I have been the beneficiary of so much generosity last weekend at the Justitia and the Chroma photography studio along Amorsolo Street.

Thank you to:
> Sarj Suguitan for making it possible to attend despite limited resources
> Ipe Closa for lending me his Canon Digital Rebel XT
> Trish Zuñiga for being the point person of The Palladium
> all the other participants for their votes and comments

> Pancho Escaler for reminding us that a good photograph is an amalgamation of technical competence, something that communicates the photographer's intent and makes a statement.

The following photographs were shot in my early years with Fuji Proplus/Kodak T-Max/Colpan 21 film and my dad's 2-decade old Nikon FE + Mark Barretto's Minolta X-700.

About the Photographs:
A 9-month-pregnant Selene Denolo (UPLB Filipiniana Dance Troupe), the Paoay church in Ilocos Norte, a child in Quezon after the typhoon, a Marcos loyalist at the Balay ti Amianan and a shoe repairman along Avenida in...

magna carta

PRONUNCIATION: (MAG-nuh KAHR-tuh)

MEANING: noun: A document or a law recognizing basic rights and privileges.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin magna carta (great charter). After Magna Carta, a charter of political and civil liberties that King John of England was forced to sign on June 15, 1215. It was revised several times over the years, and it became an important symbol, establishing for future generations that there were limits to the royal powers.

USAGE: "A magna carta for industry development recognizing that 'small and medium enterprises are the dominant constituent of the industry' is an absolute necessity."
Integrated Approach Needed For Construction Industry; The Island (Colombo, Sri Lanka); Jun 18, 2008.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Invention requires an excited mind; execution, a calm one. -Johann Peter Eckermann, poet (1792-1854)

A Guide To Eiga Sai 2008

by Philbert Ortiz Dy

posted on Monday July 7, 2008

The Japan Foundation of Manila brings Eiga Sai back to Shangri-la Plaza on July 8. This year is stacked with some of Japan’s most critically acclaimed films. Here’s a quick look at the films on exhibit at this year’s festival:

FEATURED FILM
Pachiggi! (We Shall Overcome Someday)
Directed by Kazuyuki Izutsu
Written by Daisuke Habara and Kazuyuki Izutsu, based on a novel by Takeshi Matsuyama
Synopsis: A Romeo and Juliet type of love story between two high school kids – one of them Japanese, and the other, a Korean, set against the cultural turmoil of 1968 Kyoto.

Why you should see it: When any film tackles the idea of marginalization and racism in a society, it tends to be moving, but often bleak and dreary. Pachiggi! turns that on its head by still being moving, but also comedic and romantic. Pachiggi! is a brash, loud brawl of a film, a living, breathing celluloid catharsis for Japanese society. The f...