TALES OF COURAGE, LOVE, LONELINESS AND WONDER
Portland’s 2nd Annual Moonrise Film Festival Showcases the Philippines
and Environmental Awareness
PORTLAND, OR– Just in time for Earth Day, the 2nd Portland Moonrise Film Festival invites you to learn about the issues facing rural farmers, indigenous groups, and gain a sense of the history of one of the largest archipelagos on Earth, the Philippines.
The Festival, hosted by Green Empowerment and Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon (PACCO) Kabataan, will be held at the Holladay Park Plaza (1300 NE 16th Ave.). A Filipino dinner and slideshow highlighting community-based energy and water projects helps kick off the Festival on April 25th, 2008 at 6:00PM followed by the screening of “Batad, Sa Paang Palay”, this year’s featured film. A matinee that starts at 4:00PM and evening show at 7:00PM closes the event April 26th.
The Festival showcases independent films and documentaries originally shown at the Moonrise Film Festival in Quezon City, Philippines. Moonrise Film Festival, a critically-acclaimed tradition now in its third year in the Philippines, is organized annually by the Center of Environmental Awareness and Education (CEAE) – a leader in environmental education and environmental awareness initiatives in the Philippines.
“Independent films and environmentalism are cornerstones to Portland’s culture; and Portland’s ties with the Philippines are becoming stronger every year. We need to use our traditions of art and activism to help ensure the Philippines’ sustainable development,” shares Gordy Molitor, Green Empowerment’s Executive Director.
Moonrise is proud to present the critically-acclaimed film, “Batad”, named for a region in the Philippines whose breathtaking rice terraces are considered the Eighth Wonder of the World. Benjie Garcia and Vic Acedillo, Jr tell the story of a young Batad boy who must work in the local market while his father repairs rice terraces in order to help support his family. However, the boy’s true heart’s desire is a young girl and the seemingly impossible purchase of a pair of new boots that he believes will make her love him. He is pulled at turns by the promises of the modern world and by the traditions of his parents. “Batad” has enjoyed several nominations for the 4th ENPRESS Golden Screen Awards and was one of the finalists for Cinemalaya Philippines Independent Film Festival.
“The film festival straddles two celebrations: Earth Day and API Heritage Month, and so it comes at the intersection of these passions, concerns and responsibilities,” says Festival organizer Aimee Santos-Lyons. “Filipinos living in Portland are blessed to have the
experience of living in a city respected for its strong ‘green ethic’ and are now able to bring this perspective to the environmental challenges besieging the verdant island we still call home. The films in this series demonstrate that we cannot rest on our nostalgia but that we need to continue nurturing this relationship, raising our awareness of the problems and be part of the solutions being forwarded.”
Tickets are available through Green Empowerment
(www.greenempowerment.org) or at the door. Proceeds from this event will go to Green Empowerment’s partners in the Philippines and to CEAE.
For more information, please contact Jason Selwitz: (503. 284.5774, jason@greenempowerment.org), or Steph Routh (503.284.5774, stephanie@greenempowerment.org).
