Award-winning films at the 1st PPP

Curtain-raisers:

• Did a relatively young (in her late 20s) singer-actress really have her nose fixed? Nothing wrong with it if she thinks it will make her look better. Did she keep the procedure a secret even from her actor-boyfriend who fondly teases her by pretending to pinch her nose?
• Why did a comebacking actor suddenly disappear from the scene? According to a Funfare-friendly colleague, his US-based (non-showbiz) wife got wind of the actor’s affair(?) with an actress and she threatened to divorce him if he didn’t go back home posthaste. How did the wife know? She intercepted the text exchange between the actor and the actress. Moral of the story? As the GMA campaign has been reminding one and all, Think before you click.
• A young love team checked into a five-star hotel, just the two of them (no alalays), but they were not careful. They arrived at the Front Desk together and when the actor got irritated when the FD officer asked for his credit card (a “must” when you check in at any hotel) and he snapped back, “It’s in my wallet.” That’s when other guests recognized them. Next time, the love team should follow what another young love team did at the same hotel: the girl checked in and the boy followed much later. No “sighting,” see?

* * *

The first week-long (Aug. 16-22) Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP) is into its third day and those who have seen Birdshot must be telling people how good the movie is. By word of mouth (so effective in promoting a movie like it did for Kita Kita which has broken the P300M-gross mark, and counting), the movie produced by Pamela Reyes (daughter of Philippine STAR Business columnist Mary Anne Reyes) and TBA Studios (Heneral Luna, etc.) should be drawing more viewers to the 60 theaters it is showing nationwide, hopefully to the relief of the producers who, a few days ago, asked the support of the media to give it the exposure it so deserved.

Praised by Variety, the Bible of Hollywood, the movie is directed by Mikhail Red and stars John Arcilla, Arnold Reyes, Ku Aquino and newcomer Mary Joy Apostol. It has won, among other awards, Best Picture at the Tokyo International Film Festival, a CJ Entertainment Prize at the Asian Project Market and was an “Official Selection” at Goteborg Film Festival (The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award).

A coming-of-age thriller, Birdshot is about a teenaged girl who wanders into the boundaries of a Philippine reservation forest. Deep within the reservation, she mistakenly shoots and kills a critically endangered and protected Philippine Eagle. As the local authorities begin a manhunt to track down the poacher of a national bird, their investigation leads them to an even more horrific discovery.

Another award-winning movie at the PPP is Enzo Williams’ AWOL, produced by Skylight and starring Gerald Anderson, Dianne Medina and Bembol Roco. The military action film is about an army sniper (Gerald) who wants out of the battlefield to spend more time with his wife (Dianne) and their daughter... until tragedy strikes when a homemade explosive device suddenly goes off during a baptismal reception, killing every member of his elite sniper team and the families but Abel and Lara miraculously survive. In his quest for justice, Abel is hunted by professional assassins, takes the law in his hands and goes AWOL to investigate on his own.

AWOL is the third film of the US-educated Enzo after Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo (with Robin Padilla in the titular role) and The Escort (Derek Ramsay and Lovi Poe). Graded “A” by CEB (Cinema Evaluation Board), Bonifacio won nine awards at the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) including Best Picture, Youth Choice and FPJ Memorial Award for Excellence; and Movie Director of the Year at the 31st PMPC Star Awards for Movies.

“I grew up on movies,” shared Enzo who could be mistaken for an actor. “As a child, I would spend weekends watching movies. That early, I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker.”

In  2011, he embarked on the two-year ?lm program in Los Angeles City College and his thesis ?lm, Cain, won as the Best Film that semester. He returned to Manila in 2014. During the 2016 Philippine elections, he made political advertisements for three senatorial candidates, including Sen. Migz Zubiri. His ?rst, Alam ko po yun, was named the best ad by ANC’s political program #NoFilter. He also directed the highly controversial Last Christmas ad which helped Pres. Rodrigo Duterte win the election.

On the 110th founding anniversary of his hometown San Juan, the City Government honored Enzo with the highly esteemed San Juan Excellence Award, given for outstanding achievement and contribution in one’s professional ?eld. 

Enzo is currently in pre-production on his fourth ?lm, another biopic about the international race car champion Enzo Pastor, who is the ?rst and only Filipino to race in Euro-Nascar, with Derek as Pastor.

Do watch not only Birdshot and AWOL but the other PPP entries: 100 Tula Para Kay Stella, Ang Manananggal sa Unit 23B, Bar Boys, Hamog, Paglipay (Crossing, also an award winner), Patay Na Si Hesus, Pauwi Na (Pedicab), Salvage, Star Na Si Van Damme and Triptiko.

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)