Bindleblast - October 2, 2020

AROUND THE BARANGAY: Manilatown Movietime, Bitter Melon, CAMM Fest Drive-In, Volunteer/Donate

We welcome everyone to celebrate Filipinx American History Month this October with Bindlestiff Studio. We have tons of virtual offerings this month to honor and reflect on our past, present and future. At this time, we uplift our late community member historian Dr. Dawn Bohualano Mabalon’s fierce work in researching and documenting Stockton’s Little Manila. We turn to our dear friend and kuya, Eric “E” Fructuoso, for his incredible work with the youth in the SOMA, as well as serving as our informal Bindlestiff historian. This month is about telling our stories, speaking our truth and raising our voices. 

We’re proud to host Filipinx American writer’s at our virtual stage. Radio Basa’s Corpse Honey by Rizal Adanza will have a listening party on Oct 3. Forbidden Futures’ six original short plays will convene on Oct 17. Kwento Times Staged Reading Series returns this month with Bay Area legend playwright Jeannie Barroga with her play Banyan (date tbd). And Queer as Fuck will have an spectakular Halloween night show.

This particular October comes with a monumental elections right around the corner. We encourage everyone to make your voice be heard by voting.

Radio Basa: Corpse Honey (Listening Party + Talk Back)

Corpse Honey was written by Rizal Adanza (IG: @rizaladanza) during Christina Ying’s Horror Writing Workshop for Bindlestiff Studio in 2019. It had a staged reading in October of that year at the black box theatre. The play was inspired by research around the vulture bee—a bee that makes honey out of corpses. 

Teenager Dahlia, a Jehova’s Witness, doesn’t expect anything out of the ordinary when she happens upon a house at the end of a lonely isolated road. She then learns the strange family has secrets after she enters their dangerous home.

Forbidden Future(s) 2020 - Salvation in the Eye of the Firestorm, Awaken and Gather in Darkness Together

FORBIDDEN FUTURE(S) 2020 takes over the Bindlestiff Twitch stream on Saturday, October 17, 7:00 PM PST, with six original short plays wrapped in a love letter to sci-fi pulp fiction, cyberpunk/post apocalyptic media, and heavy metal magazine.

Manilatown Movietime

DATE: October 3, 2020, 6pm, $10

Please join the Manilatown Heritage Foundation for an Online Manilatown MovieTime Watch Party of the award-winning film PUROK 7 followed by a Community Discussion with the PUROK 7 Director Carlo Obispo.

Upon registration on EventBrite you will receive a link to watch the film at 6pm and another link to join in on the Panel Discussion at 7:30pm .

Directed by Carlo Obispo, PUROK 7 was shot in the director’s hometown in Tarlac, and depicts the way of rural life and how a small community comes to terms with the modern world.

In this impoverished little community live two siblings, 14-year-old Diana (Krystle Valentino) and younger brother, Julian (Miggs Cuaderno), whose mother works in China as a domestic helper. The absence of their mother prompts their father, Ogie (Arnold Reyes), to live in with a woman (Angeli Bayani) in the more populated part of the purok. Now building his second family, Ogie detaches himself from Diana and Julian. The two are left to live on their own in their small hut that stands alone in the middle of the fields. Amidst this difficult situation, Diana and Julian still see the world through the eyes of children: they still manage to laugh, have fun, and in Diana’s case, feel puppy love with the arrival of Jeremy (Julian Trono), her childhood friend, who arrives for a short vacation. The siblings deal with their deteriorating relationship with their father, their adjustment to their father’s mistress, and the struggle to remain hopeful after their mother is wrongfully accused of a crime she did not commit and is given a death sentence in a foreign land. But amidst all these trials, it effectively shows the inherent human compassion and the genuine concern for one’s fellow human beings, which is common among people in rural areas.

Obispo won the Spirit Award at the 2015 ASEAN International Film Festival for Best Director. The film also received the Best Film award at the 2014 Lucas International Festival of Films for Children and Young People. This heartfelt film also tackles the current plight of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and raises social awareness about their situations.

MANILATOWN MOVIETIME:

The Manilatown Heritage Foundation is proud to present Manilatown MovieTime a series of specially programmed Filipino film screenings and community discussions. Hosted by Carlos Zialcita , Manilatown MovieTime is designed to showcase Philippine and Filipino-American related movies, filmmakers, actors and crews, infusing their art and insight into our vibrant, diverse community through film.

Each Manilatown MovieTime screening will features the following:
-A community discussion led by writer, poet, actor and Ethnic Studies Professor Oscar Peñaranda
-A presentation on the importance of Filipino Films in the Filipino-American Community
-Meet & Greets with Actors, Directors, Cinematographers, and Filipino movie enthusiasts.

For more information about Manilatown MovieTime or the Manilatown Heritage Foundation please contact us at mhf@manilatown.org

HP Mendoza’s Bitter Melon (rare first cut version) will be showing all of October to celebrate FAHM! 
Tickets are FREE (but donations are always helpful). Visit Roxie Cinema's Eventbrite page to reserve your ticket!

CAAM FEST DRIVE-IN 
CELEBRATING FILIPINA MUSIC

OCTOBER 14th 7pm @Fort Mason 

In celebration of Filipino American History Month, CAAM will showcase two world film premieres that celebrate a music icon Lea Solonga and rising star Ruby Ibarra. 

CAAM's first slate of in-person experiences since the pandemic started. Working closely with Fort Mason Center and following the City of San Francisco’s health guidelines, public programs will be exciting and safe for the community. The drive-in experiences will also include food available for purchase from Off the Grid. 

Miss seeing shows?

Bindlestiff has been consulting with Kultivate Labs about stage and performance needs at Kapwa Gardens - an outdoor community space in SOMA which is currently being built.

We need volunteers to help the vision become a reality. Volunteer your time Friday-Sunday.

Please help us raise money for the SOMA Community!

Many in our community cannot venture out, nor do they have the resources to purchase important supplies for sheltering in place. There is an acute need for the following:

• Disinfecting Wipes

• Hand Sanitizer

• Concentrated Disinfectant Solutions (70% Alcohol, Bleach, Hydrogen Peroxide, etc.)

• Toilet Paper

• Paper Towels

• Latex/Nitrile Gloves

• Masks (Non-medical, surgical, N95)

• Word puzzles, crosswords, sudoku, colored pencils, coloring books, reading materials

• Non-perishable goods (especially rice, dried noodles, crackers, spaghetti sauce, tuna, sardines, corned beef, fruit cocktail, etc.)

If you would like to donate any of these items, please ship them to:

United Playaz
c/o Rudy Corpuz
1038 Howard St
San Francisco, CA 94103

You can also drop off donations at the above address during the hours of 
12pm-5pm, Monday - Friday

Call Rudy 415-716-4100 to confirm drop-off time.


Volunteers needed to help prepare grocery bags and deliver them to recipients. Please contact each respective org above to offer your time.