Festival floats fascinating selection of Filipino films

» Read more about the Filipino Film Festival in today’s TGIF.

This year’s Filipino Film Festival features writer-director Benito Bautista and Filipino-American surfer Dan Moreno as special guests. It all begins Saturday and runs through April 29.

Here’s the schedule:

» "Dance of My Life," 1 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Thursday. The story of beauty queen Bessie Badilla, the first Filipina Brazil Carnival queen. There’s also an opening reception at 6 p.m. with bentos and wine, with slightly increased admission: $15 ($12 for museum members).

» "Dance of the Two Left Feet," 1, 4 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. A love triangle set in the world of poetry and ballet, so you know how it swings.

» "Teoriya," 1 and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and 1 p.m. April 29. A family inheritance of a rusty car and a musty diary sets off a chain of mystery and self-discovery in Zamboanga.

» "Pintakasi," 1 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and 9 p.m. April 27. If this were any more of a hip-hop fantasy, it would be called "Electric Boogaloo." We’re talking about a "human cockfight" set on a "garbage island," and the weapons of choice are rap and dance moves.

» "The Gift of Barong: A Journey From Within," 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 1 p.m. April 27, 4 and 7:30 p.m. April 29. Possibly the last time you saw surfing in the Philippines was when "Apocalypse Now" was being filmed. But people do surf there, and this pleasant documentary tags along with two Bay Area Fil-Am surfers as they check out the breaks in the land of their ancestors. Bautista will be on hand for each screening.

» "Boundary," 1, 4 and 7:30 p.m. April 28. Also directed by Bautista, who will be on hand, this is a harrowing and mesmerizing taxicab ride into the dark hearts of suspicion and betrayal. This film is winning a bunch of awards at festivals, and for good reason.

All screenings are at the Doris Duke Theatre at the Honolulu Museum of Art (formerly the Honolulu Academy of Art). Admission is $10 ($8 museum members). Information: 532-8700, www.honolulumuseum.org.