iRepublic.ph Supports Emerging Filipino Online Talents

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Having your own website will give you immediate exposure to over 6 Billion Internet users all over the world. Filipino Talents deserve to be shown and shared with others world wide that’s why iRepublic.ph, the first ever Do-It-Yourself Website Builder in the Philippines will be sponsoring one lucky soon-to-be online icon every month!

Whether it’s related to acting, singing, blogging, writing, cooking, or any kind of talent, you’re in! iRepublic.ph is in full support for emerging Pinoy Online Talents. Every month, iRepublic.ph will sponsor one lucky soon-to-be online icon to receive a 1 year website hosting with domain and email all for free!

Take control of the things you want to put on your own page with a very user friendly drag and drop interface – there’s absolutely no HTML knowledge or hands-on experience required! Designing your very own website is as easy as 1,2,3! Plus, get your own email by your own domain name.

Being in the industry for more than 16 years, iRepublic.ph, an iManila.ph sister company and a trade name of Tridel Technologies Inc., aims to improve lives of people through technology.

For interested parties, send your full name, email address, contact number, what you will be promoting online, and your online exposures (fanpages, blogs, twitter, website, etc. with number of fans, viewers, and followers) to marketing@irepublic.ph or call (02) 904 5557 for more details.

Tridel Technologies Inc. is located at 7F Hanston Bldg. F. Ortigas Jr. Rd. Pasig City. Visit iRepublic.ph’s Facebook Fanpage for weekly updates

ONE Fighting Championship™ Presents ONE FC: Pride of a Nation

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ONE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP™ PRESENTS ONE FC: PRIDE OF A NATION, LIVE FROM THE SMART ARANETA COLISEUM IN QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES 

BIBIAN O “THE FLASH” FERNANDES VS GUSTAVO FALCIROL

ANDREI “THE PIT BULL” ARLOVSKI VS SOA “THE HULK” PALELEI

ERIC “THE NATURAL” KELLY VS JENS “LIL EVIL” PULVER

PLUS: SHINYA “TOBIKAN JUDAN” AOKI TO MAKE HIS ONE FC DEBUT AND THE HOMETOWN HERO OF THE PHILIPPINES EDUARD “THE LANDSLIDE” FOLAYANG IS BACK IN ACTION

ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC) heads to Manila with a loaded card that is set to rock the historic SMART ARANETA COLISEUM in Quezon City, Philippines. On Friday, 31 August the largest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organization in Asia, will debut in the fight capital of Asia with the largest MMA event in the history of the Philippines.

CEO of ONE Fighting Championship™ Victor Cui stated, 

“We have put together the greatest card in ONE FC history for our Manila event. When you put Shinya Aoki and Bibiano Fernandes on the same card, one can expect nothing less than an epic night of world‐class MMA action like Manila has never seen before. Manila is the fight capital of Asia and I want to bring the best fighters in Asia to the awesome fight‐fans of this great city. We are beyond excited to hold this incredible card in such a passionate and pride driven city.”

Tickets for ONE FC: Pride of a Nation are on sale now through TicketNet at www.ticketnet.com.ph or at all TicketNet outlets located at the SM department store customer service area and at the SMART Araneta Coliseum ticket booth. For inquiries and reservations, please call +63 911 5555. Tickets are priced at Php 4,500 for VIP experience seating that includes exclusive Red Carpet entrance as well as access to the VIP lounge, followed by Php 2,000, Php 1,000, Php 650, Php 500 and Php 200 respectively.

MMA fans can look forward to watching the pride of Asian MMA, Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki, make his highly‐anticipated ONE FC debut in Manila. Shinya Aoki (30‐6‐1) is the DREAM Lightweight Champion and has beaten the likes of Tatsuya Kawajiri, Marcus Aurelio and Rich Clementi. He holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu‐Jitsu and Judo which has earned him a reputation as one of the top submission specialists in the sport of MMA. Currently fighting out of Evolve MMA, the “Grandmaster of Flying Submissions” is looking forward to showcasing his skills to the Filipino fans when he debuts at ONE FC: Pride of a Nation.

