Anita's Last Cha Cha

So Filmed in Ether asked me to review this film for the Melbourne Queer Film Festival when I realised that the Director Sigrid Andrea Bernardo was amongst my social media network. Not knowing her personally I requested an introduction from someone who I was more acquainted with, a fellow Pinay director. They obliged willingly and when in contact I put forward to Sigrid the suggestion of some emailed questions or better still a Skype interview.

Well wasn't that just my treat, I got to review a fantastic film, meet a wonderful director and learn a whole lot more about independent film making in the Philippines.

This could be the evolution of Sigrid Andrea Bernardo from stage actress to director extraordinaire but we concentrated more on the film.

There are so many reasons I would recommend Anita's Last Cha Cha, take the chance to see it on the big screen, 6pm on the 25th March at ACMI (Melbourne). It's a real gem!

Working with non-actors is no easy feat and is an indicator of Sigrid’s strength as a director. She is described by her cast as an ‘actor’s director’ and although we live in an age of ‘technical directors’ dominating (think Hollywood/CGI), it is surely the director’s main responsibility to ensure a paramount performance. Anita’s Last Cha-Cha has beautiful locations, shots and structure with a sprinkle of magic realism but its performances are the gold in this movie. 
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