Philippine participates in the Viennale 2008

The Viennale, Vienna's international film festival, takes place from October 17 until 29. As in previous years, the festival will again feature a bold variety of exciting and diverse film entries from all over the world with film screenings at six different cinemas located in the city's historic centre.

This year's main programme, a selection of new feature films and documentaries, covers approximately 140 entries. It offers an extraordinarily wide range of cinematic forms and countries of origin.  

Philippine contribution

The only Philippine contribution to the Viennale is Khvan De la Cruz’  Maynila sa Pangil ng Dilim – Manila in the fangs of Darkness. Khvan is personally attending the Film Festival. During the first screening of his film  on October 19, 2008 at the Urania Cinema, he was gladly welcomed by the Austrian viewers. He introduced the film and even rendered a corresponding song  for the film.

Khvan’s film is all about  a sturdy man with a dark expression. He  follows a delicate beauty, clad in innocent white clothes, through the streets of Manila. In his attempt to keep her away from the trash and vice of the metropolis, he becomes a murderer. Sometimes he simply stands around with his arms folded, observing people in the streets and unleashing tirades of hatred in the form of an inner monologue. Yet at the same time, he repeatedly proceeds to horrible crimes, which he considers himself chosen to commit.

The title of Khavn's most recent film refers to Lino Brocka's 1975 movie Manila in the Claws of Light, with which it shares the theme of search and danger as well as Bembol Roco in the role of the suffering and loving avenger. In addition, Khavn incorporates Filipino film history with the montage of excerpts from Roco's work as an actor, and the resulting repetition of motifs gives Maynila in the Fangs of Darkness the air of a social parable.

In an interview conducted by ABS-CBN News, Khvan is also scheduled to attend the film festival in the Czech Republic and in Copenhagen. Through his participation in worldwide film Festivals, he hopes to solicit more support for the independent filmers in the Philippines.

Tributes of this year’s Viennale

The two tributes of this year's Viennale are: "Tribute to Bob Dylan", an attempt to establish an association between Dylan's work and the cinema, and "Tribute to Werner Schroeter", an opportunity to get to know one of the most unusual and most radical film makers of our times.

The Viennale Zentrale under the roof top of Urania  serves both as the festival's central meeting point as well as the location for a number of events. It will host discussions, lectures, readings and sessions with film makers and it will provide the ideal place for parties, concerts, music events and various live acts.

 Hector Pascua, ABS-CBN News, Austria

LEGAZPI CITY – French tourist arrivals in the Bicol region rose by 2,229 percent from 912 in the first two quarters of 2007 to 21,247 over the same period this year, the Department of Tourism here said.

“This is an astounding leap,” said Maria Ong-Ravanilla, Bicol tourism regional director. She said the filming of the French edition of the popular reality game show “Survivor” early this year in Caramoan, Camarines Sur, was a major factor.

France was fifth in terms of tourist influx in Bicol in 2007 but it suddenly climbed to the top spot. The United States placed second with 11,847, followed by Japan with 5,032, Germany with 2,844, and Australia with 2,385.

In 2007, she said the Bicol region ranked sixth among other regions with total tourist arrivals of 897,680. Bicol was seventh in 2006 and ninth in 2004 and 2005.

Top tourist attractions in Bicol are Donsol town’s whale shark interaction in Sorsogon, Albay’s Mayon volcano, and the Camarines Sur Water Sports Complex in Pili town.

Ravanilla said for the first two quarters of 2008, the tourism industry earned a gross income of around P305 million and has generated a total of 198,539 jobs.

“Our gross receipts amounted to around P443 million for the whole of 2007, but now, for only the first two quarters of 2008, we have already earned 69 percent of that,” Ravanilla said.

The “French Survivor” started airing in the first week of July and has been viewed by some 10 million viewers from French-speaking countries in Europe and Canada.

Caramoan Peninsula, which was only known to backpackers before it found fame on French Survivor, boasts of virgin, powdery white sand beaches with crystal blue waters, rock formations and rich flora and fauna.

Bikol Society celebrates Peñafrancia feast in Vienna

The Bikol Society in Austria (BSA) successfully celebrated the 6th Nuestra Senora de Peñafrancia fluvial parade on September 20, 2008 for the group's 15th anniversary.

The fluvial procession on board the MS Tegethoff, a passenger vessel, was attended by more than 600 Filipino and Austrian friends.During the five-hour boat trip along the Danube River going to Krems, a province in the Lower Austrian region, the organizers and devotees prayed novena to Ina. A colorful cultural presentation was also prepared by the Bicolanos. 

Philippine Ambassador to Austria Linglingay Lancalae joined her countrymen in this year’s feast day of Our lady of Peñafrancia. Lacanlale appreciated the initiative of the Bikol Society and the Filipino community for observing such long-honored traditions, which are embedded in the Filipino way of life.

“The fluvial procession affirms the strength of our connectedness to our roots and the ties of faith and community that binds us all, notwithstanding our diversity. It celebrates the values that we share in common,” Lacanlale stated in her message to all the devotees.“This traditional practice leads us to realize how Mary’s whole life had been always on a journey with Jesus and for Jesus. Such is also the challenge to us – that the intensity of our devotion to the “Mahal na Ina” will continue more and more, as we journey altogether ro become united and loving community,” said Fr. Joes Demoy of the Filipino Catholic Chaplaincy.