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London-based Asian film festival to open with the UK premiere of Erik Matti’s On the Job and features a focus on the Philippines.

The sixth Terracotta Far East Film Festival (Tfeff), one of the UK’s biggest showcases for contemporary Asian cinema, is to open with the UK premiere of Erik Matti’s On the Job, which debuted at Directors Fortnight during the Cannes Film Festival 2013.

The festival, which will be held in two central London venues from May 23 to June 1, will comprise 24 films. It will close with the international premiere of Judge!, attended by director Akira Nagai.

Tfeff’s Spotlight On section will focus on the Philippines and director Matti will attend the opening ceremony of the strand with his film, On the Job.

The spotlight strand will be hosted by the Institute of Contemporary Arts (Ica) from May 23-27, which will also feature a double bill dedicated to award-winning Filipino actor Felix Roco. He will...

Veronica Velasco has always found humor in the cruelty of fate. Her films have always been grounded on premises where an act of fate results in absurd and sometimes torturous scenarios that test the limits of humanity. In I Do (2010), the dream wedding of two teens is constantly delayed by occurrences beyond their control, pitting their youthful love against youthful impatience. In Last Supper No. 3 (2009), a props-man turns into the butt of an overextended joke when he misplaces a wall décor he borrowed from an opportunistic family for an ad campaign, forcing him to experience the frustrating inanities of the Philippine judicial system. In Maling Akala (2007), which Velasco co-directed with Pablo Biglangawa, a chance meeting between two strangers results in a...

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Sometimes a kiss is just not enough. After the redundancy and tedium of romancing, fighting, and forgiving that has been the standard storyline of most if not all recent romantic comedies, the pay-off of seeing the onscreen lovers lock lips in slow motion has been quite unrewarding. Tradition demands that the only acceptable conclusion to any romance is a wedding. Veronica Velasco's I Do endeavors to innovate on traditions by telling the tale, which according to her and co-writer Jinky Laurel is based on a true story, of a couple whose attempts at being wed are often foiled.

 

Yumi (Erich Gonzalez) is a hopeless romantic whose mission in life is to find the one to tie the knot with in the dream wedding that she has been obsessing over since her younger years. Lance (Enchong Dee), her Chinese boyfriend, is suddenly faced with the decision of marrying her to...