18th Spring Film Festival opens at the Shang

18th Spring Film Festival organizers

With the lion and dragon dancers moved to the vigorous beating of the drums and cymbals, the 18th Spring Film Festival formally opened at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall marking the start of the foreign language film festival this year.

Presented by the Ateneo de Manila University Ricardo Leong Center for Chinese Studies, the Ateneo Celadon, the Film Development Council of the Philippines, the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, and the Shangri-La Plaza, the Spring Film Festival is usually held to coincide with the Chinese Lunar New Year. No one seemed to mind that it was held earlier than usual this year.

Joshe Calvin Tiu

Prior to the screening of the opening film, a program was held at the Shang's Grand Atrium that featured performances by saxophonist Joshe Calvin Tiu, dancer Qiu Ting Cai, and the Philippine Tong Sun Dragon and Lion Dance Group.

There were some late changes to the program with The Captain replacing Full River Red, which was announced at the press preview to have a one time, exclusive screening to open the festival. The film Looking Up was also dropped from the lineup as well.

Qiu Ting Cai

Overall, there are still four films left, The Bravest, Legend of the Demon Cat, White Snake, and the aforementioned The Captain. This somehow makes it easier for a dedicated viewer to see the entire selection this year.

RAd Views: The Captain

Directed by Andrew Lau, The Captain is loosely based on the Sichuan Airlines Flight 8633 incident back in May 2018. While flying over the Tibetan plateau, the aircraft's windshield shatters and Captain Liu Chuanjian (Zhang Hanyu), his co-pilots, and the rest of the flight's crew pull out all the stops to achieve what has been dubbed as probably the greatest miracle in aviation history.

With the support of the Civil Aviation Association of China, the film gives a glance on the inner workings of a flight, from the meticulous checks done prior to take-off to the protocols to be followed after an emergency landing. All the technical stuff shown in the film can easily entice one to pursue a career in the aviation industry despite the main plot.

While the action is tense once the disaster strikes, the paper thin characters leave a lot to be desired. Zhang Hanyu's Captain Liu Chuanjian is always cool asa cucumber. And his extreme stoicism is further amplified by the childish antics of his co-pilots played by Oho Ou and Du Jiang. The female flight attendants are barely distinguishable from each other aside from Chief Purser portrayed by Yuan Quan who displayed steely resolve amidst the panicking passengers.

The Captain is one popcorn flick that may take viewers for a bumpy ride. But it will not leave one at the edge of his seat fearful for the characters considering that the miracle in all of this is that the plane landed without any casualties.

The 18th Spring Film Festival screenings is ongoing at the Red Carpet Cinema at the Shangri-La Plaza until January 30, 2024.