Eduard “The Landslide” Folayang (11‐2) is back in action at ONE FC: Pride of a Nation. The hero of the Philippines will represent his country once again on an international stage when he enters the ONE FC cage. Folayang is excited to prove why he is still one of the top fighters in the Lightweight division today.

Three other great fights are already lined up for this historic night of MMA action. The main event will pit the ever impressive DREAM Bantamweight Champion Bibiano Fernandes against CFC Australia Champion Gustavo Falciroli.

Fernandes has an 11‐3 record with most of his fights finishing via TKO or submission and is ranked as one of the top five fighters globally in the Bantamweight division. Despite being feared for his explosive submission grappling, his last victory in DREAM against former WEC Bantamweight Champion Antonio Banuelos, ended by TKO in just 1:21 seconds of round one, proving to everyone that he was equally adept at ending fights with his fists. He is looking to make a memorable ONE FC debut when he squares off against the aggressive striker and submission wizard from Australia, Gustavo Falciroli (12‐3). Falciroli is the current CFC Australia Bantamweight Champion. He earned his black belt in Brazilian Jiu‐Jitsu in 2003 and is currently on a two‐fight win streak. His last ONE FC fight captivated fans across the MMA community with his impressive rear naked choke submission victory over Soo Chul Kim in just 1:12 seconds of round one. Falciroli will be facing the biggest test of his fight career when he steps up in class against top pound for pound Bantamweight king Fernandes.

In addition to the main event, MMA fans will also have the opportunity to see the ONE FC debut of Andrei “The Pit Bull” Arlovski and Jens “Lil Evil” Pulver. Arlovski will square off against Soa Palelei and Pulver takes on the pride of the Philippines Eric “The Natural” Kelly. Fans can look forward to some serious action in the ONE FC heavyweight division when “The Pit Bull” arrives for the big show on 31 August. Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Arlovski (17‐9) will step into the ONE FC cage for the first time with the determination and striking ability to get him back on top of the division he once ruled. Arlovski has gone toe‐to‐toe against some of the top heavyweight fighters in the world including the likes of Tim Sylvia, Fabrico Werdum and Fedor Emelianenko. Expect Arlovski to bring hard hitting action when he looks to continue his winning streak against Soa Palelei.

Two of the most skilled strikers in the ONE FC Featherweight division will battle it out in what is guaranteed to be a fast paced slug fest. Former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver will battle the pride of the Philippines Eric Kelly. In his first appearance in the ONE FC cage, Pulver will look to impress Asian MMA fans with a decisive victory over the rising star Kelly. Coming off an impressive unanimous decision victory over Bae Young Kwon at ONE FC: Destiny of Warriors, Kelly will do everything in his power to maintain his unbeaten fight record and turn Pulver’s dream debut into a nightmare. Pulver is Kelly’s toughest test so far but Kelly will have the advantage of home crowd support at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

For more updates, log on to http://www.onefc.com/

About ONE Fighting Championship™

Headquartered in Singapore, ONE Fighting Championship™ (http://www.onefc.com) is Asia's largest mixed martial arts organization. ONE Fighting Championship™ hosts the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE Fighting Championship™ has partnered with ESPN STAR Sports, the number one leader in sports content, for an unprecedented 10‐year cable television deal with a coverage that spans across 24 countries in Asia.

"Mga Mumunting Lihim" (Those Little Secrets)

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"Mga Mumunting Lihim" (Those Little Secrets) is the first independent film written and directed by Jose Javier Reyes. 

Reyes emphasizes that this film is about friendship created by friends.

Mga Mumunting Lihim is precisely about those seemingly trivial and insignificant events and issues that constitute  the totality of friendship, It is about the life shared through the years of four women and how, in one moment, they finally realized that they truly do not know one another despite the experiences they have shared and cherished , and even defined as friendship.

