CCP bares Cinemalaya 2023 jurors

With the country's premiere film festival, Cinemalaya, opening its 19th edition today, the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Cinemalaya Foundation Inc. jointly announce this year's esteemed jurors who will undertake the demanding task of selecting the best cinematic harvest to receive the coveted Balanghai trophies.

Multi-awarded actress Shamaine Buencamino.

The jury panel for Cinemalaya 19 comprises five distinguished members who have left a significant mark on the local and international cinema scene. They include Sharmaine Buencamino, a multi-awarded actress with almost four decades of experience in theater, film, and television; Neil Daza, a notable and award-winning Filipino cinematographer whose remarkable works include “Dekada '70,” “Feng Shui,” “Badil,” “Bwaya,” “Signal Rock,” and the featured exhibition film “About Us But Not About Us;” Raya Martin, a recipient of the CCP Thirteen Artists Awards and the first Filipino director to screen two films at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009, namely “Independencia” and “Manila;” Park Sungho, a festival programmer of Busan International Film Festival with a wealth of experience in various film festivals as a buyer, programmer, juror and advisor; and Lorna Tee, a film producer, programmer, trainer, and curator who has worked with international production companies and served on the jury of various film festivals worldwide.

Meanwhile, the Netpac (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) Award jury includes the following members: Sigrid Andrea Bernardo, a filmmaker known for her multi-awarded feature films such as “Ang Huling Cha-Cha ni Anita,” “Lorna,” “Kita Kita,” “Mr. & Mrs. Cruz” and “UnTrue; Utpal Borpujari, a current Netpac member and filmmaker known for his award-winning fiction feature and documentaries that have traveled to prestigious film festivals; and Edward delos Santos Cabagnot, a founding member of Cinemalaya and an esteemed educator who has contributed significantly to the Philippine indie scene.

Cinemalaya 19 opens later today with a red carpet event, official ceremonies, and Quark Henares' “Marupok AF (Where Is the Lie).” The festival will run until August 13 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Tanghalang Ignacio B. Gimenez (CCP Blackbox Theater) and selected Ayala Malls Cinemas.

For specifics on screening times and tickets, call CCP Box Office at 8832-3704 or email [email protected]; or visit the CCP website.