Since the start of quarantine, several filmmakers came up with the Lockdown Cinema Club - a fundraiser/drive where a collection of films of all genres, short or full-length were made available online to help raise funds for all the independent filmmakers affected by the current pandemic. The project raised a whopping PHP 4M for all the struggling filmmakers in the community during this time! Although the fundraising was finished, Lockdown Cinema Club's films are still available for viewing online! Even if you haven't had the chance to donate, show your support to local films and filmmakers by taking the time to watch several of their amazing works!
TBA Studios has made a name for its big time movies from brilliant directors/filmmakers like Goyo by Jerrold Tarrog, I'm Drunk I Love You by JP Habac, Smaller and Smaller Circles by Raya Martin and more! TBA Studios decided to bless it's viewers a lot of its full-length films for free viewing on Youtube! They also recently released an online series titled Small Talk available on their channel as well that talks about online dating at a time like this. A must-watch! Gather up your family, cozy yourself on blankets, pillows and snacks, dim the lights and enjoy TBA Studios' original films a la Cinema '76!
Cinema One Originals are also a big name in the film industry as it is one of the top film festivals in the country. Film entries for this festival have been cult favorites such as That Thing Called Tadhana by Antoinette Jadaone, 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten by Petersen Vargas, Sila Sila by Giancarlo Abrahan and many more! C1 Originals also released some of their full length films and documentaries on their Youtube channel, even having films from the early 2000s! Experience all kinds of Philippine cinema by binge-watching Cinema One Originals' films and you might be surprised with all the twists and turns it's about to take you on!
Oscar-nominated animated shorts
We've all probably watched hundreds of Oscar-winning and nominated films in the years that have gone by, and will probably get to watch more, but what about Oscar-nominated shorts? Cartoon Brew compiled Oscar-nominated animated shorts for 2020 last year and are still available online up to this day (including the Oscar-winning animated short Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry)! Indulge yourself in all kinds of diverse animation from filmmakers all around the world!
Several young Hollywood actors getting together to do a staged reading of famous plays by classic and award-winning playrights via Zoom? Well, that's just a gift that keeps on giving! Acting For A Cause was started by Brando Crawford last March to raise funds for families affected by the pandemic. A series of staged readings of Romeo and Juliet, Jane Eyre, Hamlet and more were starred by different ensemble actors including Auli'i Cravalho (Moana), Jacob Elordi (Euphoria), Madelaine Petsch (Riverdale), Natalia Dyer (Stranger Things) and so much more! It's all a mix of raw yet talented acting, a gathering of skillful actors from different tv shows and movies we all loved and classic literature & plays all for heartfelt entertainment and a good cause! Definitely something worth checking out!
88Rising: Asia Rising Forever concert
Last May 7, Asian-American group 88Rising did an online live concert on Youtube to send out good music, good fun, love and most importantly to raise funds for Asian Americans Advancing Justice! Members of 88Rising Niki and Rich Brian were on the show. Other Asian artists like Phum Viphurit, Umi, Keshi and more performed as well! We also had representatives from the Philippines as Beabadoobee (who was born in the PH and raised in the UK) and our very own Iñigo Pascual jammed on the show too! If you missed it, the concert is still up on Youtube and you can still vibe with awesome, talented Asian artists from the comfort of your own home!
Global Citizen's Together At Home concert
Global Citizen, a social action platform, and the World Health Organization joined forces and held a 6-hour benefit concert last April 18 to help the fight against COVID-19 with the curation of Lady Gaga and were hosted by various celebrities like Jameela Jamil, Laverne Cox, Don Cheadle and more. Several artists like Lady Gaga herself, Jessie J, Charlie Puth, Niall Horan and many more did live performances from their own homes to promote the action against COVID-19 and to also unify people in the midst of the pandemic. We've got all our faves in one livestream concert, doing their part while also offering their well-loved music!
Bright Minded: Live With Miley
Miley Cyrus is not just a musician and actress, she has also recently added another job to her resume - a talkshow host! Yup, Miley Cyrus came up with a podcast-style talkshow via IGTV where she would feature celebrities and known personalites in a 50-minute long episode of her newest series called Bright Minded! There, Miley talks and tackles different topics per guest with casual conversations included! We see Miley Cyrus in a comfortable shell with a different perspective as she uses her time wisely to connect herself, her guests and her fans in one video to help lighten the mood that we are all currently facing. Her shows are entertaining yet informative and very much free as you can just check it out on her Instagram page or on her Youtube channel! 10/10 would recommend!
Gaming online or on devices can get really tiring and boring sometimes. What better way to beat that boredom than switching it old-school by playing board games! Now, you're thinking "But we only have Monopoly and Scrabble at home! I don't want to spend hundreds of Pesos on just a board game!" Well, Asmodee offers free print and play versions of several popular party/board games that you can play with your family in an instant! Choose from a fun and a challenging variety of board games to print & play at home and you'll be having tons of fun while bonding with your parents, siblings or other relatives you're quarantined with!
There are lots of ways to help keep us entertained whether online or offline! At a time like this, entertainment is important as well. Don't hesitate to take time off from classes or work to spend it on watching movies, listening to music or playing games. It's okay to take a breather every once in a while. Remember, our mental health is as important as our physical health. In case, things may be getting from bad to worse, mentally or emotionally, here are free services to help you cope:
Always stay safe, Monsters!
credits to Freepik for the cover photo.