Goose bumps. Salt water in my eyes. Damn. 5 minutes. Yes, it only took 5 minutes for me to feel.....

Ambivalence.

Official Movie Poster of Bitoon sa Siyudad, CTO

Don't judge, you may watch a preview of the movie here:




MMFF 2016 was not free from scandals. The hot issue was mainly because power houses in the movie industry were not drafted in the Top 8 entries of the festival. Rather, 8 full length and 8 short films; mostly indie and not coming from big pocket cinema giants all vying not only to gain critical acclaims but to express raw stories of Filipinos.

Mga Bitoon sa Siyudad (Stars in the City) is a story of two brothers who were there on the tragic hour of the blast in Roxas, Davao City last September 2, 2016 which claimed 15 lives and left more injured. Direk Jarell Serencio's narration of the story is a tribute to the resilience of the city that is Davao.

When asked about the choice of story, actors and the challenges he faced in the process of the movie, Direk Jarell answered that coming up with the story was the easiest part. He narrated how he was moved by the news of the blast. He crafted the story line to not only tell the story of people who live from hand to mouth but most specially to those who are innocent victims of terror attacks. A tribute to families left behind. He was most inspired to tell the story of the innocent victims - the children serenading your bbq meals or massage trips in Roxas Night Market.

As you watch the film, you'll be astounded by the rawness of the story, or the familiar faces of the "non acting actors". Props to the kids, by the way. Although as Direk Jarell would put it, "magfix lang mi kadali sa mga gamit, managan na sila (we'll only fix the equipment and the kids will start running around). There were challenges on budget contraints, film location and the weather wasn't very cooperative.

Despite the hurdles in the making of the film and together with the rest of the team, Bitoon sa Siyudad did not disappoint. You're not human if you won't feel anything after 5 minutes.

You may watch this 5-minute short film together with ORO, a full length drama on mining. YES! Each MMFF2016 movie ticket you'll purchase entitles you to watch 1 full length movie and a short film. Both films will be shown in NCCC Mall Davao, SM City Lanang and GMALL Davao Cinema starting December 25. You may checkout their fb pages and sites for the schedule and promo prices.

CTO, Direk Jarell directing the kids on location

CTO, Assistant Dir. giving directions to the non acting actors

DBS Fam with Direk Jarell

Direk Jarell w/ the actors and production team

Me! :) with the main "actor" MacMac

Support Lokal. Tatak Dabawenyo. Stand strong Davao. 
Props to the Pinoy Films