Two Filipino films is included in the 34th Toronto International Film Festival in Canada which is scheduled for public screening from September 10 to 20.  The two films were, Dinig Sana Kita by Director Mike Sandejas and Independencia by Director Raya Martin.

Dinig Sana Kita (If I Knew What You Said, international title) was written and produced by Direk Mike.¬† It stars the deaf actor Romalito Mallari, Robert Se√±a, Lorenzo Mara, and Zoe Sandejas.¬† Dinig Sana Kita will be a part of the Contemporary World Cinema.¬† Contemporary World Cinema is a section in Toronto International Film Festival which is dedicated to the “best of current international filmmaking.”

Dinig Sana Kita won the Audience Choice award in the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival held last July.  It has also been invited to Hawaii International Film Festival in October and the Brussels Independent International Film Festival in November.  Dinig Sana Kita was rated General Patronage (GP) by the Movie and Television Rating and Classification Board.

Meanwhile, the Independencia by Direk Raya Martin will be screened in the Vision program for its North American premiere.¬† Vision program, is a section in Toronto International Film Festival which is dedicated to innovative works of newcomers and veteran filmmakers who are pushing the boundaries of contemporary cinema. It spotlights work that challenges our notion of mainstream cinema and explores experimental filmmaking techniques, new territory and technologies.”

Independencia is a black-and-white film.  It stars Alessandra de Rossi, Tetchie Agbayani, and Sid Lucero.  The Independencia was also included in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival last May.  The film is also set to compete at the 47th Annual New York Film Festival and Vladivostok International Film Festival in Russia next month.
The Independencia is the third Filipino film that enter the prestigious New York Film Festival.¬† The other two films were Insiang (1976)¬† by the late Lino Brocka and Brillante Mendoza’s Serbis (2008).

The Film Society of Lincoln Center, organizer of the New York Film Festival, has described Direk Raya’s Independencia by saying it “offers a kind of alternative history of the Philippines and its struggle for nationhood in this stylized tale of a mother and son hiding in the mountains after the U.S. takeover of the islands.”

Dinig Sana Kita (If I Knew What You Said) Public Screening Schedule

September 11 (Friday)    03:30PM    AMC 7  (AMC Theatres in Toronto Life Square)
September 13 (Sunday)    04:30PM    AMC 2  (AMC Theatres in Toronto Life Square)
September 19 (Saturday)    11:00AM    AMC 10  (AMC Theatres in Toronto Life Square)

Independencia Public Screening Schedule

September 12 (Saturday)    12:45PM    SCOTIABANK THEATRE 3
September 13 (Sunday)    06:15PM    AMC 5 (AMC Theatres in Toronto Life Square)
September 17 (Thursday)    07:00PM    VARSITY 2

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