RAd views FANNY: The Right to Rock

With Filipinos having a knack in milking the Pinoy Pride banner even to a fault, one might think that the pioneering US rock band Fanny, especially the Filipino-American founders, are household names in the Philippines.

Surprisingly, Fanny has remained relatively obscure not just only in the Philippines but also in the US despite being considered as the first all-female rock band to release an album from a major record label.

The band's story is the subject of the music documentary, FANNY: The Right to Rock, written and directed by Bobbi Jo Hart and released locally by TBA Studios.

Through archived footage and present day interviews, the documentary sees Filipino-American sisters June (guitar, vocals) and Jean (bass, vocals) Millington, and Brie Howard-Darling (drums, vocals) reunite to record a new album. In the process, the trio recalls the early pre-Fanny days up to the present as they gear up to promote their comeback record.

FANNY touches upon the growing pains, personal heartbreaks and also the sexism, racism, and homophobia that they had to face as an all-female band with non-white and queer members. It also gives a glimpse to the cutthroat world of the music industry where sales is all that matters. Despite the odds stacked against them, Fanny has earned vocal fans like Bonnie Raitt, Def Leppard's Joe Elliott, most notably, David Bowie, and mang others. This make it seem more perplexing as to why Fanny failed to achieve commercial success having only peaked at #29 at the Billboard Hot 100 with Butter Boy.

After almost 50 years since the release of their first self-titled record, the Millington sisters and Howard-Darling, now known as Fanny Walked the Earth, are poised to have another shot in rock and roll history with this new record. Previous members Alice de Buhr (drums) and Patti Quattro (guitar, vocals) make guest appearances in the album but long time Fanny keyboardist Nickey Barclay has already distanced herself from the band since the split saying that she doesn't want to do anything with the group anymore.

Brie Howard-Darling, Jean Millington, and June Millington

Bobbi Jo Hart's opus sheds light to a moment of modern music history that has been relegated to an obscure footnote. By the time that the credits rolled, there is a strong, immediate desire to dig into Fanny's discography and hear with one's own ears why this band has influenced generations of female musicians and yet not as celebrated as they should be.

Perhaps when FANNY: The Right to Rock hits select local cinemas on September 7, 2022, the band will finally get their due and become a household name in the Philippines.

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Fanny Walked the Earth

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Teatro Europa returns with onsite and online performances

Teatro Europa returns with a hybrid of physical, onsite and online, virtual performances starting on July 23, 2022.

Presented by the European Union Delegation to the Philippines, together with the EU Member States and their cultural institutes, Teatro Europa is the first ever European theater festival in the Philippines

For its third edition, the festival will see performances of classical and contemporary plays from EU member states by theater groups from 18 partner universities from all over the country.

The performances will be a mix of 8 onsite and 10 online performances with 7 of the onsite performances to be livestreamed at the Teatro Europa Facebook page.

The festival launches with Piladelpiya, Hirrr ay Kammm! an adaptation of Philadelphia, Here I Come! by the Teatro de Letran of Colegio de San Juan de Letran on July 23, 2022, 6:00 PM at the Rizal Park Open Auditorium in partnership with the National Parks Development Committee.

Written by Irish Brian Friel, Piladelpiya is a tragicomedy that centers around Gareth O'Donnell's move to Philadelphia, USA. In this production, the comic story is transposed to several circumstances in the Philippines.

Here is the schedule of the 3rd Teatro Europa. All performances, except for Piladelpiya, Hirrr ay Kammm!, will be livestreamed at the Teatro Europa Facebook page at 6:00 PM.

July 23, 2022 Ireland

Colegio de San Juan de Letran’s Teatro de Letran

Philadelphia, Here I Come! by Brian Friel adapted to Piladelpiya, Hirrr ay Kammm!

July 24, 2022 Czech Republic

Colegio San Augustin’s Kanlaon Theater Guild

The Elegance of the Molecule by Petr Zelenka

July 28, 2022 Hungary

Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan’s The Xavier Stage

A Matter of Husbands by Ferenc Molnar adapted to Give me back my Husband!

