The Rockstars of Filipino Contemporary Art were featured by Arndt Gallery in a group exhibition, “Wasak! Filipino Art Today”, across their two locations in Berlin. Exhibiting Filipino artistsincluded Zean Cabangis, Annie Cabigting, Buen Calubayan, Louie Cordero, Jigger Cruz, Marina Cruz, Kawayan De Guia, Alfredo Esquillo, Ian Fabro, Nona Garcia, Robert Langenegger, Pow Martinez, Manuel Ocampo, Alwin Reamillo, Norberto Roldan, Kaloy Sanchez, José Santos III, Rodel Tapaya, Tatong Torres and Ronald Ventura.

A walk through the exhibition by gallery owner Matthias Arndt and curators Norman Crisologo and Erwin Romulo explored the fascinating contemporary art landscape in the Philippines. WASAK! offered snapshots of current artistic practices from the Philippines, uniting a selection of its leading protagonists across generational lines, genres, and media.

Wasak! is open to the public from 8 December 2015 until 30 January 2016. More information on the exhibition may be found here. END

Jerrold Tarog´s much acclaimed bio-epic “Heneral Luna” brought the pilot run of The First Reel: Philippine Film Festival to a close. Set during the Philippine-American war, the film follows the life of one of Philippine history´s most brilliant military men, General Antonio Luna, as he tries to lead his countrymen against colonial masters and to rise above their own raging disputes to fulfill the promise of the Philippine Revolution.

An eager international audience easily filled out two theaters for a simultaneous screening at the Kino Moviemento, the oldest running cinema in Berlin.

To date, “Heneral Luna” has emerged as one of the highest-grossing Filipino films of all time, raking in $5.3 million since its Philippine premiere in September of this year.

The First Reel is the first festival to focus on Philippine films in Germany and aims to contribute to the international promotion of Philippine cinema. The festival was a collaboration among the Philippine Embassy in Germany, the Philippine Studies Series Berlin and the Kapisanan ng mga Pilipino sa Aachen, e.V.

The Philippine Studies Series Berlin is an initiative of Filipino scholars in Berlin to provide a platform for lectures, discussions, and film events regarding the Philippines in order to promote Philippine studies in Berlin. The Kapisanan ng mga Pilipino sa Aachen e.V. is a Filipino organization in North Rhine Westphalia. END