MARIEL (Judy Ann Santos)  and CARLA ( Iza Calzado) have been best friends since high school. They have shared the years and common interest - they are both creative individuals interested in writing. But the unfolding of years have opted two extremely different courses of the women: Mariel chose to give up her career as a magazine writer to be a wife and mother - while Carla, shunned marriage to become a successful advertising executive.

Into their lives came two other women: there was SANDRA (Agot Isidro) who married a man old enough to be her father so that she can afford the lifestyle that she wanted. And , OLIVE ( Janice de Belen) who was happy with her domestic bliss and married an OFW in Dubai.

The women bonded and treasured their camaraderie until fate struck its blow and bevy had to confront their mortality.

Worse than that, when one of the women exposes the truth about the real feelings and thoughts of the friends about each other, what they perceived as the security of each other's friendship turned out to be the true test of their dignity and honesty.

It is those little secrets that, when added together, constitute the most painful and irreparable damage from seemingly unimportant lies.

Some behind the scenes photos: 

Cast:   Iza Calzado, Agot Isidro, Janice de Belen and Judy Ann Santos 

Production:  Produced by Largavista Entertainment Incorporated.  

Director/Writer: Jose Javier Reyes

Executive Producer : Charyl Chan-De Guzman

Photography : Rodolfo Aves Jr. 

Design-Jay Custodio

Sound : Albert Michael Idioma and Addis Tabong

Music : Jesse Lucas

Editor: Vanessa de Leon.

FILMMAKER’S PROFILE  Jose Javier Reyes is among the finest writers and directors for film and television in the Philippines. He is a multi-awarded director, screenwriter, playwright, essayist and a highly respected educator.   His notable works as writer and director include the films “Katas ng Saudi” (Saudi Juice), “Sakal, Sakali, Saklolo”, “Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo”,  “I want to be Happy”, “Kutob”, “Spirit of the Glass”, “Malikmata”, “Anghel sa Lupa”, ”Kung Ako Na Lang Sana”, “Minsan May Puso”, “Live Show”, “Batang PX”, “Luksong Tinik”, “Nang Iniwan Mo Ako”, “Pare Ko”, “May Minamahal”, “Makati Avenue Office Girls”, “Hindi Kita Malilimutan”, “Ikaw ang Lahat sa Akin”, “Iisa Pa Lamang” and “Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal?”  He has won recognition from important and major film festivals and institutions such as the Metro Manila Film Festival, Star Awards Film Festival, Young Critics Circle Awards, URIAN Awards, Gawad Tanglaw Awards, FAMAS Awards, Asia Pacific Film Festival. He was awarded Best Screenplay for his work in Oro, Plata, Mata by the Asia Pacific Film Festival in 1982 and the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines in 1981.  He won a Palanca award for his play “Lamat” (Crack) in 1983.   His film Live Show (Toro) which he wrote and directed as the official selection for the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival and twelve other international film festivals from 2000-2001.

SCREENING VENUES and SCHEDULE

July 21/12:45PM – Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater)

July 21/6:30PM – Greenbelt 3

July 22/11:00AM – Trinoma

July 22 /3:30PM – Bulwagang Pambansang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)

July 23/3:30PM – Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater)

July 23/9:00PM – Greenbelt 5

The Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival is a film festival in the Philippines held annually in the month of July at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival is a film competition and festival that aims to encourage the creation of new cinematic works by Filipino filmmakers – works that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity.

Other related article : Secrets Among Friends : Mga Mumunting Lihim and the "Unspoken"

Brillante Mendoza's "Captive" : Even A Choice Is Not An Option

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Captive is about self-preservation, about survival in the face of hardships and situations beyond one's control. Directed by the 2009 Cannes Film Festival Best Director winner, Brillante Ma Mendoza.

SYNOPSIS:

The story of Captive is adapted from the Dos Palmas kidnapping of two US missionaries by the Abu Sayyaf Group in 2001.

