Written by Caitlin Young
Edited by Aaron Medina
As the much-awaited Spring Film Festival (SFF) celebrates its fourteenth year, rest assured guests can look forward to another carefully curated selection of Chinese cinema. The annual event also promises dragon and lion dances, a fashion show, Chinese workshops, and amazing performances.
As with previous years, the 14th Spring Film Festival will once again be held in the Shangri-La Plaza. An event organized by the Ateneo Ricardo Leong Center for Chinese Studies and Ateneo Celadon—the premier Chinese-Filipino organization of Ateneo de Manila University, the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of the Philippines, Credit Suisse, Bank Julius Baer & Co.LtD, Shangrila Plaza, Red Carpet, FDCP, CI, Chinoy TV, Don Pablo KT Uy Foundation, Trans World Trading Co.Inc, Flexo, Richprime Global Inc, Britanny Commercial, Times Trading Co. Inc, FFCCII, ClickTheCity.com, Manila Bulletin, WhenInManila.com, and Inquirer POP, the festival will certainly kick off the Year of the Metal Rat with splendor.
The Gala Night, which will be held on the 22nd of January, will feature a variety of performances. Aside from the dragon and lion dances and fashion show mentioned above, guests can look forward to an exclusive screening of SFF’s opening film: fantasy-action movie Monkey King 2. Based on the classic novel Journey to the West, the film is jam-packed with intense fighting scenes, beautiful cinematography, and a tantalizing storyline chock-filled with multidimensional heroes.
SFF will also feature 5 other films over the course of the week.Â
American-Chinese movie The Great Wall breaks barriers as European mercenaries and Chinese soldiers battle monsters together during the Song Dynasty.
You don’t have to be a child to enjoy the animated comedy Little Door Gods, where the laugh-out-loud antics of humans and the Guardians protecting them can lighten anybody’s heart.
Thriller Battle of Memories delves deep into science fiction wherein the main character, a writer, in an attempt to restore his memories with a special key card, finds himself in the mind of a serial killer.
The coming-of-age film Our Shining Days shows how cheeky students from a musical university with a shared desire to create music end up in an epic battle of the bands.
Superhero parody Jian Bing Man tells the hilarious story of an actor who, in an attempt to woo his girlfriend with a million-dollar ring, finds himself in a series of scrapes and gangsters.
For more information about the Spring Film Festival, please follow its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SpringFilmFestival/ or Ateneo Celadon’s page at https://www.facebook.com/celadonateneo/. Feel free to contact the Ateneo Ricardo Leong Center for Chinese Studies at 926-5118.Â
Other events include:
Chinese Music Concert (Saturday, January 25, 2-3pm)
A Chinese orchestra will certainly dazzle guests. In addition, Chinese-Filipino youth will showcase their talents to the world with an afternoon of beautiful singing and dancing performances. This event will certainly delight patrons of Shangri-La Plaza!Â
Painting Workshop (Sunday, January 26, 2-4pm)
This year’s SFF will once again welcome the expertise of Master Fidel M. Sarmiento, president of the Art Association of the Philippines, as well as its vice president, Roger Santos. Both will demonstrate their skills and teach a workshop for Shangri-La Patrons. This event will truly be an opportunity that should not be missed!
