Cinemalaya 2024 Cinemalaya 2024

Entertainment

What to expect at the 2024 Cinemalaya Film Festival

Now on its 20th edition

Published

on

Every cinephile’s much-awaited annual independent film festival is back, now on its 20th year. Yup, that’s two decades! This year’s edition of the Cinemalaya Film Festival brings the theme “Loob, Lalim, Lakas” to life — with a promise to deliver top-tier visual storytelling that will deeply capture the Filipino cinematic soul.

Planning to go? Here are some things to expect:

A fresh set of competing films

The 20 th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival kicks off on August 2 with the opening film, “The Gospel of the Beast” by Sheron Dayoc, which was recognized in two different international film festivals. After which, all full-length and short feature films competing for the coveted Balanghai trophy will be screened in different schedules.

Here are the 10 films competing for Full-Length Category:

  • “Aliputo” at Muog by JL Burgos
  • “An Errand” by Dominic Bekaert
  • “Balota” by Kip Oebanda
  • “Gulay Lang, Manong” by BC Amparado
  • “Kantil” by Joshua Caesar Medroso
  • “Kono Basho” by Jaime Pecana II
  • “Love Child” by Jonathan Jurilla
  • “The Hearing” by Lawrence Fajardo
  • “The Wedding Dance” by Julius Lumiqued
  • “Tumandok” by Richard Salvadico and Arlie Sumagaysay

On the other hand, below are the 10 competing Short Feature films:

  • “Abogbaybay” by PR Monencillo Patindol
  • “All this wasted space” by Cris Bringas
  • “Ambot Wala Ako Kabalo Unsay I-Title Ini” by Rey Anthony Villaverde
  • “Cross My Heart and Hope to Die” by Sam Manasca
  • “I Was Walking on the Streets of Chinatown” by Ryan Capili
  • “Mama” by Alexandra Brizuela
  • “Mariposa” by Melanie Faye Tampos
  • “Pamalandog sa Danow (Reflection in the Marsh)” by Breech Asher Harani
  • “Primetime Mother” by Sonny Calvento
  • “The Red Trails (An Baga sa Dalan)” by Mariel Ritchie Jolejole and Roniño Dolim

View the full screening schedule here.

Ayala Malls, The Metropolitan Theater screenings

While it’s sad that Cinemalaya won’t be held in its usual home, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (which is under construction, btw), the film festival will be screened in different Ayala Malls Cinemas. Film-watchers can conveniently choose the nearest one to them. The main venue for the festival is Ayala Malls Manila Bay.

Below is the list of participating Ayala Malls Cinemas:

  • Greenbelt
  • Trinoma
  • UP Town Center
  • Market! Market!

Tickets can be purchased on-site or via sureseats.com.

Meanwhile, viewers can catch some non-competing films at the prestigious The
Metropolitan Theater for free. See the list of films here.

Distinguished set of judges

Leading this year’s jury is Golden Globe and BAFTA Awardee and Cinemalaya 2023 Best Supporting Actress Ms. Dolly de Leon. She will be joined by multi-awarded director, editor, composer, and writer Jerrold Tarog, renowned critic and academic Nicanor Tiongson, Berlinale film curator Nicola Marzano, and Dhaka International Film Festival founder and director, Ahmed Muztaba Zamal.

They are tasked to evaluate the competing films and choose which ones are deserving of the coveted Balanghai trophies.

Meanwhile, the jury for NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) Award will compose of award-winning local filmmaker and producer Monster Jimenez, Russian film producer Nina Kochelyaeva, and Cinemalaya veteran Jay Abello.

Never-before-screened films

Apart from the feature films, Cinemalaya will show never-before-screened films from acclaimed Filipino directors in its Premiere Section.

List of films below:

  • “Rizal” by National Artist Marilou Diaz-Abaya
  • “Lost Sabungeros” by Bryan Brazil
  • “And So it Begins” by Ramona Diaz
  • “Abenida” by Luisito Lagdameo Ignacio
  • “Asog” by Sean Devlin
  • “Guardia de Honor” by Jay Altajeros
  • “Lola Magdalena” by Joel C. Lamangan
  • “Transients” by Kyla Romero

Powerful actresses competing for the Best Actress award

When I saw the film trailers, I immediately noticed the power lineup of actresses competing for the Balanghai trophy.

