Dennis well-applauded for Ka Felix portrayal

Viva executives Vic del Rosario and Vincent del Rosario accepted the plaques of certification from Guinness UK adjudicators Marco Frigatti and Victoria Tweedey after the movie “Felix Manalo” garnered two Guinness World Records Sunday night at the Philippine Arena. The official number of people who watched the bio flick was 43,624.

“Felix Manalo” broke the record held by “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” which had a crowd of 10,000 when it premiered at 02 Arena in London in 2008 and “Honor Flight” which had 28,442 attendees in August 2012.

The record-breaking feat of “Felix Manalo” was witnessed by its lead stars Dennis Trillo and Bela Padilla, as well as the representatives of Iglesia ni Cristo, led by its spokesperson Edwil Zabala.

The Philippine Arena literally overflowed with people at the world premiere of “Felix Manalo,” a big budget film that chronicles the life of the revered INC founder and first executive minister Ka Felix Manalo.

The epic movie was viewed via a 40x22 meter, five-storey screen and Dolby Atmost sound technology. Frigatti and Tweedey also announced that the giant screen is also a candidate for the largest indoor screen for a film premiere/screening in the world.

Aside from Dennis and Bela, other members of the cast who graced the premiere were Gabby Concepcion, Ruru Madrid, and Andrea del Rosario, among others.

Frigatti and Tweedey were amazed with the show of force by the members of Iglesia Ni Cristo.

After the premiere, the people had quite a hard time getting out of the Philippine Arena because of the volume of vehicles that carried the 43,000-plus crowd who came to watch.

* * *

Dennis felt he was on cloud nine after the successful premiere of  “Felix Manalo.” The actor was congratulated for his superb performance as Ka Felix.

“I feel as if I’m in a happy state that doesn’t normally happen,” said Dennis. “I mean, the Kapatid (INC members) were united and came in full force so that we could set the record we had hoped to achieve tonight. And we were able to break two records.”

Dennis is likewise happy with the reaction of the INC members to the movie. The crowd would applaud every now and then. His scenes with Bela, who played his wife Ka Honorata, also got good reception from the crowd, a great majority of which were INC members plus invited guests.

“It is really overwhelming. At first, I was really nervous. I didn’t know what to expect from the audience, especially from the Kapatid but when I saw how they reacted, I told myself they are happy.”

Dennis said he shed tears and had goosebumps while watching the movie, especially during the death scene of Ka Felix.

He acknowledges that the life story of Ka Felix and that of INC is an important part in our history and he’s very proud, same with the other cast members, to be part of the movie.

“This is a big honor for me. I guess to do a project as big as this is a dream of any actor and I am glad to have been chosen to play the lead role no less,” said Dennis.

“Felix Manalo” opens today in 300 theaters nationwide.

* * *

Apart from the strong and reliable connection it offers, PLDT HOME DSL, the country’s undisputed number one broadband, pulls miles away from its nearest competitors as it beefs up the biggest family-sized entertainment with iflix and Fox International Channels (Fox). Now, subscribers can enjoy their favorite movies and TV shows on iflix and Fox with their TVolution unit, running on a strong, reliable and family-sized connection of HOME DSL.

PLDT VP and Home Marketing Head Gary Dujali said, “We are elated with the vote of confidence from our subscribers for keeping us their brand of choice for their home broadband. We will continue to provide solutions to give our customers the best entertainment that the whole family can enjoy as we provide the strongest connections at home.”

Earlier this year, PLDT HOME formalized breakthrough partnerships with global entertainment company and Asia Pacific’s leading broadcaster FOX International Channels. It also announced its partnership with Southeast Asia’s leading Internet TV service iflix, which recently debuts exclusive access to the critically-acclaimed TV series in the US, “Mr. Robot.” With these two powerhouse content providers, there will always be something for the family to enjoy together—whether it’s a nail-biting suspense thriller, a laugh-out-loud comedy show, a thought-provoking documentary, or films around the world.

FOX’s subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) offerings include live and catch-up television on various FOX channels so that families have the option of enjoying their favorite sports events through live viewing or their favorite blockbusters through catch-up TV.

Jude Turcuato, General Manager and Senior Vice President of FOX International Channel Philippines said: “We pride ourselves with the quality of programming that we deliver to our viewers, and our partnership with PLDT HOME allows us to reach a wider base that consumes content in an innovative way. TVolution also gives our existing customers another convenient way to access our content, improving viewing experience in turn.”

Iflix Chairman Patrick Groove added that they are glad to have found an outstanding partner who shares their vision. “With over 75 million Filipinos communicating and being entertained using the PLDT Group services, PLDT is the perfect partner for iflix in the Philippines,” Groove said.

To find out how to enjoy TV shows and movies from FOX and iflix with your TVolution powered by PLDT HOME DSL, log on to pldthome.com.