On May 27, 2001 members of the Abu Sayyaf Group abduct 20 local and foreign tourists from the DOS Palmas resort in Palawan and transport them via a fishing boat across the Sulu Sea to the island of Basilan.

On the boat, the ASG demand ransom from the hostages. One of the hostages arranges an easy transfer of the ransom to a bank in Zamboanga, the reason why the group makes a stopover in Lamitan City hospital en route to their hideout in the mountains. A bullet mistakenly shot by one of the ASG leaders at a passing military truck triggers a military assault on the hospital that lasts the whole day the next day.

Amid the firing, three hostages are freed after what is implied as payment of ransom. Four more hostages are taken from the hospital staff when the group leaves, even if the kidnappers release three others with orders to arrange ransom for their loved ones whom the kidnappers are taking with them in the mountains. Two are left behind after being wounded from ambush assault by the militia.

The first natural casualty of the kidnapping is an old Filipina social worker, who dies during the journey. Her companion, Therese Bourgoine, a French social worker, wins a score over the kidnappers when she succeeds in giving Soledad a Christian burial.

On the eve of Philippine Independence Day, the kidnappers beheaded one of the foreign hostages, a result of a failed negotiation with the government.

Finally, the military manages to stage a daring rescue. Only Therese Bourgoine and the missionary Sophie Bernstein are saved alive from the clutches of the Abu Sayyaf Group.

CAST:

Isabelle Huppert as Thérèse

Maria Isabel Lopez

Joel Torre

Mercedes Cabral as Fiancee

Sid Lucero

Bernard Palanca
Kristoffer King

Ronnie Lazaro

Mon Confiado
Baron Geisler

Raymond Bagatsing
Evelyn Vargas
Perry Dizon
Madeleine Nicholas

The film was screened in competition at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2011. Star Cinema will be distributing this film on September 5, with MTRCB rating PG 13 and Rated A by CEB.  It also got endorsements from National Artists Bienvenido Lumbera, F Sionil Jose and Senator Loren Legarda.

Brillante Ma Mendoza is a Filipino film director. He has directed sixteen films since 2005. He won the award for Best Director for his film Kinatay at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival. His 2009 film Lola won the award for Best Film at the 6th Dubai International Film Festival.

"Captive"  is a film only proves Mendoza's ability to mount productions that are bigger than what he usually does.

In a Bloggers Conference held at Patio Carlito Restaurant, Quezon City one of the country's respected film makers, Director Brillante Ma Mendoza shared his experiences in doing this film. He also shared his realizations as an artist, director and filmmaker.

"It took a year of research before the film was shot. The Captive movie was shot in different parts of Luzon and the post production was in Paris. It took 25 back-breaking days to simulate the kidnapping and the experience of being held captive from resort to city to boat ride and up to the forest.

"We went to the camp nakita ko yung mga military. I had dinner with the generals and Muslim brothers, sa ganoong paraan ko pinag aralan yung buhay nila," Brillanate said.

"I went to Basilan kasi maliit lang ang alam ko tungkol sa Mindanao. Takot ako kasi baka di na makabalik. Nung nakasakay ako sa police car akala ko safe ako pero di pala. I'm just putting myself in danger," he added.

He said that the film has 200 members including the 40 actors/actresses like Isabelle Huppert, Ronnie Lazaro, Angel Aquino, Coco Martin,  Sid Lucero, Raymond Bagatsing, Maria Isabel Lopez, Mercedes Cabral, Kathy Mulville, Rustica Carpio and Timothy Mabalot.

In terms of philosophy, religion, government, marami akong realizations in doing this film. It has a bigger budget, bigger than Indie. Almost 40-60M Php in budget. Considering that he owns a small company, he realized he can make a big film "Captive."

"When I make a movie it's an extension of my soul."  Brillante Mendoza said.

Check these Captive Teasers in YouTube.