‘Para sa Brokenhearted’ packs in the pain

Acclaimed and best-selling author Segundo Matias, Jr. has recently launched his new book under Lampara Publishing House. Titled “Mga Batang Poz,” Matias’ latest foray into pop culture literature is an emotionally gripping account of four teenagers afflicted with HIV-AIDS.

The story grows in poignancy as the characters reveal something about their lives throughout the journey, finding comfort and solace in each other’s harrowing experiences and in return, helping them realize the beauty of life and friendship underneath the suffering.

 “Mga Batang Poz” is the first Young Adult Novel about HIV-AIDS in the Philippines, and a game-changer in the literary front as it singlehandedly confronts misconceptions about the disease. It marks an important step forward in understanding the lives of people living with HIV-AIDS, exploring in greater depth the characters’ lives in the age of social media and dating app hookups.

 The author considers the book as a personal advocacy to educate young readers about the stigma and discrimination against HIV-AIDS and at the same time, raise sexual health awareness affecting the LGBTQ community at large.

 So far, the reception about “Mga Batang Poz” has been overwhelmingly positive, with key figures in the literary community praising the book for its provocative and emotionally compelling narrative.

 Award-winning screenwriter Ricky Lee in particular, enjoyed the book for its incisive storytelling. “Bawat pahina ng ‘Batang Poz’ ay patalim na humihiwa sa ating kamalayan, ginigising tayo sa katotohanan na sa tuwing may batang nagkakaroon ng HIV o namamatay, kasangkot tayo.”

 The Palanca-awardee launched Mga Batang Poz last September 28 at the Precious Events Center in Quezon City. The event provided a platform to promote HIV awareness and prevention among MSM and other high-risk segments of society.

 “Mga Batang Poz” is available on Precious Pages retail outlets, National Bookstore, Pandayan bookshop and leading book stores nationwide.

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“Para Sa Brokenhearted” had a successful premiere at the SM Megamall Cinema 7 on Monday night. Present were the film’s lead stars Shy Carlos, Marco Gumabao, Yassi Presman, Sam Concepcion and Louise delos Reyes.

 Directed by Digo Ricio, “Para Sa Brokenhearted” is based on the best-selling book by Marcelo Santos III. The movie is very entertaining. It packs pain in the heart, something that many viewers can relate to. It also presents many insights about falling in love. Since the story is about love and its many intricacies, for sure, viewers, especially the young ones, will find themselves in the story.

 The movie is likewise well-acted. We didn’t expect Sam Concepcion can act that well and he is handsomely photographed in the movie. Same goes for the other cast members like Louise, Shy, and Yassi who were all good in drama. Marco is an eye candy and he did well in his role as the two-timing boyfriend.

 Do yourself a favor and watch this gem of a film that is Rated A by the Cinema Evaluation Board. “Para sa Brokenhearted” opens today in cinemas nationwide.

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Two outstanding Filipino short films, “Divine XY” and “The Lessons of the Night,” were honored at the ViddseeJuree Awards Philippines, an initiative that celebrates and supports filmmaker communities in Asia.

 The Gold winner is Ruelo Zendo for “Divine XY,” a 14-minute short film that follows Divine (played by Divine Aucina), who finally gets her dream job but hits a snag when it comes to her paperwork that identifies her as a male.

 Taking Silver was Christian Rae Villanueva, whose 15-minute drama “The Lessons of the Night” centres around Juanita, a teacher battling depression who conspires with her delinquent student to retrieve her own baby from her estranged husband. The film depicts the responsibility of a mother and how finding solace can affect humans.

 The two winners were picked by an international panel of judges that comprised of Malaysian publisher, writer and filmmaker Amir Muhammad; Tribeca Film Festival Shorts Programmer Ben Thompson; and actress Cherie Gil, the three-time Best Supporting Actress winner in the Metro Manila Film Festival, and recipient of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts Ani ng Dangal award.

 Gold and Silver winners were awarded film production grants worth P160,000 and P80,000 respectively, along with audio equipment provided by RØDE Microphones. The Gold winner also won a five-day Global Film & TV Program in Los Angeles sponsored by the Motion Picture Association. All ten finalists received a 12-month Creative Cloud All Apps subscription worth US$560 each from Adobe.

 Aside from the main winners, Kenneth De La Cruz won the Audience Choice Award for his romantic thriller “Tears Of The Stars.” The winner was picked based on the most number of ‘likes’ it received on Viddsee.com during a two-week period.