“Trabaho”screening at Peyups

People figured out where the UP Film Center was, but I received several texts asking where the UP Videotheque (the 80-pax capacity venue for screening free video films this August at UP Film Center,we were informed)was. It was the same building, but the Videotheque was on the University Oval side, and it’s on the second floor right above the Ishmael Bernal Gallery. Thankfully, the Center put up arrow signs at the Cine Adarna ticketron kasi we took along only one tarpauline of the movie which we hung at the entrance of the Ishmael Bernal Gallery. Screening your film at your university is ultimately exciting pala. We ushered people up and down untiringly up the stairs leading to the blue door of the airconditioned videotheque, a much more intimate venue than Robinson’s Ermita cinema, SM San Lazaro, and SM Manila cinemas where “Trabaho” screened last October (during the run of the Cinemanila Festival). Again, without the magnanimity of the UP Film Center, we would not be able to accomplish this screening, salamat po, salamat. So it was scheduled for 5pm but for some reason people kept trickling in even after the movie began at 5:05 (we could not move it later for there were people who arrived at 5:00 talaga). 15 minutes into the film, we noticed na SRO na pala and much as I would’ve wanted to watch it with our audience, pinaubaya ko na lang yung space sa gustong manood. But you could here them below, sa Ishmael Bernal Gallery, guffawing, ang lakas ng impact ng movie sa kanila. Sabagay ako rin pag libre, mas masaya panoorin kasi masarap ang libre, yun na! Sa mga artista, Sani Ajero showed up but was too shy to watch, pano andun ang sangkaterbang klasmeyts niya. Superwoman Sigrid Andrea Bernardo (Urian nominee for Short Film Best Director award also that night, August 3. Si Ping Medina din, nominated for Best Supporting Actor naman. Ibang klase!) finally got to watch kasi naman namamayagpag talaga ang career niya e, nagkaron din siya ng chance. Tapos nagtext pa si Sigrid na nakakatense daw, hours before the screening. Si Fudge de Leon, nandun din, isama mo na sina Jacque See at Xe Palomares. Miss Lalli Lacaba told us sana magpalabas kami sa Cine Adarna so we could charge. Puwede nga sana if we could have prepared a more pulido cut of the movie kasi yung inayos ng editor at director, di pa nacocopy. Second, hindi puwede at the moment kasi rental of the space and of a powerful enough projector (ang digital kasi mas challenging siya i-screen kaysa film dahil the look is really different and adjusting it for a screen a Cine Adarna is trickier) costs a lot din. So at the moment we make do with what is available. But certainly, if we were to screen it again commercially, hands down we would come back to UP Film Center kasi naman we’ve screened at major cinemas already for 9 days last year. We’d like to thank those who watched us at the Videotheque last week, you’ve all inspired us to buckle down for our next independent project. God willing we’ll meet again at UP for the screening. Sana pag pinagpalang magkaroon ng screening sa UP ng “Trabaho” and we could charge entrance (which will go a long way to make the next one), you could help us through word of mouth para successful. Dun sa mga estudyanteng nakita ang aming poster sa mga waiting shed at tinext ang mga kaibigan nila na manood, thank you din. Thanks kay Ms. Marra Lanot na nanood, kay balikbayan Fruto Corre, kay Miriam Lacaba para sa text brigade, kina Meyor, Sig Sanchez, Liza Magtoto, Ping Medina at sa iba pang nag-post sa kanikanilang blog at e-groups ng aming imbitasyon. Salamat uli sa lahat ng cast, musicians and crew ng “Trabaho”, miss na namin kayo. Cheers!