Marilou Diaz-Abaya Cordially Invites You to a Screening of Jose Rizal

Let us all play a game and let us try to remember the biggest events that happened ten years ago or the year 1998. Some of you might say that the most significant event would be the Lewinsky Scandal or some might even say that it was Joseph Estrada winning the election and putting our country into great turmoil for the next three years. For us though, it was not those events that truly captures 1998 as a whole but it was a film that made us all Filipinos proud of something and that really made us watch, learn and cherish how important our culture and history is for all of us. It was simply a film called Jose Rizal.

We remember it as a film that not only solidified a director's name into one of the Philippine's greats nor was it not a stepping stone for one actor to break the barriers of Hollywood. No! It was a film, like its namesake, is one all Filipinos were proud of at that time and up until now. It was a film that truly was beyond the norm of mediocrity of Filipino movies. Until now, nothing has rivaled that film in how everyone waited and anticipated it. It was a film that no Filipino missed (and should ever miss) and a film that could rival the greatest Hollywood could ever give. It was one of the bright spots in a year of confusion and turmoil for our country.

Thanks to MDAFI or the Marilou Diaz-Abaya Film Institute, we will all get a chance to watch Jose Rizal ten years after. MDAFI would like to invite us to come to their 10th Anniversary Screening of Jose Rizal on December 20, 2008, 2PM sharp. The venue is in the Main Studio of MDAFI in Antipolo. Not just that, we will also get a chance to see the best that MDAFI has produced since its inception. There are seven short films lined up after the Rizal Screening all produced by MDAFI students and alumni.

The said films are:
a. "The Threshold" by Mik Red (Official Entry to the Hannover International Film Festival)
b. "Day Dream" by Nick Olanka
c. "Bugaw" by Arah-Jell Badayos
d. "Memento" by Francis Concio
e. "Retokado" by Pablo Biglang-awa
f. "Mooncakes" by Dom Nuesa
g. "Pagtatapos" by Biboy Belarmino
h. "Opo Ma'am" by Javier Abola (35mm).

For more details about the event and how to get exclusive invites, please contact RJ Torres through his email (

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rjtorres@k2ia.com) or mobile (09163916089). We hope to see you there and enjoy Filipino film greatness!

By the way, Reel Advice will also give reviews of the event, Jose Rizal and the seven independent films. So watch out as well!