MANILA -- For a few days now, the big bold letters "Cinemalaya" have been standing like the Transformers at the facade of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, greeting motorists, commuters and late-afternoon joggers.

It's Cinemalaya fever again, the independent film festival born and raised at the Tanghalang Pambansa (CCP building) continues to grow on its 15th year.

A few days earlier, the first to be erected were the poster-billboards for the competing 10 feature films and and two sets of finalists for the short film category. Each was mounted in individual metal frames before the walls leading to the side entrance of the CCP on Pedro Bukaneg Street.

But much earlier, a few more weeks ago, there were these floating big, scary eyeballs at the the lobby of the Main Theater, hovering like ghostly apparitions or pigments of some quirky filmmakers' wild imaginations.

"We have these balloons that symbolize how we travel to other realms of the imagination," Chris Millado, CCP vice president and artistic director, said during the press launch of the festival, where he's also been serving as festival director.

The opening ceremony will happen on August 2, Friday, at the Main Theater with a free-to-the public screening of Lav Diaz's "Ang Hupa," making its Philippine debut after having its world premiere at the Directors' Fortnight in Cannes on May 22 this year.

For the record, the official run of Cinemalaya nationwide is from August 3 to August 13. To avoid confusion, Millado clarified the regular showing of films at the CCP venues will start on August 3 up to August 11, when the awarding and closing ceremonies will also take place at the Main Theater.

The closing film is "Mina Anud" by Cebuano filmmaker Kerwin Go to be shown at 9 p.m. on August 10, a day earlier than the closing and awarding ceremonies, also at the Main Theater. Topbilled by Dennis Trillo, Jerald Napoles, Matteo Guidicelli and Lou Veloso, the film is loosely based on the cocaine bricks incident in Samar in 2009.

The simultaneous runs in mall-based commercial cinemas nationwide and microcinemas in Metro Manila will start on August 7 until August 13.

As to why the CCP venues will have a four-day head start, Millado explained: "The CCP will start four days ahead of the runs in commercial cinemas in the malls and micro-cinemas to encourage avid followers of Cinemalaya to experience the CCP, where the gala screenings with directors and actors happen, as well as the ongoing art exhibits and other exclusive screenings of the classics, retrospective films, the best selections from other film festivals, documentaries, foreign films. All these wonderful events happening just a few steps away. The viewers will have a chance to encounter, or even talk with their favorite actors and directors."

Experiencing the main competition films at the CCP venues is still the best experience, he pointed out. "Going to Cinemalaya is not only about going to a dark movie theater. It is also about interacting with fellow film lovers outside," Millado added.

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Given that you've fixed your viewing calendar that could enable you to see all the films in competition, both feature length and the shorts, there are a lot to cover at the CCP venues and one week may not be enough to experience them all.

In the past years, out of the more than 1,000 films shown in the last 14 years at the festival, we remember having to choose between watching all the films in competition and catching one-time-only screenings of the digitally restored classics, premieres, best of festivals and foreign films.

Being in two places at same time

In the past Cinemalaya years, we remember trying to catch Lamberto Avellana's "A Potrait of the Artist As Filipino," Mike de Leon's "Kung Mangarap Ka't Magising," Maryo J. delos Reyes' "Bagets," and a few digitally restored classics by Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal.

This year, the Digital Classics section will show Brocka's 1975 film on heroes Diego and Gabriela Silang titled "Dung-Aw" at 6:15 p.m. on August 6 at Tanghalang Manuel Conde (TMC), as the festival's tribute for the late actress-film producer Armida Siguion-Reyna. This will be followed by Peque Gallaga's psychedelic comedy "Bad Bananas sa Puting Tabing," at 9 p.m. also at TMC.

There will be films that could be classified under classics in a few decades. They are the best output in recent years, grouped under Best of the Festivals, Retrospective and Indie Nation.

There are instances when you wish you can be present at two different places at the same time. You have to choose which one to watch because some, or most of these films under the said categories, are shown simultaneously.

