Raya Martin’S INDEPENDENCIA INDEPENDENCIA Synopsis Early 20Th Century Philippines

Cinematografica, Atopic, Arte France Cinema, Razor Film, Volya Films present Raya Martin’s INDEPENDENCIA INDEPENDENCIA Synopsis Early 20th century Philippines. a film by Raya Martin The sounds of war signal the arrival of the Americans. International Sales & Festival An aging mother and her son flee to the mountains, MEMENTO FILMS INTERNATIONAL hoping for a quiet life. One day, the son discovers a In Cannes wounded woman in the middle of the forest, and decides Riviera Booth n° E.8 / +33 4 92 99 33 07 In Paris to bring her home. 9, cité Paradis 75010 Paris - France Years pass. The man, the rescued woman and their Tel: + 33 1 53 34 90 20 child live in total isolation from the growing chaos all over Fax: + 33 1 42 47 11 24 the country. But a coming storm soon threatens their [email protected] existence, and American troops draw nearer... [email protected] www.memento-films.com International Press In Cannes Mob: + 33 6 46 84 48 81 Independencia is part of the Artscope Label. Some films deserve special attention and delicate care, Artscope films are exceptional, true works of Art. would tremble inside the frame. But it soon that they are very good at it. Our national psyche appeared that making static shots from start is founded on a narrative structure. This can Interview with Raya Martin to end would have its limits. Neither did I be seen in our cinematographic tradition. This What is the historical context in way. The times of struggle spread before want a massive studio in which the camera is why it was important for me to include this Independencia, compared to your previous and after the traditional chronology, notably could easily evolve, like in the American element. The aesthetics of Hollywood is finally film A short film about the Indio Nacional? during the pre-colonial period and under the musicals. We had to take into account the a rather superficial component, as opposed to The movie Indio Nacional shows the regime of Marcos. limits of filmmaking of that time and add to the narration, which is by all means Filipino, premises of a revolution against the Spanish In the Cinefondation, I wrote a short but them the limits of a poor national cinema something of a fluid trip, dreamy and sensual. domination. Historically, this revolt lead to detailed treatment on the story of the mother like ours. The idea of a studio answered the Personally, I like to hear stories because my the Declaration of Independence, granted and son. It was a pattern of simple actions imaginary based on certain knowledge of vision of storytelling is not common. Most of the by Spain in 1898. But simultaneously, Spain (eating, breathing, walking) and notes on the style and techniques of that time. But time, I have problems connecting things; my lost the war against the United States and we the mood of natural elements, such as the it was never too conceptual. Just like Indio own logic is never in the right spot. Things I were sold to them. From there on, the United wind, the water, the skies…I wanted to Nacional, it didn’t matter to have a perfectly imagine end up in a completely different place. States refused to validate our Declaration shoot rapidly, live in the mountains with a documented aesthetics, but rather a mix of This is something quite magical. of Independence and entered our country 16mm camera and a small crew, in a rather the techniques and style of that era and my by force, to annex us. The Philippines were documentary style, but this never happened. own artistic formation. These scenes speak Did you have specific visual references? th then part of the United States. The story of So the project became a part of the struggle to me as if they were both personal and Yes, the photo studios in the early 20 century Independencia is set in the context of this series. Meanwhile, my intentions changed. national chronicles. with painted backgrounds, so typical of an era. second colonization. The USA disguised their The idea was not to simply imitate the style of The mixture of exteriors and interiors mostly imperialism behind talks about rescuing us, a particular period but to follow the evolution In the film, storytelling has a great role, intrigues me. Matte paintings are associated under the pretences of divine intervention. of a film director, from the silent films to the everyone has his or her own stories. Curiously to natural elements, like plants or floors. The president William McKinley once declared talking pictures. The studio component was the moments of storytelling are the most There is something quasi-hollywoodian in that he was praying to get answers on the therefore introduced, and I started to work realistic parts in the film, where everyone