Whether the Weather is Fine
with Matt Manalo, Christy Poisot, Karina Pal-Montaño, and Royal Sumikat
Preceded by an outdoor reception at 6:00PM with Forks & Skewers Food Truck. Followed by a panel discussion with Filipinx Artists of Houston. Masks are required at all times while indoors.
Part of The Third Coast Program.
Note: Proof of Vaccination or a Negative COVID test from within 48 hours is required for all indoor screenings. To learn more about our COVID policy, visit here.
Devastated after the impact of Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013, the Filipino coastal city of Tacloban is largely reduced to rubble. Among those left standing in its wake are Miguel (Daniel Padilla), his mother (Charo Santos), and his friend Andrea (Rans Rifol). Food is in short supply. Rescue centres are overflowing with the injured. Everything is thrown into disarray and confusion.
What’s worse: another storm is said to be on its way, sending the locals even further into desperation and hysterics. A ship will be leaving from the local port to take people to the safety of Manila — but leaving home and all that it represents is easier said than done. As the three characters make their way towards this chance at a new future, they each have their own set of priorities that threaten to split them apart, and the challenges and distractions they encounter may take them in different directions altogether.
| Country, Year | Philippines, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Director | Carlo Francisco Manatad |
| Writer | Giancarlo Abrahan V, Carlo Francisco Manatad, Jérémie Dubois |
| Cast | Charo Santos, Daniel Padilla, Rans Rifol |
| Producer | Armi Rae Cacanindin, Josabeth Alonso, Vincent Wang |
| Language | Waray-Waray |
| Runtime | 104 MINS, SECS |
| Genre | Narrative |
| Event Type | Film |
Special Guests
Matt Manalo
Matt Manalo was born and raised in Manila, Philippines. He received his Bachelors of Fine Arts in Painting and Minor in Art History at the University of Houston.
Manalo creates work which involves elements of painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, and printmaking. He uses raw materials, making his practice environmentally conscious as well as understanding the idea of scarcity and abundance. He uses the grid as a foundation for most of his work to tackle geography, cartography, borders, and the idea of displacement while having a constant conversation of how “home” should be defined. Being a first generation immigrant, Manalo discusses his experiences navigating around the physical and social structures of society through his work. As he explores this, home becomes a two-part environment where the artist is split between the Philippines and Texas. The latter sits on the southern border of the US. It is also important to mention that colonization of the Philippines by Spain, Japan and the United States resulted in erasure, colorism and colonial mentality; a frequent topic in Manalo’s work.
His work was recently seen in the exhibition, Carriers: The Body as a Site of Danger and Desire, Blaffer Art Museum in Houston, Texas curated by Tyler Blackwell and Steven Matijcio and he is included in the 2021 Texas Biennial: A New Landscape/ A Possible Horizon curated by Evan Garza and Ryan Dennis. Manalo is the founder of Filipinx Artists of Houston and runs an alternative art space called the Alief Art House.
Christy Poisot
Christy Panis Poisot is a FANHS (Filipino American National Historical Society) Trustee for the Midwest and Founder of the FANHS Houston, Texas chapter. She serves as a Board Member for OCA Greater Houston and is a Fellow for the Asian Pacific American Women Leadership Institute (APAWLI) for the Center for Asian Pacific American Women (CAPAW) and American Leadership Forum (ALF). Christy serves as a liaison to the Houston Filipino community to collect oral history for Rice University’s Chao Center for Asian Studies known as the Houston Asian American Archives (HAAA), and has guest lectured on “Recognizing Asian American Veterans” and “Transnationalism – History of Filipino Nurses”. She holds a master’s degree in business administration-Finance from the University of St. Thomas, a bachelor’s in business in Computer Information Systems from the University of Houston-Downtown, and an associate degree from the Art Institute of Houston in Multimedia and Web Design. She is the co-author of “Filipinos in Houston” and performs spoken word poetry, when inspired, in her spare time. Her dream is that Asian American history becomes a part of sustainable education.
Karina Pal-Montaño
Karina Pal-Montaño is an actor and interdisciplinary artist out of Houston, Texas. Her original short story, ”A Story from my Lolo” is currently showing at the McNay Museum in San Antonio as part of a group exhibit from the Filipinx Artists of Houston and the 2021 Texas Biennial. The self narrated and illustrated film is a retelling of one her grandfather’s many stories, filtered through her own memories and immigrant experiences in the South.
Other productions now in post, include collaborations with fellow Filipinx Artists of Houston members Matthew Curran and Cybil Saenz. Karina voices the role of Ate Dalisay in Curran’s supernatural podcast Project Gnosis and portrays a modern Filipino mom in Cybil Saenz’s short film "Urban Trade."
In addition to film, Karina is a 20 year veteran of the stage and known for her work with The Catastrophic Theatre. In 2020, she wrote and performed in The Choosy Maiden, her adaptation of a Philippine myth and presented it as part of Catastrophic’s “Drama Squad.” Her next project with the ensemble is set for early 2022.
Royal Sumikat
Born in the Philippines and currently reside in Houston, Texas – multi city muralist and painter, Royal Sumikat is a dynamic human and a futuristic artist. She works with spray paint, gouache, acrylic paints, markers, and Procreate. The images in her works come off as if they’re contradicting each other but are intentionally done to highlight the contrast in colors, ideas, and textures.
Royal’s work is informed by her experiences as an immigrant, community organizer, and priestess – taking inspiration from the spaces afforded by these different identities.
Storytelling and mythology is prevalent in her work as she aims to strengthen the connection she has with her ancestors.