Direk Gil welcomes the old MMFF selection system

Unlike in the past many years when the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) screening committee based its selection of the eight official entries on scripts, there might be a change in the process this year.

“I was assured by an MMFF executive committee member that the old system will be followed,” said director Gil M. Portes. “The basis will be the finished product. Under the other system, there could be changes in the script and in the cast which the committee doesn’t allow, and that’s usually where the controversy starts. You can’t alter anything in a finished product.”

Gil should know. In the 1977 MMFF, his film Sa Piling ng Mga Sugapa (based on the experience of the late Manila Times reporter and Press Secretary Rod Reyes who infiltrated a drug den pretending to be an addict) was among the official entries that included Lino Brocka’s Inay, Romy Suzara/Mario O’Hara’s Bilanggong Birhen, and Celso Ad Castillo’s Burlesk Queen (the landmark turning point of Vilma Santos’ career, in the titular role that won her Best Actress). That was the best and truly “quality” MMFF in memory.

“Aside from Vilma,” recalled Gil, “other superstars who were in that filmfest were FPJ, Dolphy and Ramon Revilla. I really hope that the MMFF execomm this year will base their choices not so much on commercial viability but on quality, ‘yung talagang basta maganda.”

There might be a little problem because, as we all know, the annual MMFF is a fund-raiser that’s why the producers are more concerned with the Top Grosser honor than any of the awards.

Already, Gil has a finished product set for submission — Moonlight Over Baler, a true story written by Enrique Ramos about the beautiful love story of Fidela (played by Elizabeth Oropeza), 65 at the time of the story, a distinguished schoolteacher who started her career under the tutelage of Doña Aurora Quezon, the First Lady to the great son of Baler, Pres. Manuel L. Quezon. Fidela was set to marry Nestor (Vin Abrenica), a USAFFE soldier who was killed in action during the Japanese Occupation, leaving Fidela single since then. Vin actually plays two roles, also as Kenji, a Japanese photojournalist who finds himself surfing in Baler in the summer of 1986 after covering the EDSA Revolution, excited to take pictures and write about the town where parts of the classic Francis Ford Coppola film Apocalypse Now were shot. (Trivia: Elizabeth shot for the movie but her scenes were edited out in the final copy.) Playing the young Fidela is Vin’s real-life girlfriend Sophie Albert in a love triangle with Rory (short for Aurora), played by Ellen Adarna (star of two Portes films, Bayang Magiliw and Ang Tag-araw ni Twinkle, who denied being the “girlfriend” of presidential son Baste despite their chummy-chummy pictures taken during the birthday party of Ellen’s friend Beauty Gonzales in Siargao, Surigao del Sur).

“Actually,” noted Tempo’s Ronald Constantino, “the film stars two other Urian awardees aside from Elizabeth — Menggie Cobarrubias and Daria Ramirez.” (According to Urian official Butch Francisco, Elizabeth has one Best Actress award and two Best Supporting Actress awards; Daria has one Best Actress award and one Best Supporting Actress award while Menggie has one Best Supporting Actor award in 1979 for Lino Brocka’s Jaguar.)

“I’m not embarrassed to tell the whole world that I am entering Moonlight Over Baler in this year’s MMFF,” added Gil who has a fond attachment to Quezon Province (he’s from Pagbilao) where he shot most of his films such as Gatas, Miguel/Michelle (starring Romnick Sarmenta as a cross-dresser) and Munting Tinig (with Alessandra de Rossi as a barrio teacher) which was released worldwide by Warner Bros.

Besides Moonlight Over Baler, Gil has another finished film, Hermano Puli. But more on that later.

Urian awardees Daria and Elizabeth: No competition, good friends in real life

No reason to be afraid of root canal

My actress friend (name withheld upon request) is deathly afraid of undergoing a root canal that has been bothering her for sometime now. So to appease her, I asked my friend Dr. Chico Achacoso-Damatac for help. Here’s what Dr. Chico sent Funfare:

All about Root Canal

By Dr. Isabel G. Campos-Bustos & Dr. Irene Grace Achacoso-Porter, Endodontists

OMG I need a root canal and it’s painful!

“No it’s not. It’s just like going to the dentist and having a filling done, with the advancement of technologies and anesthetics, root canal treatment is not painful at all and many patients have reported to have had painless experiences. Patients come to see the dentist when they have a toothache which may be caused by a damaged nerve tissue inside the tooth. Root canal treatment removes this damaged tissue from the tooth and relieving patients of the pain.”

Root canal treatment causes cancer and other illness.

“Not true. The Internet is full of articles claiming that teeth with root canal treatment cause diseases to occur elsewhere in the body. Many of these claims are based on an outdated research by Dr. Weston Price. It was in the 1920’s when Dr. Price advocated tooth extraction over root canal treatment.

“In 1951 The Journal Of The American Dental Association reviewed Dr. Price’s research and noted that it was deficient in many aspects of modern scientific research. The truth: There is no valid, scientific evidence linking root canal-treated teeth and disease elsewhere in the body. A root canal is a safe and effective procedure. When a severe infection in a tooth requires endodontic treatment, that treatment is designed to eliminate bacteria from the infected root canal, prevent re-infection of the tooth and save the natural tooth.

“In 2013, The Journal of the American Medical Association Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery conducted a research and they found that a patient’s risk of cancer doesn’t change after having a root canal treatment; in fact, patients with multiple endodontic treatments had a 45 percent reduced risk of cancer. (Tezal M, et al. Dental Caries and Head and Neck Cancers. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 139(10): 1054-60, Oct. 2013.).”

There. Okay, my actress-friend, you can open your mouth wide now and relax.

Christine Opiaza crowned 2016 Miss Bikini Philippines

The 2016 Miss Bikini Philippines crown and title went to Christine Juliane Opiaza, representing Slimmer's World Subic, (photo, center) besting 29 other fit and fab and wellness-advocate beauties during the grand coronation night held last May 20 at the New Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World Manila.

Opiaza also bagged the Miss Personality, Best in Creative Posing and Miss Diamond Hotel special awards.  She stands 5’6”, weighs 120 lbs. and measures 32-25-35. She’s the reigning Binibining Zambales and currently a Business Administration student at the Lyceum of Subic Bay in Olongapo City.

Adjudged runners-up were Regine Anillo, first (photo, right) and Ivy Tapic, second (photo, left).

Rounding up the Top 10 finalists were Venus Johnson (Megamall), Solaire Ralos (Cebu), Grace Castillo, also Darling of the Clients (Trafalgar), Geri Camargo (SM City), Angelica Nilo, also Miss Photogenic (Subic), Gregeli Pahilga (Pasay Road), and Hayah Hamoc, also Best in Long Gown (Pasay).

International singing artist and one of 2016 Forbes 30 under 30 Asia Charice performed a medley of Louder/Uptown/Crazy in Love that night. — Celso de Guzman Caparas

 (E-mail reactions at [email protected]. You may also send your questions to [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on www.twitter/therealrickylo.)