Posted at 11/16/2010 12:29 PM | Updated as of 11/16/2010 12:29 PM
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THE NETHERLANDS - Sound applause, standing ovation, admiration and a whole new respect for the Philippine cinema. These marked the premiere showing of “Lola,” one of the 9 films of Brillante Mendoza which will be shown until December 2010 in the Eye Institute in the Netherlands.
Attended by writers, philosophers, film critics and very discerning Dutch film-goers, "Lola" gathered very positive feedback from the audience.
Rene Wolf, Head of Acquisition of the Eye Institute, expected this reception when he decided to buy “Lola” and “Kinatay” 2 years ago to be shown in the Netherlands.
“We always look for new directors who have something important to say but also that it is very important that they give their own touch to the way they use film in telling the stories. I think for Brillante Mendoza this is the case. Both in what he has to say and the way he does it are very unusual. I would say both image and sound because I think sound is very important in his movies. That was what interested us very much,” Wolf told Balitang Europe.
Wolf felt that Mendoza is still quite unknown in the Netherlands, and there is a need to invest in a program to make him well known in the country so they decided to show all his 9 films in the Eye Institute in Amsterdam.
Although, there is yet no similar interest for other filmmakers and films from the Philippines, Wolf said that through Mendoza, they will pay more attention to the Philippine cinema. He also expressed an interest in old Filipino movies, especially those made by another award-winning director, Lino Brocka.
Poverty Porn
In the panel discussion that followed the premiere of Lola, Mendoza bravely answered the poverty porn issue confronting
mainstream and indie films, especially from the third world.
Gertjan Zuilhofv, Programmer for the International Film Festival Rotterdam, said he first heard of the term during his last visit to the Philippines.
“Poverty porn” is a term used for films which are exploiting the image of poverty in poor countries. This is usually to attract audience from first world countries who find these films exotic and interesting.
In response, Mendoza said that his films strive only to tell the truthfulness of the situation in his stories. According to the 2009 Cannes’ Best Director, his main concern when making a film is for the audience to understand the poverty in the Philippines.
“I am the filmmaker who shows the truth in my country and I don’t make money out of what I am doing. For me, truthfulness should come first, that’s what you see in my films,” he said.
“Nagkukwento ako ng kahirapan, Hindi lamang iyong kahirapan kung 'di kwento ng mga tao na nasa ganitong sitwasyon. Hindi lamang kwento ng kahirapan kung 'di ng pagmamahal, unconditional love, passion, understanding lalo na ang pagmamahal sa ating mga lola,” he later told BEU.
He also said that his goal is for at least one person to change for the better after watching his films.
Touching hearts
The message of love and understanding was well communicated to the audience especially to Marco Kunst, a Dutch writer and philosopher. According to Kunst, Mendoza’s films have a post-apocalyptic effect. He compared Lola to the Hollywood movie The Book of Eli.
“What happened to me first of all was like being bombarded by a strange city I didn’t know, people I didn’t know. And then we see these old women in the streets of this city and the expression on their faces and all their challenges, I was really being sucked into the movie and really could feel what they felt. What had happened to them is not something from a trailer of an exciting movie but it’s like the tragedy came straight into my heart,” he said.
Kunst added that the film Lola made him think of his mother.
“Those two old women, the Lola’s they really reminded me of my mother not by how they look but I was reminded by the stories by their youth. She has also been through a war as a child. It was as if I understood her more because of seeing this film.”
For these praises, Mendoza was very grateful.
“Napakasarap ng pakiramdam na nakikita nila ang mga pelikula natin, ang mga pelikula ko at nakikita nila ang bansa natin dito sa pelikula ko. Naiintidihan at nalalaman nila ang sitwasyon sa Pilipinas, hindi lang kahirapan, kung 'di mga pagmamahal ng mga lola sa kanilang pamilya lalo na sa kanilang mga apo,” said Mendoza.
More films
Mendoza’s films will also be screened in other countries like Slovenia, Croatia, Belgium, Austria and other countries in Europe.
He is also set to do a film next year with French actress Isabelle Huppert about the lives of the victims of the 2001 Dos Palmas kidnapping.
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