Festival Note
Inspired by Jose Rizal’s third, unfinished novel, discovered in 1987. A Spanish priest (Khavn) and a Filipino poet (John Lloyd Cruz) vie for the affections of an American woman (Lilith Strangenberg) who is going mad. Shot on expired film stock, which was then hand painted and scratched by the director, Makamisa: Phantasm of Revenge is made to feel like an unearthed relic; some newly discovered silent film from an experimental filmmaker from a century past.
Hango sa pangatlong, di-natapos na nobela ni Jose Rizal, na na-diskubre nung 1987. Isang paring Español (Khavn) at makatang Filipino (John Lloyd Cruz) ay parehong nanliligaw sa isang babaeng Amerikano (Lilith Strangenberg) na nababaliw. Gumamit ang pelikula ng panis na film stock, na siyang piniturahan at ginasgas nang mano-mano. Ang Makamisa: Pastasma ng Higanti ay nagmumukhang bagong tuklas na silent film mula sa isang experimental filmmaker mula sa nakalipas na siglo.
Khavn (born 1973, Manila) is a poet, novelist, songwriter, pianist, and filmmaker known for hi punk, innovative, and genre bending cinema. The father of Philippine digital filmmaking, Khavn has made 51 features and 115 short films. He has served as jury member at the Berlinale, Clermont-Ferrand, CPH:DOX, Jeonju, BiFan, Jihlava, & Dok Leipzig film festivals and has exhibited at the MoMA, Guggenheim Museum, Tate Modern, Museum of the 21st Century Arts in Rome, National Museum of Singapore, and Venice Biennial Architecture. He has lectured at the Berlinale Talent Campus, Bela Tarr’s Film Factory, Goethe Institute Nigeria, and he Danish Film Institute, and has curated programs for Viennale, Edinburgh International Film Festival, and Sharjah Biennial.