July 29, 2022 Denmark

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Valenzuela’s PLV-BACSTAGE

A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen

Onsite performance at PLV Maysan Auditorium Maysan Rd., Valenzuela

July 30, 2022 Poland

Mindanao State University - General Santos’ Basic Institute for Dramatic Arts

The Madman and the Nun by Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz adapted to Straitjacketed

July 31, 2022 Spain

Saint Louis University’s Tanghalang SLU

Fuente Ovejuna by Lope de Vega

Onsite performance at SLU CCA Theater, Upper Bonifacio St. Baguio City Benguet

August 4, 2022 Sweden

Jose Rizal Memorial State University - Dapitan Campus’ Teyatro Dasuliman

Miss Julie by August Strindberg

August 5, 2022 Belgium

Mapúa University’s Mapúa Tekno Teatro

Antigone in Molenbeek by Stefan Hertmans

August 6, 2022 Greece

Rizal Technological University’s RTU Dulaang Rizalia

Lysistrata by Aristophanes

Onsite performance at RTU Mini Theater, 5F Dr. Lydia Profeta Bldg., Boni Ave., Mandaluyong City

August 7, 2022 The Netherlands

Jose Rizal University’s Teatro Rizal

The Fourposter by Jan de Hartog

Onsite performance at JRU Auditorium, 80 Shaw Blvd. Mandaluyong City

August 10, 2022 Bulgaria

Asian Institute of Maritime Studies’ Layag Collective

The Bus by Stanislav Stratiev

August 11, 2022 Austria

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Marikina’s Batlaya Theater Guild

The Master by Hermann Bahr

August 12, 2022 Romania

Arellano University’s Teatro Arellano

The Evangelists by Alina Mungiu-Pippidi

August 13, 2022 Italy

Meridian International Business Arts and Technology (MINT) College’s MINTeatro

La Mandragola (The Mandrake) by Niccolò Machiavelli

Onsite performance at The Playhouse, 2F CIP Bldg., McKinley Campus Ave., Taguig

August 14, 2022 Finland

University of the East’s UE Drama Company

Cutting a Cake by Christoffer Mellgren

August 18, 2022 Portugal

La Salle University’s LSU Teatro Guindegan

Auto da Alma (The Soul’s Journey) by Gil Vicente adapted to Padayon

August 19, 2022 Germany

University of San Agustin - Iloilo’s USA Little Theater

Rosemarie the Cow by Andri Beyeler adapted to Baka-Baka

Onsite performance at USA Little Theater, Gen. Luna St., Iloilo City

August 20, 2022 France

University of St. La Salle - Bacolod’s USLS Maskara Theatre Ensemble

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett re-imagined into Godo

Onsite performance at USLS-Gallaga Theatre, La Salle Ave., Bacolod city

Performances will have online reruns from August 22 up to September 5, 2022.

The 3rd Teatro Europa is presented by the European Union Delegation to the Philippines in celebration of the European International Year of the Youth this 2022.

PPO stage comeback in French-Ship concert

Adrian Nicolas Ong, Kyongmin Nam Fiel, Michaël Cousteau,
and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra 

When the final somber measures of Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony faded into silence at the February 2020 season concert of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, no one in the audience expected that this would be the last thing they would hear before everything was brought to a close by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since then, the orchestra had to make do with online performances in their respective living spaces. When restrictions eased a bit, members were able to perform as small groups in online recitals. And of late, the entire orchestra was able to tour parts of Luzon via outreach programs wherein they played light classical fare mixed with pop pieces that appealed to the general public.

Finally after two years and almost five months, the PPO find themselves back inside the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater, flexing their muscles performing an all classical program. All this thanks to A French-Ship Concert, a music event in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Philippine-French diplomatic relations.

