at the 2007 sydney writers' festival

i returned to sydney last week to facilitate a session on southeast asian diaspora writers in australia during the 2007 sydney writers' festival. the festival also launched my fourth book, from the editors: migrant communities and emerging australian literature (liverpool, new south wales: casula powerhouse, 2007). meanwhile, my festival panel was sponsored by casula powerhouse and liverpool regional museum, with heaps of assistance from the australian federal government, arts new south wales, liverpool city council, the australia council for the arts, tien ve and the lao community advancement (nsw) co-op ltd.

the other members of my panel were lao australian writer and editor sumana viravong, vietnamese australian musician and literary artist ngoc-tuan hoang, and filipina australian poet and playwright noonee doronila. later, eminent filipino poet and former u.p. mindanao chancellor ricardo de ungria drew comparisons and contrasts from his experiences as a creative writer, academic and cultural administrator affiliated with the literary arts committee of the philippine national commission for culture and the arts (ncca).

it was a grueling week. i had to attend festival sessions, meetings with artists, scholars, and cultural administrators, prepare tremendously for my presentation. fortunately, gigi grande, australia news bureau chief of abs-cbn global (my student in communication 1 and 2 at u.p. diliman some years back), was there to document my trip when my digital camera malfunctioned. despite her busy schedule (e.g., covering the philippine president's trip to australia), gigi took me from one festival location to another. she also treated me to meals, high tea and coffee. on my last day, she woke up so early and drove for me from north sydney all the way to the airport. she is angel gigi talaga.

i was very tired but happy when i returned to manila. i can only hope that more filipino writers will be given similar opportunities to take an active part during the annual writers' festival in sydney.

jose wendell capili on ramsay street (haberfield, greater sydney) by gigi grande

with filipino australian artists robert nery, deborah ruiz wall and noonee doronila


reading the highlights of my paper on southeast asian diaspora writers in australia and the consequence of community-based initiatives

with tuan, noonee and ricky

with tuan and noonee

ricky and sumana

with core group members of the a.n.u. philippine studies group

being interviewed by ala paredes for abs-cbn's balitang australia

being interviewed by ronald manila for sbs australia

my fourth book




at the 2007 sydney writers festival

the crowd in liverpool

with gigi grande, australia news bureau chief of abs cbn global before my departure for manila in sydney's kingsford smith airport

anzac bridge, sydney

central station, sydney




scenes from the sydney writers' festival session at the liverpool regional museum

(photos credits: gigi grande)

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Global Film Initiative buys US rights to The Bet Collector (Jeffrey Jeturian's Kubrador)

Silvia Wong in Singapore

Screen Daily

07 Jun 2007 13:10

Global Film Initiative has taken all US rights to award-winning Filipino drama The Bet Collector (Kubrador).

The deal was negotiated by French sales outfit Wide Management's Matteo Lovadina.

After making its world premiere in Moscow last year, the picture has travelled to about forty film festivals worldwide, winning numerous awards. These include two FIPRESCI awards (at Moscow and New Delhi) as well as four international best actress awards (at New Delhi, Brussels, CineManila and Amiens) for veteran actress Gina Pareno.

Pareno plays an aging bet collector who earns commissions from collecting bets for jueteng, an illegal number game, in the slums of Manila.

The film is directed by Jeffrey Jeturian whose previous credits include Bridal Shower and Bikini Open and produced by MLR Films' Josabeth Alonso and Rogelio Rayala.

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January 2008 MoMA (New York) Premiere for Kubrador

KUBRADOR/THE BET COLLECTOR will be showcased as part of Global Film Initiative's Global Lens 2008 series, which will premiere in January 2008 at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York and screen in up to thirty cities across the United States before going into general theatrical and home video distribution via First Run Features. Traditionally, Global Lens receives good press for the series. KUBRADOR/THE BET COLLECTOR is set to gain further significant attention, as it is one of only two possible films from Southeast Asia in the ten-film series.

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My previous entries on Jeffrey Jeturian's Kubrador are all here.