INDIE CINEMA'S TIGHT EMBRACE LINGERS ON... (OR, MY CINEMA ONE MEMORIES 2018).

When someone dies young and fast and soon, we often ask why. When death comes nearer than we think, we could not accept it. We try to fight, we try to solve things out. We try to challenge that Someone Up There. Maybe, He had His own reasons WHY.

Dying young could be so beautiful, but at the same time, could be so tragic, too. As time lingers on, some people could not fully move-on. What more, the DEATH that triumphs at the end.

We all die. We are all mortals, we all have our limited spaces of time and rent, written in the Book of Eternity.

But when someone continues to give you that TIGHT EMBRACE, no matter if he's dead or not, no matter if the INDEPENDENT CINEMA still strives to survive with all its might and power...

Memories will keep on occupying the innermost dimensions of your mind.

And yeah, DEATH was 'almost' the common denominator among all the Cinema One Originals film entries in this year- 2018.

In someone's idea of a Cinema, and an indie film festival that somehow became a part of his life...

Yes. Memories do linger.

Indie Cinema's tight embrace goes lasting... goes deeper.

"AND THIS IS MY CINEMA ONE 2018 MEMORIES".


****************

joem

The most vivid representation of Art itself was seen by one blogger into the image of one actor named Joem Bascon, one of the lead male stars of the film Double Twisting, Double Back. It could have been choreographed by Some-One Up There. The free-flowing rhythm and steps, we mean.

How cinematic as it was. As Joem Bascon stood there all so suddenly, at the spot and widening view when you reached the third floor of a building in Tomas Morato Avenue- at the party venue named Tomato Kick.

He was just standing there, in a white shirt, looking at you. His soul suddenly connected. In his eyes, was an emotion. But you could not describe it. That look in Joem's eyes.

As the party lingered after the Gala Night opening of the film Double Twisting, Double Back, the stars participated, the stars celebrated. Like visions of those twinkling objects in the skies at night, coming down to earth to party and drink after participating in a glorious film event.

You remembered, too, at the press conference of Cinema One Originals 2018 held at the ELJ Tower of ABS-CBN channel 2, media people were so cooperative and sincere in supporting film events like this one. It was a good sign that the indie spirit would stay, for as long the media people were there.

Perhaps, when these stars smiled a lot on you, it was already the biggest gift of all. And it happened on those many events at Cinema One Originals 2018- from the press conference, Opening Night, Gala nights of each participating films, until the actual screenings of these films wherein the stars could still linger in.

When the stars smiled, they twinkled, too. Just one and the same.

tony

Face-to-face with handsome actor Tony Labrusca, as he stared upon your eyes while you interviewed him, wow, this was something you could not carry. Your nerves giggled and you could not breathe.

neil

As you felt the skin in Neil Coleta's (the star of the film Pang-MMK) cheeks, it was as if there's an angel touching you. It happened when he agreed to pose for a picture with you at the Prescon of C1. And suddenly, you heard his heart's beatings, but your own heart's beatings was louder and heavier.

jude matthew

Looking from far-away a boy you've been watching right when he was still a kid, and seeing him grew-up, and becoming a passionate theater actor and now a film star, overwhelmed you. His name: Jude Matthew Sevilla, one of the stars of the film Bagyong Bheverlynn.

ronald

Every time you sent a FB Private Message to the executive head of Cinema One, in person of Mr. Ronald Arguelles, you felt so shy but you had to. Asking this Executive if you could come on those events, made you nervous. Thanks God, he's more of a friend than a celebrity.

And many more events that followed, in which you attended. Like the Opening Night of the Restored Film Classics which was a part of the C1 fest, too, and yeah, the Gala Night of the film Bagyong Bheverlynn in which you hid yourself from peers and friends-, adding up, the great food cocktails, the glasses of red wine, the hugs and the 'hi's and hello's'....

But you never knew, there was something bigger than all of that in which to come. As in, SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST.

It was the manifestation of CINEMA in all its literal form.

There you were inside the Cinema 7 of SM North Edsa. You were watching the 'Set B Shorts' of the festival. You was simply sitting there inside and the coldness of the huge cinema house was so penetrating. Suddenly you looked around the orchestra section. There was no visible human being there.

You stood up and walked up the Balcony section. Still, no one was there.

But you were feeling a cold wind hanging around you. AND SOONER, THAT VERY COLD WIND WAS EMBRACING YOU TIGHTER AND TIGHTER. All too suddenly, a flash of light.

You went back to your original seat at the orchestra section. You went back looking at the wide screen. You saw the CINEMA in all it's nakedness and artistry. Wonder and freshness. Darkness and exclusivity.

It was just YOU and the CINEMA right at that very moment. Just you and HIM.

Nothing else mattered anymore from thereon.

No matter how painful the journey was in this year's CINEMA ONE ORIGINALS 2018 (yeah, it was too painful for you- the journey itself and the movies you watched were indeed relating somehow), 

Art had its way of comforting you back-

via a hidden cold wind

and a

TIGHT EMBRACE



that lasts until the very walls of-



 ETERNITY.








(as the words were written by robert manuguid silverio)