From Bayani San Diego, Philippine Daily Inquirer: Book lists 4 Filipinos among world’s best

By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:43:00 04/20/2010

MANILA, Philippines—Published by the London-based Phaidon Press, a new book titled “Take 100” features four Filipinos among the “most exceptional and talented emerging film directors in the world.”

The Pinoys in this book subtitled “The Future of Film: 100 New Directors” are Brillante Mendoza, Auraeus Solito, Raya Martin and Pepe Diokno.

Phaidon publishes books on the visual arts in six languages—English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Japanese.

‘Pressure’

According to the book’s website, the 100 filmmakers were chosen by 10 curators and festival programmers, representing some of the world’s top film festivals, including Cameron Bailey of Toronto, Trevor Groth of Sundance, Dong Ho-Kim of Pusan, Frederic Maire of Locarno and Marco Muller of Venice.

Filmmakers from countries as diverse as Algeria, Romania, France and Mexico have also made it to the list.

Mendoza said this latest recognition is a source of “[both] joy and trepidation.”

“With each new honor comes added pressure to work harder,” Mendoza told Inquirer Entertainment. “But it’s good news that four Filipinos are on the list.”

Variety

It’s also noteworthy, Mendoza said, that the four represent different filmmaking styles and sensibilities. “It illustrates the variety of Philippine cinema,” he said.

Solito agreed: “We come from different generations—from ages 21 to 49. This confirms that the world is now looking at the new wave of Pinoy movies.”

He recalled that, five years ago, he felt “alone in the film fest circuit, but now there are lots of Filipinos in every festival I visit.”

The book is a prestigious project, Solito said. “Phaidon featured the world’s best fashion designers and visual artists in earlier publications.”

Presence

Martin was excited about his inclusion on the list. “If I am not mistaken, US director Jason Reitman (“Juno”) and Argentinean filmmaker Lucrecia Martel (“The Headless Woman”) are also in the book. These are filmmakers I admire.”

He continued: “I’m looking forward to it because Phaidon consistently comes out with beautiful books.” (“Take 100” is coming out next month.)

The strong Philippine presence in the lineup, Martin noted, speaks volumes about “the Indie movement in the country. Pinoys are so global.”

The struggle now, he said, is to sustain world interest in local films.

“We are just starting. We should invest in the future so that we can prove that the Philippines is not just a fad in world cinema,” Martin said. “But we shouldn’t rush.”

Diokno, youngest of the four, echoed Martin’s sentiments: “One hundred years from now, people will read this book and they will remember this time in our filmmaking history.”

Film is a collaborative medium, Diokno explained. “It’s an honor not only for us, the directors, but for the entire scene.”

Diokno describes the citation as “thrilling, yet humbling. It feels good to be in the company of Brillante, Auraeus and Raya.”