For example, on August 3, the second day of the festival, at 9 p.m. at Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (TAT) or Little Theater, from Best of the Festivals there will be Daniel Palacio's "Pailalim." Since it won the best picture award in 2017 Sinag Maynila, it has also gained ecognitions abroad.

A few steps away from TAT, at the same time in Tanghalang Huseng Batute (THB), there's Timmy Harn's "Dog Days," from last year's QCinema International Film Festival. Personally, we'd choose "Dog Days" because it has Tanghalang Pilipino Actors' Company member Ybes Bagadiong in the leading role and Eraserheads lead guitarist Marcus Adoro in a supporting role.

On the second day, August 4, we have no problem catching Wammy Alcazaren's "Never Tear Us Apart" showing at 3:30 p.m. at TAT. Shot entirely on iPhones, the film is topbilled by Jasmine Curtis Smith and Ricky Davao, and has won the Jury Prize and Best Director Awards in last year's Cinema One Originals.

This will be followed by the Philippine premiere of Adolfo Alix Jr.'s "Misteryo De La Noche" at 6:15 p.m., also at TAT. In the same venue at 9 p.m. is Chito Rono's "Signal Rock," one of the most awarded films last year from the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino.

From QCinema International Film Festival, there are Dwein Baltazar's "Oda Sa Wala," at 9 p.m., August 5, Monday, in TAT, and Dan Villegas' "Hintayan ng Langit" to be shown at 9 p.m., August 7, Wednesday at TMC. Adapted from a Virgin Labfest play by Juan Miguel Severo, it has Eddie Garcia in one of his last few leading roles before his death this year.

Together with "Hintayan ng Langit" as part of a retrospective dedicated to Garcia, Cinemalaya is also showing Joel Lamangan's "Rainbow Sunset" from 2018's Metro Manila Film Festival, on August 7, at 6:15 p.m., in TAT. From last year's Cinemalaya, there's Benedict Mique's "ML" to be shown on August 8, at 6:15 p.m., in TMC. "ML" won for Garcia two best actor awards, one from the 2018 Cinemalaya and this year's Gawad Urian.

On August 9, Friday, at 9 p.m. in TAT, there will be the Philippine premiere of Khavn dela Cruz's "Bamboo Dogs." This goes head to head with Zig Dulay's "Aking Ang Korona" at TMC.

The tribute to Cesar Hernando happens at TMC on the same day, at 6:15 p.m. with the showing of his short films: "Kagat ng Dilim," "Motorsiklo," "Maalinsangan ang Gabi" and "Kalawang." "Kagat ng Dilim" is topbilled by Kapamilya actor Piolo Pascual.

Our dilemma of being in two places at the same time continues until Saturday, August 10, when the closing film "Mina Anud" is shown at the Main Theater at 9 p.m., simultaneously with "Tanabata's Wife" in TAT. This was the Best Picture awardee from 2018 To Farm Film Festival and with the limited screening in mainstream cinemas, it would be best to catch this gem now, given the fact that "Mina Anud" is going to be shown nationwide in the latter part of August.

Also part of the one-time-only-showing categories are from last year's Cinemalaya like "Liway" and "Kung Paano Hinihintay and Dapithapon." Besides "Never Tear Us Apart" from ABS-CBN Films and Cinema One Originals, one can also catch Antoinette Jadaone's "Never Not Love You."

All these one-time-only screenings will happen only at the CCP venues until August 10. The following day, Sunday, August 11, it will be the awarding and closing ceremonies.

More venues, show dates for competing films

Traffic and weather being the main culprits for those who live on the other side of the metro, there are more movie houses to choose from. There are even more venues nationwide than the previous years.

It has become a familiar sight this time of the year, when the rains may come today and the sun might shine tomorrow and the cycle repeats itself.