Renowned actress Marian Rivera will make her Cinemalaya debut with “Balota”, and award winning actress Mylene Dizon is up for a comeback with the “Healing.” Mainstream actress Jane Oineza will play a young mom in “Love Child”, alongside her on and off-screen partner, RK Bagatsing.

Cordilleran actress Mai Fanglayan is also playing a lead role, while film and theatre actress Gabby Padilla is back with “Kono Basho” after competing last year with her Cinemalaya film, “Gitling.”

What are you planning to watch from this year’s edition of Cinemalaya?

Entertainment

Hisense L9Q Review: The ultra short throw projector that feels like a TV

A 120″ home cinema

Published

on

Have you ever dreamed of watching a movie at home that actually feels like the cinema? A picture so bright, so detailed, so close — you forget it’s being projected onto your wall?

The Hisense L9Q the kind of device that makes that possible.

The Ultimate Home Theater Upgrade

When you think of a projector, you probably picture a big box at the back of the room, throwing a beam of light you’re not supposed to walk through.

The Hisense L9Q flips that idea completely. It’s an ultra-short-throw projector, which means it sits just inches from the wall. So there are neither shadows nor cables stretching across the floor.

It’s clean, modern, and honestly, it looks like something from the future. It’s Hisense’s most advanced laser projector yet.

Setup only takes minutes: drop it in place, power it on, and auto fit and alignment can take care of the rest, or you can manually adjust it. You don’t need a technician to pull this off.

And the image? 80 inches all the way up to a massive 200 inches. Pair it with an ALR screen — short for ambient light rejection — and it looks even more unreal. The screen bounces the projector’s light straight toward you while blocking out the glare from lamps or windows.

Most people will think it’s a TV. Then you tell them it’s a projector and you can watch their faces light up.

Pure Cinema Standards

At 5,000 lumens, this is one of the brightest projectors in its class. It stays vivid even in daylight. That football match you like to watch with coffee on weekend mornings? It looks spectacular.

The scary movies you pretend to watch under a cozy blanket? Also SPOOK-tacular.

But brightness alone isn’t the star of the show. The secret is L9Q’s Triple Color Laser system. That means separate red, green, and blue lasers, each tuned for pure wavelength precision.

Most projectors use a single white laser or LED that filters through color wheels, which limits how many shades it can actually show. This one doesn’t.

It covers 110% of the BT.2020 color gamut, which is the widest color standard used in 4K production today. So you get richer reds, punchier greens, deeper blues — the kind of color that makes sunsets glow, neon lights shimmer, and movie worlds feel alive.

Just look at the Avatar films: those shimmering blues and layered greens that feel otherworldly. There’s also La La Land’s famous “Lovely Night” scene: those shifting blues and oranges that make it pure magic.

Even in Severance, you might remember that moment when Mr. Milchick gifts the innies their music dance experience. The reds and blues flood the frame without ever bleeding into each other.

Combine that wider color gamut with both Pantone and Pantone Skintone Validation and you get better color over all.

In White Lotus Season 3, for example, even with its warmer color grade, you can still see each cast member’s skin tone naturally. They’re not washed out nor overly orange.

Add 4K Ultra HD resolution and a 5,000 : 1 contrast ratio, and dark scenes pull you in while highlights burst with cinematic clarity, the kind of balance you expect in a real theater.

Just like the best theaters, the L9Q supports every major HDR standard: Dolby Vision, IMAX Enhanced, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG. Visually, it’s stunning.

In Oppenheimer, the shadows stay detailed and lifelike. You’ll see every subtle expression on Cillian  Murphy’s face.

In Black Panther, the deep purples and golds of T’Challa’s ceremonial robe gleam against the vibrant landscapes of Wakanda.

Lastly, in Crazy Rich Asians, the wedding scene feels lush and alive — colors bloom, fabrics shimmer, and the lighting feels straight out of the theater.

Then, there’s the sound. The L9Q’s built-in Max 116W Devialet 6.2.2  audio system delivers clear highs, warm mids, and a surprisingly powerful low end.

Soft moments like Kina Grannis’ Can’t Help Falling in Love, sound intimate and emotional. When things get intense, like Kendrick Lamar’s Pray for Me during the Busan chase, the audio swells, crisp and controlled, matching the energy on screen.

Zimmer’s score in Oppenheimer hits just as hard: first silence, then the blast, shaking the room with that cinematic punch.

