‘Mindanao’ Continues Film Fest Run in Taipei, Kolkata, Tallinn, and Cairo

Wazzup Pilipinas!

One month since its world premiere at the 24th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), the latest work of Brillante Ma Mendoza has been selected by prestigious film fests in Taiwan, India, Estonia, and Egypt. “Mindanao” is part of the lineups in the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (TGHFF), Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (TBNFF), and Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), which are all happening in November.

Penned by Honee Alipio and starring Judy Ann Santos and Allen Dizon, the film is about the struggles of Saima (Santos), wife to military medic (Dizon) and mother to a young girl battling cancer. “Mindanao” was screened on November 8, 12, and 18 as part of the Viva Auteur section at the TGHFF. The TGHFF, which started in 1980 as a non-competitive event, is scheduled from November 7 to 24.

Mendoza’s 123-minute film is also an entry to Kolkata’s International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images. It had screenings on November 11 at Nazrul Tirtha and November 13 at Rabindra Sadan. The 25th KIFF screened 366 movies in 17 venues from November 8 to 15. 

“Mindanao” had its European premiere at the TBNFF in Estonia on November 15, followed by screenings on November 19 and 21. Tallinn is among the 15 A-list film festivals rated by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations. According to the synopsis provided by Liisi Rohumäe on the Tallinn website, “Undoubtedly this is a difficult movie, but there is also lightness here. Enchanting Mindanao catches your breath.” The Tallinn film fest runs from November 15 to December 1.

After Tallinn, “Mindanao” headed over to Cairo, home to the oldest yearly film festival in Africa, the Arab World, and the Middle East. “Mindanao” is part of the CIFF's International Competition. The CIFF, which is from November 20 to 29, is also an A-list film fest. “Brillante Mendoza expresses a complex of human emotions depending on a harsh and painful reality as well as a very special life experience, in a unique cinematic style that combines animation to tell the epic tale of Princess Mindanao who casts a shadow over the civil war that tore the Philippines apart,” Rasha Hosny wrote on the CIFF website.

Director Brillante Mendoza at the Tokyo International Film Festival (Photo from the Mindanao film Facebook page)

Jessica Kiang of Variety.com echoed Hosny in her “Mindanao” review: “At his most celebrated, such as with his divisive but Cannes best director-winning ‘Kinatay,’ Mendoza’s blunt, unblinking style is an asset, provoking discomfort by forcing us to confront brutally upsetting realities.” The Variety writer also praised Santos who worked with Mendoza for the first time in “Mindanao.” Kiang added, “Santos turns in a de-glammed, gently anguished, remarkably sympathetic performance.” Wendy Ide of Screen International commended Santos as well for “retaining grace and dignity” in her portrayal. “The film’s main asset is the presence of actress Judy Ann Santos, who is luminous in the role of the mother, Saima,” noted Ide in her review posted on ScreenDaily.com.

After its global debut at the BIFF, “Mindanao” was screened at the Tokyo International Film Festival. With all the rounds that “Mindanao” has made internationally, Mendoza admitted that he is all the more looking forward to his film’s screenings in the Philippines. “Mindanao,” which has been recently awarded a Grade A by the Cinema Evaluation Board, is an official entry to the Metro Manila Film Festival in December. “Gusto ko naman maramdaman, as a filmmaker, for my 13th film and my 15th year in the industry, makaramdam ako ng, ‘Uy, pinapanood ang pelikula, ha! Sarap ng pakiramdam may nanood ng pelikula ko,’” he told Miguel Dumaual of ABS-CBN News.

“Mindanao” is from Center Stage Productions. Its producers are Mendoza and Carlo Valenzona. Editing was by Diego Marx Dobles, cinematography was helmed by Odyssey Flores, production design was done by Dante Mendoza, and music was care of Teresa Barrozo. It will be shown nationwide in the Philippines on December 25.

Palo Alto Networks Launches the First Cybersecurity Academy Program in the Philippines with Asia Pacific College

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Palo Alto Networks (NYSE:PANW), the global cybersecurity leader, recently announced a collaboration with Asia Pacific College (APC) to launch the first Cybersecurity Academy in the Philippines. The program is designed to nurture the next generation of the cybersecurity workforce in the Philippines.

Starting from February 2020, APC will roll out new cybersecurity courses under the academy curriculum to students across all disciplines. In addition to the School of Computing and Information Technologies, students from the School of Management, School of Multimedia and Arts, and School of Engineering will also have the opportunity to enrol in cybersecurity-related courses.

