"It's nice to travel, you meet new faces." Halina Mitchell is a half-Filipino half-American New Yorker who visits the Philippines for the first time to meet her relatives. Here she also encounters Cris, a struggling film critic whose passionate loathing for bad local movies reflects his views of modern Filipino sociaty. Coming from completely different worlds, the two eventually learn from each other. Through Cris, Halina gets a quick course on Manila life, from driving through midnight traffic to listening to the Eraserheads, while she helps him gain a newfound appreciation of living in his own country. From National Book Award-winning author Arnold Arre, creator of The Mythology Class, After Eden, Ang Mundo ni Adnong Agimat, and Trip to Tagaytay comes Halina Filipina, a story about friendship, understanding, and love; about finding one's identity and experiencing the joy of finally having a place to belong.
Author
Arnold Arre (born September 2, 1971 in Metro Manila, Philippines) is a Filipino comic book writer, artist and self-taught animator best known for his graphic novels The Mythology Class (1999) and Ang Mundo ni Andong Agimat (2006). Arnold Arre has won National Book Awards from the Manila Critics Circle for his graphic novels The Mythology Class (1999), a four-part action-adventure miniseries and Trip to Tagaytay (2000), a one-shot future fiction short story. The Mythology Class, which has been described as "genre-breaking", has the distinction of being the first graphic novel to win in the Manila Critics Circle National Book Awards Comic Books category. Arre's other titles include the romantic comedy After Eden (2002), Ang Mundo ni Andong Agimat (2006), and "Martial Law Babies" (2008). Aside from his comics work, Arre did numerous design and illustration jobs for various clients such as the San Miguel Foundation for the Performing Arts and Sony BMG Music Entertainment Philippines. He also took part in local and international group exhibits and has had a one-man fantasy-themed show, Mythos in 2000. In 2007, producer Tony Gloria of Unitel Productions optioned the film rights to Arre's novel Ang Mundo ni Andong Agimat. Arre has mentioned in an April 2014 interview that the project is still under development. In 2011, Arre studied the art of animation and made a 4-minute short film titled Andong Agimat: Kanya ang Kalye based on the main character in his book Ang Mundo ni Andong Agimat. In November 2011 he was commissioned by Gang Badoy of Rock Ed Philippines and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) to make an animated music video for Kaninong Anino in celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of Filipino hero Jose Rizal. The following year, he was commissioned by Rock Ed Philippines and the NHCP to make an animated music video for Lupang Hinirang, the Philippine National Anthem which was broadcast on national television on June 12, 2012, Independence Day (Philippines).[9] In September 2012, he did a series of educational animated videos titled Tandaan. Kalayaan. Alagaan. to mark the 40th anniversary of the Philippines' freedom from Martial Law. The series was commissioned by Rock Ed Philippines and the National Youth Commission (Philippines). In July 2013, Arre finished his first 20-minute animated short film titled Milkyboy. The film went on to win awards at the 25th Gawad CCP Para Sa Alternatibong Pelikula in November 2013, the 7th Animahenasyon (Philippine Animation Festival) in November 2013, and the 30th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) in May 2014 where Arre was awarded the Linda Mabalot New Directors/New Visions Award, presented to a short film that demonstrates innovative and original use of cinematic language and vision. Arre is based in Quezon City and is married to graphic designer Cynthia Bauzon. (from http://wikipedia.com)