The festival's run in mall-based cinemas closes two days later than the CCP's. In Metro Manila, the participating movie houses are UP Town Center, Trinoma, Glorietta, Greenbelt and Market Market. The cinematheque at the Film Development Council of the Philippines main office, the one located beside Casino Espanol on Kalaw Street in Ermita, Manila, will also participate.

For the first time, micro-cinemas in Metro Manila will participate simultaneously. There's Cinema Centenario on Maginhawa Street, Quezon City, Cinema '76 in San Juan City and its branch on Anonas Street, Black Maria Cinema in Mandaluyong City, and a new one, The Dream Theater by CBRC (Carlo Balita Review Center) at the Carmen Building on Espana Avenue, Sampaloc, Manila.

In Cavite, for the first time there's the Evia Lifestyle Mall in Bacoor City. The Vista Cinemas' participation this year will have an opening ceremony here on August 7 and will have "Iska" as its feature film, with Millado and "Iska" lead actress Ruby Ruiz gracing the event.

Cinemalaya nationwide

In San Fernando City, Pampanga, Vista Cinemas are also home to Cinemalaya. In the Bicol region, the festival continues at Vista Cinemas in Naga City and Ayala Malls in Legaspi City.

In Western Visayas, there are the Capitol Mall in Bacolod City and Vista Cinemas in Iloilo City. As of press time, we were told the FDCP Cinematheque in Iloilo City will also participate. In Mindanao, Cinemalaya films can be seen in Davao City's Abreeza Mall and FDCP's Cinematheque.

In the last 14 years, Cinemalaya has helped launch the careers of an estimated number of 280 filmmakers, including those from both shorts and feature-length categories in competition. It created about more than 300 films, if to include those doing documentaries.

There have been precursors to Cinamalaya like the defunct Cinemanila International Film Festival spearheaded by veteran filmmaker Amable "Tikoy" Aguiluz and the hibernating .MOV (pronounced dot mov) Digital International Film Festival, the brainchild of then maverick young filmmaker Khavn dela Cruz.

But while Cinemanila focused on bringing the best of world cinema to the Philippines at a time when streaming was unheard of, and .MOV encouraged many aspiring filmmakers to create their own with the use of digital cameras while bringing in the best of cinema from independent moviemakers abroad, Cinemalaya was the first to give seed money to help newbies bankroll their dream projects.

Despite the ups and downs, this Cinemalaya template has proved more helpful to many young filmmakers and later on, to veteran filmmakers. Cinemalaya became the pattern of succeeding indie festivals with their own versions of financing -- some with bigger funds. With this, it can be said Cinemalaya has encouraged the creations of Cinema One Originals, Sinag Maynila, QCinema International Film Festival, Cinema Rehiyon and in later years, the government-organized Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino.

Morale booster

As fitting tribute to the festival as it marked its 15th year, Millado pointed out the recognition given to Cinemalaya Foundation by the Nikkei Asia Prize for Culture and Community last May 29 in Tokyo, Japan.

Cinemalaya Foundation, the non-stock, non-profit, non-government organization established only in 2015 and the organization behind the festival, was cited “in recognition of its tireless efforts to discover gifted filmmakers and invigorate the Philippine film industry by organizing a big independent film festival.”

Nikkei Asia explained how "the organization has striven to shed a new light on the country’s film industry, which had been viewed as dead following a huge decline in production."

Those who received the prize were Millado, Cinemalaya Foundation president Laurice Guillen, Cinemalaya patron-founding father Antonio "Tonyboy" Cojuangco and Cinemalaya competition-monitoring chairman Mel Chionglo.

In the Nikkei Asia website, Cojuangco was quoted as saying: “Cinemalaya films dared to tackle narratives, characters and subject matter often deemed risky, volatile, esoteric and therefore non-bankable by commercial standards. In this age of fake news and the weaponizing of social media, we offer our festival as an alternative space for truth telling.”

On its 15th year and with bigger coverage nationwide, Cinemalaya continues to live up to that mandate. Now, if only the weather would be so kind to its viewers.