Of course, if you’re building a full home theater, you’ll probably connect your own surround setup. With the L9Q’s flexible connectivity, you can easily do so. But even on its own, this projector already sounds like it belongs in a cinema.

Visual Excellence

It’s not just for movie nights either. The L9Q handles fast-moving visuals like a champ . It’s got 240 Hz refresh rate that keeps motion fluid and sharp. Whether it’s live sports, chase scenes, or anything that moves fast, you won’t miss a beat.

It’s one of those details you don’t notice until you go back to something slower — then you can’t unsee it.

Whatever you like to watch at home, it’s also just a click away. The L9Q has Google TV built in, so all your favorite apps — Netflix, Disney Plus, YouTube — are ready to go.

No set-top boxes, no cables, just the remote, which, by the way, glows in the dark.

Elegant Centerpiece

The Hisense L9Q is a showpiece in itself. Unlike most TVs that are an eyesore when turned off, it’s designed to be seen, not hidden.

With its imperial copper gilt finish, diamond-cut edges, and micro-prism detailing, it’s already won prestigious design awards like the Red Dot 2024 and IF Design Award 2025.

Just like all Hisense projectors, it’s also built to last. With a 25,000-hour laser lifespan you’ll be enjoying your home theater for a really long time. I did that math and that’s at least 2 movies every day for the next 13 years.

The Future of Home Cinema

At US$5,999, it’s an investment for sure, but it’s the kind that transforms every movie, game, or cozy night in into something worth remembering. No bulky setup. No messy cables. No compromises. Just light, sound, and story — right where you live.

Check out Hisense L9Q Ultra Short Throw Projector on Best Buy or Amazon. It’s currently $500 off for Black Friday.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

The Legend of Zelda film gets its first official photos

Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth play Zelda and Link, respectively.

Published

on

The Legend of Zelda might be one of the hardest video games to adapt. After all, how do you write a script for a protagonist who never talks? But, by God, Nintendo is doing it anyway. Now, the company has released the first official images from the upcoming live action film’s production.

The upcoming Zelda film has had a long production cycle. First announced in 2023, it was only earlier this year when Nintendo put a date to the film’s premiere: March 26, 2027. Even now, we don’t know much about the film.

Over the weekend, unofficial photos showed that product started its filming in New Zealand. Unofficial photos don’t really mean much except for those who hang around the rumor mill, but they can spiral towards those excited for the film’s release. To get ahead of the rumors, Nintendo released official photos, over the Nintendo Today app, which show both Link and Princess Zelda.

Notably, Zelda, the archetypal princess in distress, isn’t wearing her usual princess’s garb. Rather, she’s wearing the blue gear from the Breath of the Wild duology, where the princess had a more active role in saving Hyrule. Bo Bragason, who plays the princess, will likely take on a more front-and-center role.

Link, played by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, is wearing his more traditional green clothing from the past games. Though the film looks like it’s adapting the most recent duology, it might be an entirely different story, based on Link’s different clothes.

SEE ALSO: The Legend of Zelda live-action film now has a premiere date

Continue Reading

Entertainment

KPop Demon Hunters 2 is reportedly scheduled for 2029 premiere

That’s a pretty long wait.

Published

on

“Golden” must be the most popular song this year. Months after the launch of KPop Demon Hunters, the catchy song is still an earworm. Capitalizing on the hit’s success, Netflix is already considering a sequel. Now, KPop Demon Hunters 2 has reportedly been confirmed with a distant release window.

After less than a year, KPop Demon Hunters is already Netflix’s most-watched title ever. The platform was even confident enough to release the film (and a special singalong version) in select theaters. Soon after the success, Sony Pictures Animation and Netflix kept a potential sequel in mind.

Now, according to Deadline, Netflix has greenlit the sequel for production. KPop Demon Hunters 2, or whatever it might be called, will reportedly premiere sometime in 2029.

No, it’s not just you. Four years is a lengthy wait for a sequel. Then again, animated films take much longer to make. For example, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, coincidentally also coming from Sony Pictures Animation, will premiere in 2027, which is also four years after the previous film.

However, if the Spider-Verse trilogy is any indication, the longer production time can easily churn out a film that tops charts. Both Across the Spider-Verse and KPop Demon Hunters are easily the top animated contenders of its respective years.

SEE ALSO: KPop Demon Hunters is now Netflix’s most-watched movie

Continue Reading

Trending