Wildfire smoke has reached home. Shot in Renton, WA, USA
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Backyard Symphony
Nine black-and-white photographs shot from a backyard in Renton, Washington, USA. Online photography exhibition by Joni Gutierrez, 2018.
The documentary has always been an engaging genre and artistic practice for me. In this post, I present definitions, characteristics, and seminal examples of poetic, avant-garde, and experimental documentary films as well as my own cinematic works to illustrate the discussion.
Born and raised in Manila, I moved to Hong Kong in 2013 to pursue my PhD studies in Communication and Film. I earned the degree in 2018 and even though I have since then immigrated here in the USA, I still consider Hong Kong home. In this post, I share five short films that I shot in Hong Kong. These works remind me of my personal journey while I was living there as a postgraduate student and why this beautifully complex city will always have a special place in my heart.
by Jose Gutierrez III
Five characteristics of the phenomenalist-realist film were identified by Ian Aitken in The Major Realist Film Theorists: A Critical Anthology (2016) : (1) perceptually realistic; (2) disinterested; (3) nature-like; (4) feeling-oriented; and (5) flowing. In the current essay, I flesh out each of these attributes by expounding on their philosophical influences – particularly Kantian aesthetics – and explicating them through selected works from world cinema.
by Jose Gutierrez III
Seven tropes from the realist film theory of Siegfried Kracauer are presented in this essay. Selected works from world cinema re used to illustrate the discussion.
by Jose Gutierrez III
This essay describes the realist film theory of Siegfried Kracauer and employs two notions of cinematic realism – the refuse and the transient – in discussing Lino Brocka’s Weighed but Found Wanting (1974), Three Two One (1974), Manila in the Claws of Light (1975), Insiang (1976), Bona (1980), Clutching a Knife (1985), and I Carry the World (1987).
by Jose Gutierrez III
The mothers in the films of Lino Brocka – a veritable auteur who used film as his medium in expressing his insights through his works from 1970 to 1991 – gravitate towards two clusters of images: 1) the mothers who struggle within the confines of their role; and 2) the mothers who question their role and affirm themselves as persons.
by Jose Gutierrez III
Brocka’s films from 1970 to 1982 generally belong to the first cluster of images. Here, Brocka’s familiarity and affinity with the types of mothers as portrayed by the earlier studio films, popular literature, and “komiks” (serialized graphic novels) are manifested. Within this cluster, the following images are identified and fleshed out: (1) the “ideal” mother; (2) mother as victim; and (3) the controlling matriarch.
by Jose Gutierrez III
As Lino Brocka became more politicized as an artist, he was able to flesh out more progressive characterizations, narratives, and resultant images of the mothers which belong to the second cluster, namely: (1) mother as transgressor, and (2) mother as aggressor of patriarchy.
Investigating Kracauerian Cinematic Realism through Film Practice and Criticism: Life-world Series (2017) and Selected Films of Lino Brocka
by Jose Gutierrez III
This final section presents the summary of the findings and conclusions of the study in three major aspects: (1) a prospective model of cinematic realism that resulted from the project’s phenomenological approach in investigating Kracauerian cinematic-realist film aesthetics; (2) an account of reckoning the Husserlian notion of the Lebenswelt which Aitken (2006) specified to be ‘a key to understanding Kracauer’s assertion that “physical reality” can be redeemed through cinema’ (Wils, 2016, p. 76); and (3) the implications and findings of using film practice and criticism as tools in examining Kracauerian cinematic realism (KCR). Lastly, this section will propose recommendations for further research into the subject using both written and film-based means.
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Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy is to treat each student as a universe of potential. I nurture this potential by designing a safe and stimulating academic space for the class through: (1) meaningful interactions with fellow students and myself as a supportive teacher; (2) efficient access to information and resources; and (3) constructive and compassionate feedback mechanisms that foster personal growth and practical applications in the professional arena.
Curated by Dayang Yraola, my first solo photography exhibition was held from June 1 to July 3, 2016 at the lobby gallery space of the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) Main Library. This collection of 60 photographs of Hong Kong was also exhibited at the Gallery of the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong from 4 to 8 September 2016 and at the Foyer of the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Hong Kong on 25 June 2017.
The first public screening of the film was at the Hong Kong Baptist University on 7 April 2017 in an event organized by the Centre for Film and Moving Image Research (FMIR) of the Academy of Film. In this lecture-seminar, I talked about Life-world Series (2017) in terms of phenomenalist-realist film aesthetics.
My grandmother had a well-lived life of 99 years. She was compassionate and prayerful but never judgmental – this, she taught by example. She was loving, and one of the ways that she expressed this was through her cooking. Today I remember her by digitally transcribing her handwritten cookbook. I never had a chance to ask her to teach me how to cook but with the help of this artifact, I will start practicing and sharing my all-time favorite Filipino dishes; indeed, knowledge, wisdom, and caring transcend time and space.