'Ploning,' 'Boses' dominate Golden Screen nominations

(INTRO) Now on its sixth year, the Golden Screen Awards handed out annually by the Entertainment Press Society Incorporated continues its pursuit of giving recognition to last year’s best productions and performances.

The awards night will be held on April 30, Thursday, at Metro Bar in West Avenue, Quezon City.

This year’s lineup of nominees contains a few early favorites and a number of fine surprises. For Best Motion Picture Drama, the slate is dominated by indie productions like Cinemalaya 2008 entries Boses, Brutus, Concerto, Jay, 100, the Judy Ann Santos-starrer Ploning and the Cinema One Originals horror-drama standout Yanggaw.

Meanwhile, three high-spirited comedies battle it out for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy: the mammoth hit A Very Special Love, the comedy about an elderly woman with two husbands Fuschia, and the sparkling romantic comedy My Bestfriend’s Girlfriend.

A welcome addition to the existing categories is Best Motion Picture – Animation that yielded two nominees; namely, the exhilarating adventure Dayo and the period romance Urduja.

The acting categories are expectedly as hotly-contested. Nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role – Drama are the glorious Anita Linda as the former radio talent reduced to living in the slums in Adela, Dawn Zulueta as the supportive wife of a dying man in Magkaibigan, Jodi Santamaria as the demented heroine in Sisa, Mylene Dizon as the woman with a bucket list in 100, Sharon Cuneta as the beleaguered OFW wife and mother in Caregiver and Judy Ann Santos as the quiet, mysterious spinster in Ploning.

The Best Actor in a Leading Role – Drama category is a tight race among the Baron Geisler as the gay documentarist in Jay, Carlo Aquino for Carnivore, Christopher de Leon as the cancer-stricken friend in Magkaibigan, Jericho Rosales as the romantic hero in Baler, Ronnie Lazaro as the father of a vampire daughter in Yanggaw, Yul Servo as the cuckolded husband in Torotot and Jay Aquitania for his refreshing turn as the young man coming of age at a time of war in Concerto.

Industry veteran Anita Linda is this year’s recipient of the Gawad Lino Brocka Lifetime Achievement award.

The following are the nominees in the other categories.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role – Musical or Comedy: Ai Ai de las Alas (Ang Tanging Ina Nyong Lahat), Boots Anson Roa (Love Birds), Gloria Romero (Fuschia), Marian Rivera (My Bestfriend’s Girlfriend): Ruffa Gutierrez (My Monster Mom), Sarah Geronino (A Very Special Love), Toni Gonzaga (My Only You).

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role – Musical or Comedy: Eddie Garcia (Fuschia); John Lloyd Cruz (A Very Special Love); Robert Arevalo (Fuschia); Sam Milby (My Big Love).

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role – Drama, Musical or Comedy: Cherry Pie Picache (Boses), Eugene Domingo (100); Flor Salanga (Jay); Mylene Dizon (Ploning), Tessie Tomas (Ploning), Tetchie Agbayani (Yanggaw).

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role – Drama, Musical or Comedy: Coco Martin (Jay), Emilio Garcia (Walang Kawala), John Estrada (Caregiver), Ricky Davao (Boses), Yul Servo (Brutus). 

Breakthrough Performance by An Actress: KC Concepcion (For the First Time), Rhea Medina (Brutus), Chariz Solomon (My Bestfriend’s Girlfriend), Yna Asistio (Concerto). 

Breakthrough Performance by An Actor: Timothy Mabalot (Brutus), Bojong Fernandez (Ploning), Cedric Amit (Ploning), Coke Bolipata (Boses), Fritz Arvhie Sanchez (Dose), Kenjie Garcia (Ang Lihim ni Antonio), Julian Duque (Boses). 

Best Direction: Ellen Ongkeko Marfil; (Boses), Tara Illenberger (Brutus), Chris Martinez (100), Francis Pasion (Jay), Dante Nico Garcia (Ploning), Cathy Garcia Molina (A Very Special Love), Richard Somes (Yanggaw). 

Best Original Screenplay: Froilan Medina and Rody Vera (Boses), Dante Nico Garcia and Benjamin Lingan (Ploning), Chris Martinez (100), Richard Somes and Dwight Gaston (Yanggaw), Ricky Lee (Fuschia), Francis Pasion (Jay). 

Best Screenplay Adaptation: Ramon Entienza (Urduja), Frank Rivera (Sisa), Roy Iglesias (Baler), Paul Alexander Morales (Concerto). 

Best Cinematography: Charlie Peralta (Ploning), Joey Abello (Brutus), Regiben Romana (Concerto),  Hermann Claravall and Lyle Sacris (Yanggaw), Carlo Mendoza (Jay), Nap Jamir II (Boses).

Best Editing: Danny Anonuevo (Ploning), Fiona Borres and Tara Illenberger (Brutus), Ike Veneracion (100), Laz Andrel Arthmael (Concerto), Orlean Joseph Tan (Boses), Francis Pasion, Kats Serraon, chuck Gutierrez (Jay).Borgy Torre (Yanggaw)

Best Production Design:  Raymund Fernandez (Ploning), Michael Espanol, Donald Camon, Rashim Gumacal (Yanggaw), Fritz Solorio (Brutus), Gerry Santos (Concerto), Aby Jamnaque-Rivera (100), Bianca Gonzales (Boses).

Best Sound: Mike Lim (Brutus), Allan Marcelo Hidalgo, Orlean Joseph Tan (Boses), Jethro Joaquin and Ronald de Asis (Concerto),  Mac Vasquez (100), Mike Idioma (Ploning), Joey Santos (Yanggaw).

Best Musical Score: Jed Balsamo (Concerto), Jessie Lasaten (Ploning), Mon Faustino and Noel Zarate (Urduja), Jourdann Petalver (Boses), Von De Guzman (Yanggaw), Joey Ayala (Brutus). 

Best Visual Effects: Road Runner Network, Inc. (Kulam), Ramon Atienza and Amelia Fortes (Urduja), Robert Quilao (Dayo).           

Best Original Song: “Babae Ako” from the movie Urduja (composed by Ogie Alcasid, lyrics by Joey de Leon) and performed by Regine Velasquez; “Lipad” from the movie Dayo (music by Jessie Lasaten, lyrics by Temi Abad, Jr. and performed by Ms. Lea Salonga); “Ngayon, Bukas at Kailanman” from the movie Baler (music by Louie Ocampo, lyrics by Edith Gallardo and sung by Sarah Geronimo); “Hardest Part” from the movie 100 (composed and interpreted by Ricci Chan); “Naroon Ka” from the movie Fuschia (words and music by Von de Guzman and performed by Springfield).

Captions:

Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil’s “Boses” tells about friendship that’s founded on the sublime beauty of music between a violin teacher (played by real-life virtuoso Coke Bolipata) and his student, a mute, abused boy (Julian Duque, photo).

“Ploning” is a romantic family drama film based on a popular Cuyonon song of the same title about a girl's hidden feelings in a man's point of view. It starred veteran actress Judy Ann Santos and was directed by Dante Nico Garcia.