French Film Festival at 20

Time to head out to the cinemas as the French Film Festival will be running from June 3 to 9, 2015 in two venues simultaneously -- at the Greenbelt 3 cinemas in Makati City and at the Bonifacio High Street cinemas in Taguig.   

The 2015 French Film Festival celebrates two decades of bringing critically-acclaimed and blockbuster films to the Philippine audience, not only promoting the French culture but lending support to the local movie industry by screening classic and contemporary Philippine films. It is also worthy to note that for years, the French government, through its embassy, has assisted local filmmakers in bringing their films to France and has supported initiatives to preserve Philippine film heritage. 

To commemorate the 2oth year of the French Film Festival, two films will be screened at the red carpet opening night on June 3 at Greenbelt.   The opening French film, La Famille Bélier (The Bélier Family), tells the story of a provincial deaf-mute family that must deal with the desire of their daughter to study music in Paris.  On the same night, Taklub, Brillante Mendoza’s latest film and the only Philippine entry to the Un Certain Regard section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, will be premiering at the festival’s red carpet opening night. 

Here are the screening schedules in Greenbelt 3 and Bonifacio High Street cinemas (click to enlarge):

I had a great time watching the participating films in last year's French Film Festival that's why I am eagerly anticipating this year's run!

Tickets for each screening are priced at P100.00 to cover the operational costs of the cinema. Tickets are available at the box office or through www.sureseats.com. 

Beer Festival in the City

It is that time of the year for beer lovers -- Oktoberfest!  And Megaworld Lifestyle Malls is staging a big celebration of all things beer this October.

The month-long Eastwood City Beer Festival begins with a star-studded kick-off event on September 27 where beer lovers can get to sample a diverse collection of imported and craft beers being offered by different merchants while partying to live performances of popular bands Urbandub, Pupil, and Up Dharma Down, and Rico Blanco.

Beer Festival launch at Publiko in Eastwood City

All Thirstdays of October will give patrons great beer promos from restaurants and bars in Eastwood City and live performances from bands and artists such as Never the Strangers, Sheila & The Insects, Taken by Cars, She's Only 16, The Bloomfields, Tricia Garcia and Ebe Dancel.

The Beer Tent rises on October 18 until the 19th in Eastwood Central Plaza, where guests can indulge in their favorite beers while watching hilarious stand-up comedians from Comedy Cartel or enjoying music from rock groups Kenyo and The Dawn.

Eastwood City Beer Festival will climax in a spectacular finale on October 25, where guests can groove to the beat of live party music from Deuce Manila and DJs Funky Avy, Ace Ramos and Ron Poe.

Non-beer drinkers, like me, can also enjoy the festivities with the different beer-themed attractions: the giant wall art made out of beer caps, giant beer barrel and the beer exhibit, where guests can learn about the different beers served by merchants at the festival.

Will share my beer experience in one of my future posts so stay tuned.

17th Edition French Film Festival

I love French wine and cheese!  French films? These I have to see as June 7 marked the opening of the 17th edition of the annual French Film Festival.  Dubbed Citi-Rustan's French Film Festival, it is part of the French cultural program, Francophil, organized by the Embassy of France to the Philippines and the Alliance Francaise de Manille.

The film festival opened with Michael Hazanavicius' Oscar Award-winning film, "The Artist", which is very appropriate as it pays tribute to the beginnings of cinema.  Furthermore, a selection of contemporary French films will be shown throughout the festival through the efforts of the Institut Francais and the Philippine distributor, Pioneer Films. 

Among the films chosen as part of the Citi-Rustan's French Film Festival are Filipino films that have been shown in festivals in France or whose directors have participated in French workshops or seminars -- "Busong" by Auraeus Solito, "Manila" by Raya Martin and Adolfo Alix, Jr., "Bakal Boys" by Ralstom Jover, and the short films "Little" and "Au Revoir Philippe" by Sigrid Bernardo.  These Filipino films will be shown the whole day of June 12 as a tribute to Philippines' Independence Day.  The festival will also showcase Brillante Mendoza's "Captive," a Franco-German-Filipino co-production, starring French actress Isabelle Huppert.  However, the screening is by-invitation only and organized by Star Cinema.

The French Film Festival is from June 8 to 17 at the Shang Cineplex of the Shangri-La Plaza and from June 21 to 23 at the Ayala Center Cebu, made possible by the ample support of Citibank and Rustan's, and the following partners Shangri-La Plaza, Total, Air France-KLM, Pernod Ricard Philippines, Mandarin Oriental Manila, Pioneer Films, Le Cellier Wines, Cultural Center of the Philippines, UP Film Institute and official media partners BusinessWorld, Highlife, Travel, Radio High 105.9 and Spot.ph.


For inquiries, please call 0915-3135891 or email at frenchfilmfest@gmail.com.

Asian Film Fest 2012

An interesting and educational event is happening at the Shang Cineplex -- the Asia As Our Society Film Festival.  The film festival will be running from May 17 to May 21, 2012 and will feature an array of films  from the Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Japan, Lao DPR, China, and South Korea. Organized by the Asia Society Philippine Foundation, Inc., the film festival is open and FREE for all.

Below are the screening schedules and summary of each participating film.