Michaël Cousteau and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Under the direction of Michaël Cousteau, no longer a stranger to the PPO owing to previous guest conducting stints in 2009, 2002, and 2019, the orchestra showed no signs of rust as they breezed through Claude Debussy's dreamy Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune/Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. The late addition of Antonio Molina's Hatinggabi to the program featuring violinist Adrian Nicolas Ong also posed no problem for the PPO.

But the biggest drama of the night went to the performance of Camille Saint-Saëns' Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33. There was a scramble to find a new cellist when Giancarlo Gonzalez, the previously announced soloist, tested positive for COVID-19. Finding a replacement for a concert happening in a matter of days was no easy feat. Some approached cellists declined but someone eventually stepped up to the plate. And that someone is Kyongmin Nam Fiel.

Hailing from South Korea, Nam-Fiel is no longer a stranger to the French Embassy's events. She has performed with her now husband Dingdong Fiel live scoring La Passion de Jeanne D’Arc/The Passion of Joan of Arc, France's entry at the 2018 International Silent Film Festival and at Après un rêve, the opening of the online edition of Les Jeudis culturels in 2020.

Nam Fiel's performance of the Saint-Saëns concerto, more reserved and less flashy, kept those who were aware of the circumstances figuratively holding their breaths and at the edge of their seats considering that this piece had no break in between movements. There was an almost palpable collective sigh of relief once she got through her final notes. Debuting with the PPO as a last minute replacement is no easy feat, but Nam Fiel rose to the occasion and has made this concert a truly memorable one for the books.

Kyongmin Nam Fiel, Michaël Cousteau, and Adrian Nicolas Ong

The final piece, Maurice Ravel's Ma mère l'Oye/Mother Goose, featured a greater variety of moods that stretched the PPO further. With a few tentative solos and some passages that could have been tighter, the orchestra showed that they have yet to return to peak form. But one has to remember that this was the PPO's first concert with a full classical program in almost two and a half years. They may have scraped of the rust, but they have yet to gain the endurance and that consistency that a full concert demands.

Overall, this was a fitting return of the PPO to the CCP Main Theater. This concert led to questions about the orchestra's 2022-2023 concert season. With the search for the new principal conductor/music director still ongoing, the upcoming season will feature a rotation of guest conductors. It will not be surprising if we see Michaël Cousteau have another return engagement with the PPO as well as Adrian Nicolas Ong and Kyongmin Nam Fiel to be featured soloists once again but under more favorable circumstances this time.

A French-Ship Concert

A French-Ship Concert in celebration of the 75th Anniversary of Philippine-French diplomatic relations was presented by the Embassy of France to the Philippines, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

Cinemalaya 18 breaks through the noise as full length films, cinema screenings return

After two online editions with only short films in competition, the 18th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival welcomes the return of the full length feature films as the festival heads back to the cinemas beginning on August 5 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Adapting the slogan Breaking Through the Noise, Cinemalaya 18 sees 11 full length films and 12 short films competing to win the Balanghai trophy.

Short film directors with Joey Reyes

The short films in the line up this year are Ampangabagat nin Talakba ha Likol by Maria Estela Paiso; Black Rainbow by Zig Dulay; City of Flowers by Xeph Suarez; Dikit by Gabriela Serrano; Distance by Dexter Paul de Jesus; Duwa-Duwa by Nena Jana Achacoso; Kwits by Raz de la Torre; Mata Kang Busay by Nińo B. Maldecir and Cypher John T. Gayorgor; Mga Handum nga Nasulat sa Baras by Arlie Sweet Sumagaysay and Richard Jeroui Salvadico; See You, George! by Mark Moneda; Si Oddie by Maria Kydylee Torato; and Roundtrip to Happiness by Claudia Fernando.

Full length film directors with Joey Reyes

The full length films, consisting of finalists from 2020 & 2021, are 12 Weeks by Anna Isabelle Matutina; Angkas by Rain Yamson; Bakit ‘Di Mo Sabihin? by Real S. Florido; The Baseball Player by Carlo Obispo; Batsoy by Ronald Espinosa Batallones; Blue Room by Ma-an L. Asuncion-Dagñalan; Bula Sa Langit by Sheenly Gener; Ginhawa by Christian Paolo Lat; Kaluskos by Roman S. Perez, Jr.; Kargo by TM Malones; and Retirada by Milo Alto Paz and Cynthia Cruz-Paz.

