Archive - Arts & Culture

Text, photos and video by VINCENT GO WHAT started out as a gathering of a few tattoo artists at a small garage in Malate district in Manila twelve years ago has grown to be the biggest tattoo exposition in the country.

By PABLO A. TARIMAN
AURAEUS Solito’s “Busong” -- which was premiered last year at the Cannes International Film Festival’s Directors Fortnight section -- continued its winning streak by running away with the grand prize in the recently concluded National Geographic All Roads Film Festival in Washington D.C.

By PABLO A. TARIMAN
STAR Cinema’s “The Mistress” is making a killing in the box office and it is an indication the subject is no longer taboo in Philippine media and in the social hierarchy.

By PABLO A. TARIMAN
AS the country recalls a dark chapter in its history by marking the 40th anniversary of martial law, it is interesting to note how that event actually changed people’s lives, most of them media icons.

By PABLO A. TARIMAN
THE filmmaker associated with several award-winning films (Burlesk Queen, 1977; Asedillo 1971; Ang Alamat ni Julian Makabayan, 1979) is now based in Siniloan, Laguna where he was born 69 years ago.

By PABLO A. TARIMAN
THERE is much to appreciate in the 26th theater season of Tanghalang Pilipino. Its production of “Walang Kukurap” written by Layeta Bucoy can pass for a contemporary version of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town.”

Text and photos by ELIZABETH LOLARGA
IF black ants are marching in a long, busy line in your cottage in Davao City, consider it a propitious sign. It means the fruits you bought, be they rambutan, mangosteen or that stinky bomb called durian, are sweet.

By PATRICK KING PASCUAL IT was another first in the struggle to have their rightful place in society. The recently-concluded “Queer Manila” art exhibit at the Manila Contemporary on Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati was a crash course on LGBTs, short for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender.

By PABLO A. TARIMAN THE sad news in the music world is that pianist Van Cliburn-- the first American pianist to win the First Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958 -- was diagnosed with advanced bone cancer.

Many of Nora Aunor’s past films are virtual cases of art imitating the actress’s poignant, sad, and by turns, happy life. To be sure, a few of her past films come to mind when an independent group of Italian film critics covering the 69th Venice International Film Festival gave her the Bisata d’Oro (Golden Eel) for best actress for the Brillante Mendoza film, “Thy Womb.”

By PABLO A. TARIMAN
THE latest film of Brillante Mendoza, “Captive” attempts to document the perennial problem of kidnap-for-ransom associated with Southern Mindanao.

By PHILIP PARAAN
PHOTOGRAPHER-writer Angelica Carballo’s artistic eye turns to breastfeeding as the subject of her first photo-documentary exhibit “Padede” at the GSIS Museum in Pasay City.

By PABLO A. TARIMAN
LINO Brocka’s 1981 landmark film, “Bona” starring Nora Aunor, has been revived with a theater adaptation featuring Eugene Domingo.

By PABLO A. TARIMAN INDONESIAN music lovers got another taste of Filipino talents when Filipino baritone Noel Azcona and soprano Rachelle Gerodias proved their worth as star soloists in a recent weekend performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at the Aula Simfonia concert hall in Central Jakarta August 25 and 26.

Text and photos by LEILANIE G. ADRIANO
CATHERINE Pascual Abadilla, 66, exactly knows what she wants and she does it perfectly to preserve her family legacy of producing a stimulating aroma and a very strong taste of a dark liquid Ilocanos are known for ages—Sukang Iloko.

By PHILIP PARAAN
A passion for films and a lot of dreams could sometimes spark a cinematic feat to remake a classic film.

By MARILYN MANA-AY ROBLES
WHAT biting wit! Such is Walang Sugat, a sarswela written by the father of Tagalog sarswela, Severino Reyes, popularly known as Lola Basyang. Walang Sugat was written in 1898 and first staged in 1902. The play was considered subversive during the early years of American colonization.

Text, photos and video by LUIS LIWANAG ISABELA, Basilan—This city became a haven of merry making as residents began the three-day Hari Raya festival marking the end of the monthlong period of fasting and prayer called Ramadan.

By ELIZABETH LOLARGA
THE Parliament of the Street came alive again through a night of song and poetry performed not atop a flatbed truck but on a traditional stage. The Demetillos, a family of musicians made up of guitarist Lester, his sister Becky Abraham and her daughter Astarte, both vocalists, and some friends (Mario Andres, Lory Paredes and Karina Constantino-David) etched the contours of history and the current state of the nation at the University of the Philippines Abelardo Hall concert "Mga Awit Protesta."

By PABLO A. TARIMAN
After being treated to main characters in distress for close to two hours, you realize this is not a great film but it is largely entertaining and a good production on which Filipinos actors showed their best even if their parts were short and nearly negligible.

COTABATO CITY— A festive atmosphere filled the air here late Saturday night as Muslims marked takbir by riding around the city with roaring car engines, persistent honking and delighted howls.

MALAMAUI, Basilan—Islam sets restrictions on how women conduct their lifestyles and function alongside men in society. But for a group of women residing in the remote community of Carbon in Malamaui in Basilan province, this seems to be a minor setback.

By PABLO A. TARIMAN
THE Filipino actress -- who won three Best Supporting Actress trophies for her role in the indie film, “Nino” from the Cine Malaya, Golden Screen to the 6th Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong -- is really no stranger to audience and critics’ acclaim since she started acting professionally in the 80s.

By MARILYN MANA-AY ROBLES
THE week past was very revealing. Filipinos again displayed resilience in the midst of tragedy. As the floods came and swept away treasured material possessions people grinned and bore it out. Some were unable to have food for days and shivered in the cold. Even the untimely death of loved ones buried in mud was taken as mere fate. Could something have been done to prevent or reduce the effect of this calamity?