The courses will provide classroom instruction, as well as technical and hands-on lab training in the newly built laboratory known as “APC Cybersecurity Sandbox, secured by Palo Alto Networks”. Students will go through courses on the cybersecurity landscape and learn how to combat threats. Upon completing the four-year course, each student will be eligible as either a Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Associate or Certified Network Security Administrator.

Dr. Tata Medado, president, Asia Pacific College said, “The vision of APC is to develop talent who have the skills and mindset to take on any challenge in any environment – in both the local as well as international market. With the shortage of cybersecurity professionals being a global challenge, we recognize the importance of cybersecurity education as a fundamental skill that must be learned and applied in various aspects of our daily lives, early on. It is a great honor to be Palo Alto Networks pioneering Cybersecurity Academy in the Philippines, and we look forward to building on this mutually rewarding relationship for many years to come.”

“To protect our increasingly digital way of life in the Philippines, we need to ensure that there’s a sufficient pool of cybersecurity talent available. We are committed to addressing the talent shortage challenge through this academic partnership and hope that this is the beginning of many more partnerships in the near future,” said Oscar Visaya, country manager for the Philippines, Palo Alto Networks.

The course will focus on cybersecurity gateway, infrastructure configuration, and defense and countermeasures. Palo Alto Networks has forged similar academic partnerships with colleges and universities in more than 40 countries in the US, Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific. It is dedicated to training the next generation of the security workforce. For more information, please visit the Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Academy page.

Smile Train Partners with Glad Philippines to Host “Glad To Give Smiles” Family Fair to Raise Awareness and for Children with Clefts

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Smile Train Area Director for Southeast Asia Kimmy Flaviano presents a plaque of appreciation to Chef Happy Ongpauco-Tiu for her support to Smile Train Philippines. 

The world’s leading cleft charity, Smile Train, and food storage and cooking solutions provider Glad Philippines recently held the Glad-To-Give Smiles Family Fair to help spread smiles to Filipinos this Christmas season.

“As part of the Glad-to-Give Smiles program, we held this family fair to help raise awareness and funds for Smile Train and babies born with clefts,” said Mr. Paulo Lao, Sales and Marketing Director for Southeast Asia of The Clorox Company, which owns Glad.

“This program is the product of our long-standing relationship with Smile Train, as well as the company’s commitment to helping more consumers, including children and their families. Glad thrives on feasts and celebrations, especially during the Holiday and what better way to reinforce this message by bringing back the smiles of children affected with cleft lip and palate so they too can have happier mealtimes this Christmas,” Lao added.

The Glad-To-Give campaign is Glad’s global corporate social responsibility platform. This year, the Glad-To-Give Smiles Family Fair was filled with fun activities, delicious food stations and a cooking demonstration prepared by Glad®'s Ambassador, Chef Happy Ongpauco-Tiu. “I am very proud to be a part of this meaningful campaign this holiday. It is an honor for me to help raise funds and awareness about Smile Train’s work in the Philippines,” said Chef Happy Ongpauco-Tiu.

The program was hosted by Ms. Suzi Abrera. Other supporters include The Medical City, Alveo Land, Beyond Yoga, Swell Sweets Cake Lab, and Ms. Natalia Santamaria Escano, who performed with Smile Train beneficiaries during the program. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit Smile Train’s cleft programs in the Philippines.

“As we celebrate our 20th year in the Philippines, we are grateful to our partners like Glad Philippines who have been enabling us to fulfill our vision to raise awareness and create a better future for children with clefts,” said Kimmy Coseteng-Flaviano, Smile Train’s Area Director for South East Asia. “We also thank the families for giving their time for the Glad-to-Give Smiles Family Fair. With their help, we are able to raise funding for more cleft surgeries this holiday season.”

Approximately 5,000 new babies with clefts are born every year in the Philippines. Without access to proper cleft treatment, these babies often have difficulty eating, breathing, speaking, and ultimately thriving. Smile Train’s sustainable model empowers local medical professionals with training and resources to provide 100 percent-free, quality, comprehensive, and safe cleft care to children in need in their own communities.

For more information about Smile Train's global efforts and to make a donation, please visit smiletrain.org. To learn more about Smile Train’s programs in the Philippines, follow Smile Train on Twitter and Instagram @SmileTrainPh, and like us on Facebook at @SmileTrainPhilippines.

PHOTO: From left to right: Kimmy Flaviano, Chef Happy Ongpauco-Tiu, Glad Philippines Sales and Marketing Director for Southeast Asia, and Ms. Suzi Abrera.