‘Respeto,’ ‘Balangiga: Howling Wilderness’ lead nominees for 41st Gawad Urian
THE Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (the Filipino Film Critics) has announced the nominees for the prestigious film award recognition with many independent films leading the categories.
“Last year’s crop of films are interesting. There’s no Lav Diaz, no Brillante Mendoza, but the independent cinema is alive, it has not lost its momentum,” Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino’s Roland Tolentino said in a press conference.
“Last year also proved that independent cinema was able to define Philippine national cinema with more films coming in from the regions. We are also experiencing indigenous filmmaking. This also reflects that the nominees for the shorts and the documentary, wherein we do have our fair share of regional cinema, is well-represented in these categories. What we are also seeing is that now is not only the golden age of Philippine independent cinema, it is also the golden age of Philippine documentary and Philippine short films,” Tolentino emphasized.
Leading this year’s list is the film “Respeto” with 12 nominations including Best Picture, Best Director for Treb Monteras 2nd, and Best Actor for rapper-actor Abra. “Balangiga: Howling Wilderness” follows with 10 nominations and “Tu Pug Imatuy” with nine nominations. Other Best Picture nominees are “The Chanters” with a total of seven nominations, and “Birdshot” and “Bhoy Intsik,” both with six nods each.
Other films receiving multiple nominations are “Changing Partners,” “Ang Larawan,” and “Kita Kita” with six each.
Gawad Urian 2018 is set to highlight Filipino music in the much-awaited awards night as three of this year’s leading film nominees are musical— Respeto, Ang Larawan, and Changing Partners.
This year’s Natatanging Gawad Urian award will also go to jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and musical director Winston Raval of The Vanishing Tribe band. The musician has handled film scoring for over 20 movies, and he was previously honored as Best Musical Director for “Ikaw Ay Akin” in the 1977 Urian Awards.
Meanwhile, the nominees for Best Actress are Alessandra de Rossi (Kita Kita), Joanna Ampil (Ang Larawan), Angeli Bayani (“Bagahe”), Gloria Diaz (“Si Chedeng at Si Apple”), Dexter Doria (“Paki”), Jally Nae Gilbaliga (The Chanters), Agot Isidro (Changing Partners), Elizabeth Oropesa (“Si Chedeng at Si Apple”), Bela Padilla (“100 Tula Para Kay Stella”), Angellie Nicholle Sanoy (“Bomba”), and Malona Sulatan (Tu Pug Imatuy).
Aside from Abra, Empoy Marquez (Kita Kita), Nonie Buencamino (“Smaller and Smaller Circles”), Timothy Castillo (“Neomanila”), Noel Comia Jr. (“Kiko Boksingero”), Allen Dizon (Bomba), RS Francisco, (Bhoy Intsik), Jojit Lorenzo (Changing Partners), Sandino Martin (Changing Partners), and Justine Samson (Balangiga: Howling Wilderness) are the Best Actor nominees.
Other nominees for Best Director are Arnel Barbarona for Tu Pug Imatuy; Sigrid Andre Bernardo, Kita Kita; Khavn de La Cruz for Balaliga: Howling Wilderness; Joel Lamangan for Bhoy Intsik; James Robin Mayo for The Chanters; and Mikhail Red for Birdshot.
Nominated for Best Supporting Actress are Yayo Aguila for Kiko Boksingero, Angeli Bayani for “Maestra,” Shamaine Buencamino for “Paki,” Jasmine Curtis-Smith for “Siargao,” Chai Fonacier for Respeto, Nathalie Hart for “Historiographika Errata,” Odette Khan for “Bar Boys,” Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo for Ang Larawan, and Gloria Sevilla for Maestra.
For Best Supporting Actor, the nominees include John Arcilla (Birdshot), Robert Arevalo (Ang Larawan), Romulo Caballero ( The Chanters), Dido De la Paz (Respeto), Pio Del Rio (Balangiga: Howling Wilderness), Nor Domingo (Respeto), Ronwaldo Martin (Bhoy Intsik), Jess Mendoza (“Sa Gabing Nanahimik ang mga Kuliglig”), and Arnold Reyes (Birdshot).
This year’s Best Music nominees are Ryan Cayabyab for Ang Larawan, Arnel Barbarona for Tu Pug Imatuy, Vincent de Jesus for Changing Partners, Jay Durias for Respeto, Erwin Fajardo for The Chanters, Khavn dela Cruz for Balangiga: Howling Wilderness, and Lutgardo Labad and Odoni Pestelos for Smaller and Smaller Circles.
Other awards in this annual film recognition include Best Screenplay, Best Production Design, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Short Film and Best Documentary.
The nominees and winners are chosen by the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino composed of reputable pillars in Philippine cinema led by its president Rolando Tolentino together with members Grace Javier Alfonso, Butch Francisco, Bienvenido Lumbera, Miguel Rapatan, Benilda Santos, Nicanor Tiongson, Tito Genova Valiente, Patrick Campos, Shirley Lua, and Gary Devilles.
Meanwhile, the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino’s Ang Cinema Centenario will hold the 1st CineManunuri Film Festival featuring the nominated and awarded movies in Gawad Urian 2018 at the Cinema Centenario in Quezon City from June 15 to 29.
The 41st Gawad Urian Awards Night is held on June 14 at the ABS- CBN Vertis Tent aired live on Cinema One at 7 p.m.
To see full list of nominees, visit www. cinemaone.ph and manunuri.com.