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Promising new Philippine Indie Film: Ploning

The Philippines, though economically lagging and now full of political unrest, would like to make a positive impact in the film industry. Even if the Philippines has presented some good international films in the past and has won awards to boot, this film Ploning is a refreshing insight into the world of the Philippine Film Industry.

The movie is expected to tour the cities of Singapore, Dubai, New York and London to name a few and we would like to invite everyone in this forum to catch/see the movie.

The movie's synopsis is summarized as follows:

Ploning is the story of one woman's promise, her hope and love
from the point of view of a young boy.

Present time. Having lived aboard an illegal Taiwanese fishing
vessel for as long as he can remember, 30-plus year old Filipino
Muo Sei (meaning "Moses", son taken out of the water), grew
up to be a man of brokenness, unpredictable temper and solitary
loneliness. Until one morning his boat docks into the shores of
Cuyo, Palawan. His adoptive Taiwanese father risks being caught
and summons him to find "Ploning" before the sun sets, in the
hopes of dealing with his past and changing his ways. No one
knows who or what "Ploning" is to Muo Sei and no one has ever
dared to ask...And so his search begins...

Muo Sei tours the island, observes the people and place as an
outsider, and finally revisits his memories, baring how much
he has been part of Cuyo and the life of a woman named Ploning.

1980's. The past comes to life and 30-year old Ploning is revealed
as the island's enigmatic belle who cared for 7-year old Digo -
short for Rodrigo, Muo Sei's real name - as her own. She is a
woman who the town knows as keeping true to the promise of
waiting for her beau, the young town hero who left for Manila
more than a decade ago. This set her as both exemplary and
rumor magnet. But one thing is common, everyone wants to
marry her off. And Digo discovers Ploning's plan to leave for
Manila. Thus threatened by the sudden prospect of losing
Ploning, Digo devices ways to keep her from leaving and gets
her to make a promise.

Did Ploning choose closure with the man she has been waiting
for half her life or the future of young boy whose life is not her
own?

Old pains of rejection and unanswered questions are relived,
as backdropped by an ironically beautiful milieu and a community
of townspeople who are enamored and affected by the life and
love of Ploning.

In Digo's eyes, Ploning is likewise revealed as a dutiful daughter
to patriarch Susing, a committed supporter to grieving Intang,
an honorary sister to extended family Nieves and Toting a wise
ally to simpleton Alma, a co-mother to half-paralyzed Juaning,
a dear friend to ailing nurse Celeste, an object of desire to
young lad Siloy and a foe to Digo's older brother Veling.

In the end, a secret is revealed to Rodrigo that awakens him
into a love he has forsaken and misunderstood. Thus the healing
that comes from forgiveness springs forth into his hardened
heart.

Will Rodrigo finally choose to accept love or continue to walk
in hate?

The movie trailer is located here in this site, http://ploningthemovie.com/video2.html

The movie is produced independently by Panoramanila Pictures Co. with locations in Cuyo, Palawan, Philippines.
 
Wounded actors' society

Asian Journal Online
Feb. 18, 2008

CUYO, Palawan -- Actress Ces Quesada jokes that she is putting up the Cuyo Actors' Guild with the cast of debuting filmmaker's Dante Nico Garcia's "Ploning" as founding members.
Two requirements

"There are two requirements to be a member," she says. "That you have at least one line of dialogue in Cuyonon and that you've been wounded on the set."

Quesada herself has three such wounds, including a D-shaped "burn" mark left by cashew sap on her right foot. She also bit the inner part of her mouth while delivering a line in Cuyonon.

Judy Ann Santos, who plays the title character Ploning, has two burns from cashew-making and a scratch from a salt-bed scene with Gina Pareño.

Pareño is the champion, with half a dozen gashes of various sizes after that dramatic highlight in the salt bed. "She's now inasinang (salted) Gina," Quesada jokes.

Santos calls their wounds, "souvenirs."
 
JUNE will be the month for First tier International
Film FEstival (Cannes, Venice, Paris).

JULY onwards will be the month to hold premieres and
do theatrical runs in specific territories.
 
It's a movie that stars a local popular actress, but it has some interesting aspects to it. The actress, who's also a producer of the movie, negates the label "Indie film" to the movie. But the production crew labels it as "Indie." So what is it, really?

Indie is defined as being an independently-produced film, right? But it's shot on 35mm film. Quite expensive, for a film produced by an independent outfit.

But no matter the controversy, I think it's worth looking forward to, because Philippine actors and actresses are known to be emotionally expressive, plus, the scenery rocks!

This leads to my blog post about the beautiful sunsets on the location of this Philippine movie:

http://ploning.com/2008/03/of-sunsets-and-heart-rending-romance.html

If you want to know about the actress' take on her own movie, here is the link:

http://ploning.com/2008/03/judy-ann-santos-ventures-into-film.htmlv

More inside stories to come out on the Ploning.com blog in the weeks to come!


"The movie is about a barrio lass, Ploning, played by Judy Ann Santos, who is Cuyo's town beauty who waits patiently for the return of her beloved Tomas (whose identity remains a secret). He went to Manila to work but ten years later, Ploning still holds on to his promise that he will return for her. At 29 years old, she is already considered an old maid by rural standards but she still holds on the memory of her great love.."

This is the gist of Ploning the movie's storyline. For more news and updates, head on over to http://www.ploning.com. I assure you, THIS will be interesting!
 
who is this Ploning??

kinda weird to think about it, but would you agree or disagree with my views on which is better: cosmo/fhm girl or barrio lass? http://tinyurl.com/56apsm

or debate with me about whether a character from a Philippine movie could be paralleled to Mary the mother of Jesus? http://tinyurl.com/5gdd4d

or would you wonder about her mystery, in the same post as above? http://tinyurl.com/5gdd4d

would you be inclined to believe that she is also a phenomenal woman? http://tinyurl.com/6csd23

If you wanna find out more, visit the blog. :) It's bound to be an interesting movie.

http://www.ploning.com
 
agree, but Ploning is less intense. Subtle is the key word. :)

yeah, i think it has parallels to The Notebook too. :)

like the concept of waiting for one's true love.

But the thing is, Ploning isn't about passion and reckless love bordering on lust. Neither is it a tumultuous story like The Atonement.

It talks of love and loss, but it is more redemptive. There is an element of forgiveness, and its main selling point is its subtlety. :)

The scenery is just gorgeous
, and I think that would be another selling point of the movie.

But for me, though it has parallels, it is more Amelie than The Notebook.

Like wine, the flavor hits you when you really savor it. :)

Just my two cents' worth. :)
 
Rural Lass or Dominatrix: Who do you want?!

Debating on whether a modern man would want the character of a movie: a rural lass, or the classic object of lust: a Cosmo/FHM girl.

Intrigued? Click this.
 
Please do watch Ploning when it gets to your city

Yes. It does have great scenery, a refreshing story. Plus the fact that the goal of the production company is to give international indie followers a better view of the Philippines.
 
The multiple threads on this subject have been merged into one, and since these messages come across as promotional in nature -- the single thread has been moved to the forum for promoting movies. Please keep all future posts related to this movie in this one thread.
 
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