Chicago Filipino American Film Festival 2011 FEATURE FILM PROGRAM
The Chicago Filipino American Film Festival is proud to announce it 2011 feature film lineup.
DANCE OF MY LIFE—Directed by Lyca Benitez-Brown, featuring Bessie Badilla. DANCE OF MY LIFE chronicles Bessie’s rise from poverty, her success as an internationally renowned Filipina supermodel, and the personal battles that led Bessie, now a mother of two living in Connecticut, to her triumph as the Queen of Brazilian Carnivale. DANCE OF MY LIFE star BESSIE BADILLA and filmmaker Lyca Benitez-Brown will be in attendance at the Chicago Premiere on Friday November 4, preceded by a free Opening Night reception at 7:00 PM.
THE LEARNING—Ramona Diaz, director of the acclaimed documentary, IMELDA, returns with an engaging and thought provoking documentary that follows four Filipino schoolteachers who are recruited to teach in the Baltimore school system. Diaz captures the classroom experience as well as the personal lives of her subjects, the sacrifices they make, the loved ones left back home, and their daily endeavor to make a difference in the lives of their students.
BAKAL BOYS—Directed by Ralston Jover, BAKAL BOYS (Children Metal Divers) is the story of a group of boys who dive for scrap metal in Manila Bay in order to provide for their families, and what results when one boy does not return. Co-produced by Bessie Badilla, who will be present for the Chicago Premiere on Saturday, November 5.
RAKENROL—LA-based indie filmmaker Quark Henares brings the story of two friends Odie and Irene and their attempt to turn their love of music into a bid for rock and roll stardom. RAKENROL is both a satire and a tribute to the Pinoy indie rock scene.
LEFT BY THE SHIP—A documentary by Emma Rossi-Landi and Alberto Vendemmiati, the film chronicles the story of a Filipino journalist who comes to terms with his own roots by reaching out to Filipino Amerasian children of American military personnel, and giving voice to their struggles with identity and alienation.
A WEEK IN METRO MANILA: UP DHARMA DOWN—A Chicago-based filmmaker travels to the Philippines to document the Filipino indie musical group Up Dharma Down, offering an inside look at this up and coming band, and a rare glimpse of Metro Manila and the Pinoy music scene.
THE HIDDEN DREAM—Directed by Sheila Imme, THE HIDDEN DREAM is a historical documentary recounting the Filipino and Filipino American experience, touching upon key events including the Bataan Death March and the Rescission Act of 1946.
Check back soon for more announcements including more films and special events.
