Raya Martin’s Top 5 Black and White Films

A Parallel Planets piece by Unknown

Parallel Planets presents November Nocturne
Raya Martin's Top 5 Black and White Films

Story & Interview by Mayee Gonzales

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Our affection for all things black and white can never be diminished despite all the vibrancy colour can give. No, it’s not about cloaking ourselves from the brightness and happiness, it’s just about appreciating the glamour that is in the tones and contrast of grayscale.

We observe this likeness especially in film. The grain and the timeless appearance of a motion picture in black and white captivate our eyes in a fiesta of monochromatic goodness. It’s amazing how two dull tones can turn something beautiful not only through visual perception but into a grandeur meaning of story and sense.

We’re glad to have found this liking with filmmaker Raya Martin. Born in Manila, Philippines, Raya makes fictional features, documentaries, shorts and full-length movies. His works, a handful in black and white, have been shown in numerous film festivals including Cannes, the Berlinale, the Toronto International Film Festival and have also been screened in various countries across Asia, Europe, and America. His films primarily revolve in the wonder and gore of Philippine history as translated into story-telling that’s visually challenging and mind-boggling.

Currently busy with a new narrative film, we were to catch Raya on this short interview about his work and his list of favorite black and white films. It’s an interesting jot down of classic movies that subtly translate Raya’s influence and inspiration.

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Hi, Raya! Can you please tell us something about yourself as a filmmaker and before you became one?

Hello! The movies I make all seem quite different: documentaries, fiction features, experimental films and videos alternating in color and black and white. I guess they’re generally about my fascination with the colorful history of the Philippines, as well as Cinema. I’ve been attracted to film photography and analog videos when I was young, but I have also been writing both features and fiction for different publications back then.

What influences your work? Who inspires you?

It’s hard to talk about influences: there are tons that I find everyday, from video clips of anything attached to GoPros or the detailed footnotes in any book to moments like singing Nick Jonas while commuting. I used to work to Carly Rae Jepsen’s first album writing about a family drama as a concept of colonial teleportation, before that was replaced by Taylor Swift’s latest album while imagining the concepts of heterotopia in political resistance. I’ve rediscovered again Deleuze circling around ideas of imagination, or joyously heard about Quentin Meillassoux (a student of Badiou, who I already love) for the first time. There are equally inspiring things in dot tumblr dot coms and in an e-flux of articles. It’s finding the energy in things that you’re attracted to, or those that attract you.

Image from Raya Martin's How to Disappear Completely

What is your favourite film of all time?

I used to have a Betamax copy of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” and have seen it not less than thirty times.

Aside from filmmaking, what other creative pursuits are you interested in?

I like writing in any form but is mostly attracted to the idea of film criticism. To me it feels like such a largely undiscovered playground waiting to be burned down. I’d love to make something around that, maybe take theideas of the French New Wave backwards. I also used to sing, but I’ve given that up as a serious goal.

What should we look forward to with your work? Any upcoming films or projects, maybe?

I’m working on a new narrative film – something of a light drama and comedy. The idea of a narrative is something I want to discover and apply to some concepts in my previous works. I’m also preparing a performance piece about Pedro Dungoc, who taught literacy among the tribes in the Cordillera Mountains during their resistance against building a dam in the Chico River by the Marcos dictatorship. It will be my first time to work in the performance discipline.

Raya Martin’s Top 5 Black and White Films

Voyage Dans La Ciel (1937) by Jean Painleve

A movie that travels our universe, in black and white that glows brightly.

Les Amants Réguliers (2005) by Philippe Garrel

The use of black and white in evoking history is very modern compared to the default use of colorless cinematography in historical films.

Soy Cuba (1964) by Mikhail Kalatozov

One of the most complex cinematography in the history of movies, it is something highly technical yet greatly emotional at the same time.

I Walked With a Zombie (1943) by Jacques Tourneur

It’s a modern noir that creeps into you. The shadows are very atmospheric and magical.

L’eclisse (1962) by Michelangelo Antonioni

One of my personal favorites. It was Antonioni’s last black and white film where he amusingly plays with the idea of color.

More from Raya Martin: Twitter, Instagram