At the recent press conference, the first held on site since 2019, Festival Director Chris Millado announced that the festival's opening film will be Leonor Will Never Die by Martika Ramirez Escobar, a winner of the Special Jury Prize for Innovative Spirit at the latest Sundance Film Festival making its Philippine premiere at the Cinemalaya.

Coleen Garcia

Also announced are the closing films, the documentaries Delikado by Karl Malakunas and We Don't Dance for Nothing by Stefanos Tai, signaling the inclusion of the much awaited documentary section in next year's edition. The Cinemalaya Awards Night will be on August 14, 2022 at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater).

JC de Vera

The festival continues to offer the Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video, considered the longest-running independent film competition of its kind in the ASEAN region, to be screened on August 6-8, 2022 at the CCP's Tanghalang Manuel Conde. The Gawad Alternatibo awarding will take place on August 13, 2022.

The Cinemalaya shorts from 2020 & 2021 will finally be screened at the big screen this year. A retrospective of works featuring departed Cinemalaya directors and actors will also be on offer. Absent this year are the Asian film offerings via the Visions of Asia and Allied Festival screenings.

Zephanie

Cinemalaya 18 will run at the CCP on August 5-14, 2022. The films in competition will be screened in select commercial cinemas on August 10-17, 2022. Cinemalaya then tours the regions with campus and community screenings happening in August 22-29, 2022. An online run through CCP's Vimeo channel will take place on October 17-31, 2022.

Here are the full length film entries for Cinemalaya 18.

12 Weeks

Director: Anna Isabelle Matutina

Cast: Max Eigenmann, Bing Pimentel, Vance Larena, Claudia Enriquez

After ending her toxic relationship with her boyfriend Ben, 40-year-old Alice discovers she is pregnant. With her age and current relationship status, her first instinct is to have the pregnancy terminated. As her body undergoes dramatic changes, Alice struggles and needs to decide what to do. Will she slide back into the arms of Ben? What will this mean for the child growing inside her?

Angkas

Director: Rain Yamson

Cast: Joem Bascon, Benjamin Alves, Meryll Soriano, Jolo Estrada (special participation)

Two estranged friends rebuild their embittered past while traveling together in a habal-habal to retrieve a dead pal.

Bakit ‘Di Mo Sabihin?

Director: Real S. Florido

Cast: JC De Vera, Janine Gutierrez, Divine Aucina, Shing Gener, RJ Agustin, Sunshine Teodoro, Althea Ruedas, Luke Simon Cornel, Dess Verzosa, Disney Aguila, Jamil Carvajal

Deaf couple Miguel and Nat have been struggling to keep their marriage. After a huge fight, Miguel leaves his wife alone in Manila and decides to live in Baler with their kids. As he starts a new life, Miguel is reminded about the reasons he married Nat by his family's relentless stories about how modern a woman Nat is, and how he failed in so many ways to recognize that he fell in love with a younger deaf woman. One Christmas Eve, Miguel finally made a move to tell Nat everything she needed to know.

The Baseball Player

Director: Carlo Obispo

Cast: Tommy Alejandrino, JM San Jose, Tess Antonio, Don Melvin Boongaling, Sue Prado, Pongs Leonardo, Joel Saracho, Bon Lentejas, Ely Cellan, Arnold Reyes (special participation)

Amir, a 17-year-old Moro child soldier whose father was killed in all-out war in 2000, dreams to live a different life – he wants to become a baseball player. Training extensively with his coach, he makes it to the final tryout of a local university. Unfortunately, another all-out war against Moro rebels breaks out in 2003, and he is confronted with making a choice between pursuing his dream or fighting in the war.