is this artificiality. In television, people expect a fate of the Philippines, One must believe that on a more conventional script. That was delirious, dreaming, fantasizing… naturalism that interacts with the elements of God told to him to destroy everything and to three years ago. Storytelling took a big part in my childhood. the studio. I wanted this artificiality to work with replace the Spanish colons. My dad used to work for the biggest children’s something truly natural, like an intimist film in When the Spanish arrived in mid sixteenth Why did you choose the aesthetics of the book publisher. He was not just a writer but the woods. century, they built inside our cities<. The studio era? also a storyteller. I grew up in an almost population fled to the mountains, it was In the Philippines, the story of cinema fantastical environment, but always rooted in a form of resistance: the insurgents and parallels the one of the colonial situation. practical details. I think this is very Filipino. proletarians decided to live outside. History The origins of Filipino cinema come from the Later, when I traveled in the country, I found Interview by Eugenio Renzi and repeated itself when the Americans started Spanish masters. On the opposite, the most out that our people love to tell stories, and Antoine Thirion for Shellac to occupy the towns in the beginning of the influential structure, which still resonates twentieth century. It is an intuitive thing, today is Hollywood. Indio Nacional and I guess: the memory of colonization has Independencia are both about the history of created a tradition of resistance. This spirit is our country and the hisstory of the cinema commonly found in the oral culture. of our country. Formally Independencia mimics the aesthetics of studio films during How long have you been working on the American occupation, whereas the story Independencia and on the project of a trilogy focuses on the resistance during the same on the history of the Philippines? period. The idea was to expose the Hollywood I started to work on Independencia when I substrate and subvert it to redefine our was at the Cinefondation, around the time of struggle. The fake newsreel in the middle the release of A short film about the Indio of the film is a good example: it is based on Nacional (2005), the first part of a series of the true story of an American and the death historical films set in the different times of of a local boy. This segment is similar to the struggle in the Philippines. I should have intermission that we had in the theaters at replaced the word trilogy by series; if I the time. didn’t do so, it is because in the historical chronology there have been three different Can you describe the effects you used to invaders in the Philippines: Spain, the give this studio look to the film? United Sates and Japan. Besides, the term In the beginning, I was looking for an old colonizing should be understood in a supple studio film effect, in which the image Raya Martin Cinematografica Jeanne Lapoirie (Director) (Producer) (Cinematographer) Born in 1984 in Manila, Philippines. Graduated Based in Manila, Philippines. Born under One of the leading French cinematographers. from the University of the Philippines Film the partnership of director Raya Martin and She studied at Louis Lumière from 19882 to Institute in 2005. Worked as writer and producer Arleen Cuevas when they met 1984. She then started working as a caméra researcher in local television, newspaper, in Berlinale Talent Campus in Berlin Film assistant with Thierry Arbogast, and her first radio and online magazines. Festival 2005. Their first film feature, “A film as a DOP is, «Les Roseaux Sauvages”. She His short film “Bakasyon” won the Ishmael Short Film about the Indio Nacional (Or The is best known as the Director of Photography of Bernal Award for Young Cinema at the 2004 Prolonged Sorrow of Filipinos)”, co-financed Francois Ozon’s films, including, «8 Femmes», Cinemanila International Film Festival, and by the Hubert Bals Fund, is garnering critical «Under the Sand» and «Time to Leave». She his documentary “The Island at the End of the acclaim from international film festivals and was nominated for best cinematography for World” won Best Documentary at the 2005 won the Lino Miccichè Award at Pesaro Film Cesar («8 Femmes»). She has photographed .mov International Digital Film Festival. Festival 2006 in Italy. over 50 films, and her most recent films in “A Short Film about the Indio Nacional (Or Their latest projects include, “Now Showing”, France include «Possibility of an Island», The Prolonged Sorrow of the Filipinos)”, his selected in the Director’s Fortnight, Cannes «Actresses», «La Promenade» and «Parc».

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