Is it all good times and bright lights in the trailer for HF Yambao's upcoming Best Partee Ever? Not even remotely as the titular party in the QCinema selected Filipino drama quickly devolves into a five year stint in prison and what looks like a promising jailhouse drama.
Mikey - a young, discreet gay man from the affluent class, spends five years in a city jail while hearing his case for drug pushing. Inside prison, Mikey holds back to adapt to the culture and stratification among inmates. Eventually, Mikey becomes a 'Mayor' (cell leader) to a group of gay inmates called 'Gang-da'. Together they thrive to survive the dangers of several gang riots, the mundane, and decay of human dignity.
JC De Vera stars in the film and with the world premiere at the QCinema International Film Festival just around the corner the full trailer - English subtitles included - has arrived below.
A relative newcomer on the Philippine scene, QCinema stands out from the majority of festivals in the country in that while most screen only Filipino films - most of which are directly financed by the festivals in question - QCinema balances local content with the best of the world and from a quick glance through the seldctions it appears that outward focus is benefitting the local content as well as the selection here showcases a more varied approach than most. Check out the trailer below!