Batsoy

Director: Ronald Batallones

Cast: Ethan Sean Sotto, Markko Cambas, Karen Laurrie Mendoza, Nathan J. Sotto, Jonalie Asdolo

After selling firewood for their basic needs, siblings Toto and Nonoy go to buy batsoy, the food that the younger brother has been craving the most. Mt. Manaphag, which faces the town of San Dionisio, becomes the silent witness to their journey to satisfy their craving. Their adventure will ultimately bring viewers to the world of magic, fantasy and reality.

Blue Room

Director: Ma-an L. Asuncion-Dagñalan

Cast: juan karlos, Harvey Bautista, Nourijune, Keoni Jin and Elijah Canlas. With Soliman Cruz, Bombi Plata, Jericho Arceo, Bon Lentejas, Richard Cepeda

Progressive rock band members make a difficult choice between freedom or standing up for what they believe.

Bula sa Langit

Director: Sheenly Gener

Cast: Gio Gahol, Kate Alejandrino, AIR

Acting as if coming home from a vacation, young Marawi war veteran Wesley is excited to bring his girlfriend Ritz home to meet his family. Showered with unsolicited hero worship upon his homecoming, Wesley struggles to reconnect with his present relationships with his family and lover all while celebrating the town fiesta. Overwhelmed and alienated, the young soldier finds himself haunted by one of his traumatic kills, and in this internal war, he is alone. Compounded and triggered, his frustration shoots up in one of his conversations with Ritz. He impulsively goes to the carnival to confront his trauma.

Ginhawa

Director: Christian Paolo Lat

Cast: Andrew Ramsay, Duane Lucas Pascua, Ruby Ruiz, Rolando Inocencio, Dido de la Paz, Ruth Lopez-Dee, Elan Villafuerte, Shun Andrei Bacalla, Roel Abao, Kiko Matos, Jun Nayra, Jan Rebong, Chanel Latorre

Anton is an aspiring boxer. He hopes to continue the legacy of his older brother Saul, who was given a chance to escape poverty by joining a competition in the city but later faced tragedy. Against his mother’s wishes, Anton leaves their small fishing town to pursue boxing in Manila where he unravels the ugly truth of the brutal sport.

Kaluskos

Director: Roman S. Perez, Jr.

Cast: Coleen Garcia, Queenzy Calma, Karl Medina, Cara Gonzales, Elora Espano

Rebekah files for sole custody for her young daughter Amaya. But this doesn’t sit well with her estranged husband Jay. Amid the custody battle, Rebekah finds another “Amaya” under the bed. When the other Amaya emerges, Rebekah feels the motherly connection that she lost with her daughter. The other Amaya insists that she is the real Amaya trapped under the bed because of a curse, and the other one is the impostor. Wanting to start a new life with the other Amaya, Rebekah seeks to set her free. But to do that, she needs to kill the impostor.

Kargo

Director: TM Malones

Cast: Max Eigenmann, Jess Mendoza, Myles Robles, Ronnie Lazaro (special participation)

When her entire family perished in a motorcycle accident at a rough highway in Maasin, Iloilo, Sara crashed into a deep depression, which was gradually replaced with an overpowering need to avenge them. Believing that her husband and daughter were murdered, she searches for the man who killed her entire family to find some closure. But at the end of her journey, she untangles something she did not quite expect – a discovery that could profoundly change her entire life.

Retirada

Directors: Cynthia Cruz-Paz, Milo Alto Paz

Cast: Peewee O’Hara, Jerry O’Hara, Donna Cariaga, Dexter Doria, Nanding Josef, Lui Manansala, Johana Basanta

Despite her husband Edong’s assurance, Azon Marcelo experiences melancholia as she adjusts to her life as a retired government employee. Their neighbor Chayong introduces the game of Bingo to Azon. After hitting the jackpot, Azon becomes a regular Bingo player hoping to duplicate her initial windfall. But her new sense of purpose and the adrenaline rush from her new hobby would teach her what retirement really means.