May 17 (Thursday)
7 - 9 pm
DINIG SANA KITA (If I Knew What You Said) by Mike Sandejas (Philippines)


May 18 (Friday)
12:30 pm
3 DOA 3 CINTA by Nurman Hakim (Indonesia)
3:00 pm
THE GUAVA HOUSE (MUA OI LA SAISON DES GAYAVES) by Nhat Minh Dang (Vietnam)
5:30 pm
ONLY LOVE by Anousone Sirisackda (LAO DPR)
8:00 pm
FOREVER ENTHRALLED by Chen Kaige (China)


May 19 (Saturday)
12:30 pm
AGNI DAHAYA by Jayantha Chandrasiri (Sri Lanka)
3:00 pm
LASKAR PELANGI (The Rainbow Troops) by Riri Riza (Indonesia)
5:30 pm
WANKO - The Story of Me, My Family and My Dog by Isamu Nakae (Japan)
8:00 pm
HWANG JIN YI by Chang Yoon-hyun (South Korea)


May 20 (Sunday)
12:30 pm
NOSTALGIA FOR COUNTRYLAND (Thoung nho dong que) by Nhat Minh Dang (Vietnam)
3:00 pm
ECLAIR by Akio Kondo (Japan)
5:30 pm
SPEEDY SCANDAL by Kang Hyeong-cheoi (Korea)
8:00 pm
THE FOUNDING OF A REPUBLIC by Han Sanping, Huang Jianxin (China)


May 21 (Monday)
12:30 pm
GLITTERING DAY by An Zhanjun (China)
3:00 pm
DEEWARI by Salinda Perera (Sri Lanka)
5:30 pm
JAKARTA MAGHRIB by Salman Aristo (Indonesia)
8:00 pm
HALAW by Sheron Dayoc (Philippines)

For those planning to watch the films, please be at the Shang Cineplex at least an hour before the showtime to claim the free ticket/s as they are issued on a first come, first served basis.




Filed under SHOWS

A Taste of India

The world seems to be getting smaller and smaller because of technology and the easy, more affordable means to travel. We can go to far away places and get to taste the various culture that the world has to offer. I, for one, love to travel to see famous landmarks, unique places and sights, to shop and also to eat. But alas, I've not had the opportunity to visit India just yet but this Indian gastronomic experience at Century Park surely gave me a taste of authentic Indian cuisine.

As I entered Cafe Park, the center buffet set-up with a huge golden statue as centerpiece immediately caught my eye. It is surrounded by serving dishes of colorful and aromatic kitchen creations that seemed to call out to me and say, "Try me." I had to encircle the buffet thrice to be able to decide which food to try first.

Being a traditional diner, I got a cup of Dal Shorba or thin lentil soup. The light yellow liquid with few lentil bits is not spicy not salty and has the faintest aroma and flavor of curry, much like watered-down curry sauce.

Dal Shorba or thin lentil soup

Next, I tried the appetizers, although I'm not sure if all of the offered appetizers are of Indian origin and how I wished they all had name markers for identification. As you can see here in the photos, there were sliced cold cuts made from turkey and pork, and seafood. The Indian Food Festival also offered a lot of vegetable based dishes like eggplants, chick peas, and potatoes, among others.

An array of cold cuts on platters and

seafood -- prawns and oysters, and

sweet-spicy anchovies (dilis)

Dishes made from eggplants; potatoes and

garbanzo beans; and pickling spices

and cottage cheese

Salted duck eggs salad; assorted breads;

and spicy baby octopus

Appetizers alone will suffice for a full meal but I felt I must try the main dishes so as not to waste the festival invitation. The next featured foods are heavy on sauces infused with various Indian spices and/or coconut milk, such as the Prawn Malai Curry or prawns cooked in coconut milk with curry. The prawns are well prepared, skin off with the tail intact, and well cooked. The sauce it is submerged in on the chafing dish is creamy and mildly spiced, just enough to add dimension to the seafood taste. Thumbs up for this delicious creations -- I ended up eating several prawns.

Prawn Malai Curry

For the meat lovers, a must try is the Rogan Josh or lamb in spiced cream sauce. The red color is characteristic to this dish and is achieved by using kashmiri mirch or "peppers from Kashmir" -- mildly hot compared to other Indian peppers. This dish is usually eaten with leven bread or rice.

Rogan Josh or lamb in spiced cream sauce

If you want a less sinful but equally flavorful dish, get the simple named Buttered Chicken or chicken in buttery tomato rich gravy. This is also a heavy dish that goes perfectly with plain steamed rice, plenty of which you'll be needing to offset the strong spicy flavor and aroma.

Buttered Chicken or chicken in buttery tomato rich gravy

There are still more dishes in the buffet spread but I no longer have room in my tummy so I skipped and went straight for dessert. I need the soothing sweet and milky desserts to fight the fire (spice) building up in my mouth and throat. I picked just three which suited my palate: the Hahi Tukda or indian bread pudding; the Anannas Ka Halwa or pineapple sweet confection; and the Makai Ki Kheer or sweet corn pudding.

Hahi Tukda or Indian bread pudding

Anannas Ka Halwa or pineapple sweet confection

Makai Ki Kheer or sweet corn pudding

Ongoing at Cafe at the Park from September 15 until 24, the Indian Food Festival aims to promote world Indian culture and cuisine, to inspire travel, strengthen cultural relations to guests and patrons. Get ready to spice up and sample Indian delicacies prepared by Chef Ashish Sanyal and Chef Jagdish, fused by traditional Indian spices and flavors.

The festival is a joint offering of Century Park Hotel with Asia's first airline, Philippine Airlines and TajSATS, the leader in airline catering services in Asia. The hotel will raffle off two (2) roundtrip tickets New Delhi, India-Manila courtesy of PAL, plus hotel GCs and Heelz Hobbo gift voucher.

The Cafe in the park is open daily from 5:30 am until 1:00 am and also offers extensive a la carte menu and daily breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets. For inquiries and reservations, you may call (632) 5285827 and (632) 5285829 or email foodbev@centurypark.com.ph.

Filed under FLAVORS