. Sauna mo sulod way dala2x papel og ballpen.. pang model jud sige ra rampa sa lobby. hehehehe.. maayo gani lakas ka ni sir beno. pasar nalang guapo man..


pag intrams, dako unta balulang lang.. pildi jud ang comp-e

laglagan na to...

[koto]

heheee me and the Lopez twins (nathan and gamy) @ enchanted kingdom Lingaw kaayo sila!!!

[img width=451 height=601]http://img494.imageshack.us/img494/7049/21489034957533l2om.jpg[/img]

[Flame alchemist]

kuyawa posing ahh.. anha nalang ka diha Valentin kay wa jud kay talent sa skuwela.. Sauna mo sulod way dala2x papel og ballpen.. pang model jud sige ra rampa sa lobby. hehehehe.. maayo gani lakas ka ni sir beno. pasar nalang guapo man..


pag intrams, dako unta balulang lang.. pildi jud ang comp-e

laglagan na to...

hahay...nonsense...

pinoizeke o! he's retardation is making everyone retarded

[DHated]

suko ka?? pila diay gibayad sa imo producer ana na film??



tinuod bitaw ako gipanulti ...
promise!!!

[freya genetics]

ay, naa diay ning thread nani!

I love this movie gyud! :mrgreen:
It's as if the production poured so much heart and emotion sa film na ni, no pretenstions whatsoever

crush ko si Kuya Victor

also, nakita ko one time sa Greenbelt kana si nathan ug iyang twin, duwa sila timezone,

CUTE kaayo silang duha,

talented kaayo si nathan, I hope he'll make it big! :mrgreen:

[iryn]

this movie is actually a choice of the number one movie of the year sa homeboy for their awards para sa 1st year anniv sa show.
to those who love the movie and have extra load to spare text dayun mo!!!

[Flame alchemist]

"MAxi gets accepted by his father, by his brothers and the SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL!!!"

read all about it(SPOILERS AHEAD)
http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=22246

aintitcoolnews is a site with a really huge readership sa world and from hollywood insiders!! sweet!

more about SUNDANCE
http://festival.sundance.org/2006/

[Cardinal Bunal]

ay, naa diay ning thread nani!

I love this movie gyud!
It's as if the production poured so much heart and emotion sa film na ni, no pretenstions whatsoever

crush ko si Kuya Victor

also, nakita ko one time sa Greenbelt kana si nathan ug iyang twin, duwa sila timezone,

CUTE kaayo silang duha,

talented kaayo si nathan, I hope he'll make it big

Miss, do I know you? Are you a cafa student? hehe...

Anyway, murag bag-ong tupi si Magneto..... diba?

I am no troll...... I am an off topicer.