Cinetropa now streaming ‘Heneral Luna,’ more Filipino films

NEW YORK CITY — Cinetropa.com, the first exclusively Filipino-movie streaming site, is marking Philippine Independence Day with the first global streaming of the commercial and critical hit “Heneral Luna,” starting June 2.

“Heneral Luna” was the official Philippine Entry to the Oscars in the Best Foreign Language Film category last year and has become the most successful independent Filipino film of all time.

Viewers can now see the movie online in HD for PhP 288 and $6.99 for those watching outside the Philippines. Viewers of the movie at Cinetropa will also get to watch two other movies for free—“K’na The Dreamweaver” and “Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo (The First President)”. This promo is only available until the end of the month.

Set during the Philippine-American war, the epic film recounts the heroic yet tragic story of General Antonio Luna, commander of the Philippine Revolutionary Army and its most brilliant Filipino general, who faced an enemy more treacherous than any foreign colonizer: his own countrymen.

“Heneral Luna” and “Bonifacio” carry seven or more subtitles, including Chinese, English French, Italian and Spanish for its growing global audience.

Directed by Jerrold Tarog, the film stars award-winning actor John Arcilla as General Luna. The producers of “Heneral Luna”, Artikulo Uno, decided to stream the movie online for Filipinos and even non-Filipinos to commemorate Philippine Independence Day on a global scale.

Two of the inspiring patriotic Filipino movies that will be free for “Heneral Luna” PPV customers are “Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo (The First President)” and “K’na The Dreamweaver”.

Official entry in MMFF

An official entry to the 2014 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), “Bonifacio” won more than 20 awards, including Best Picture from the MMFF, FAMAS and the PMPC Star Awards as well as five Gawad Urian nominations.

The producers, Tuko Film Productions and Buchi Boy Films, have since re-edited the film and created a more lucid and powerful international version of the feature. Tuko Film Productions and Buchi Boy Films are also the same team behind “Heneral Luna”.

“K’na The Dreamweaver” is a timeless fable set in the world of the T’bolis, one of several ancient tribal cultures that survived in Mindanao, in the southernmost part of the Philippines.

Directed by Ida del Mundo, the award-winning love story tells the tale of a young T’boli princess who must choose love or the reconciliation of her village’s warring clans, which has separated the T’bolis into two villages on the North and South banks of Lake Sebu.

Other films streaming at Cinetropa include King Palisoc’s crime drama, “Tandem,” which won the Silver Remi in the Suspense/Thriller category of the 49th Worldfest Houston International Film and Video Festival, held recently in Texas.

The more recent films of Clodualdo del Mundo Jr. (screenwriter of such classics as “Maynila Sa Kuko ng Liwanag” and “Kisapmata”) are also at Cinetropa. These are “Pepot Artista”, “Made in Singapore” and “Paglipad ng Anghel (Flight of an Angel).” Also available are the acclaimed LGBT documentary titled “Jazz in Love,” the Coco Martin-starrer “Jay,” and the controversial feature “MNL 143.”

Dedicated to Filipino films

Cinetropa is the only movie-streaming site on the market dedicated to Filipino films. Aside from independent titles, the site will soon showcase classic Filipino favorites. With a starting rate of USD$3.99 in the US and other countries, and PHP190 for Philippine-based viewers, film enthusiasts can now enjoy a wide range of Filipino movies in HD online.

Unlike illegal and other streaming sites, Cinetropa is backed by Filipino independent producers and investors, with the aim of providing local filmmakers more exposure for their films on a global scale both for Filipinos and non-Filipinos discovering or exploring Philippine cinema and culture.

Cinetropa.com is made possible by the help and support of FDCP (Film Development and Council of the Philippines).

For more details and updates on upcoming movies, visit cinetropa.com. On Facebook, Cinetropa is at https://www.facebook.com/cinetropa/.