FDCP’s ‘Parangal ng Sining’ to honor Phl cinema icons, pioneers
and preparing for the future.
“If we look at the honorees, very few are performers. We are paying tribute to the people who have done research and who have become major teachers, who have become the (posts) of what Philippines cinema is today,” stated Reyes.
“There is one big tribute to performers but now, our emphasis is on the people who made us feel that movies are not just movies for entertainment but movies are very much part of cultural history.”
He cited Tiongson, a film critic, writer, educator and scholar, who is also the founding member of Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino and the Professor Emeritus of the University of the Philippines (UP) Film Institute. He authored “The Urian Anthology” and “The Cinema of Manuel Conde.”
He also served as vice president and artistic director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), chair of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), and co-founder of the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.
On the other hand, Del Mundo Jr., a filmmaker, screenwriter, and and screenwriter Lao has penned screenplays for Jeffrey Jeturian’s “Kubrador” and Brillante Mendoza’s films “Kinatay” and “Serbis.” He bagged Gawad Urian Awards for Best Screenplay for Chito S. Roño’s “Itanong mo sa Buwan” and “La Vida Rosa.” He conducted “Found Story” screenwriting workshops for aspiring screenwriters.
Besides being an actress, Roa-Rodrigo served as the president of the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation (Mowelfund), Inc. for 18 years.
“We are also honoring Boots Anson Roa-Rodrigo, not as an actress but as a leading proponent of Filipino leadership in film, in her work for Mowelfund,” declared Reyes.
“We are honoring Tita Boots not only because she is an actress but also one of the major movers of Philippines cinema. We know that she has done a lot of films but her contribution at Mowelfund and taking care of Filipino film workers is more important.”
Additionally, Romero — dubbed as the “Queen of Philippine Cinema” — will also be conferred the “Parangal ng Sining: Lifetime Achievement Awards.” She is bestknown for her iconic films under Sampaguita Pictures such as “Dalagang Ilocana” and “Cofradia.” She also took on unforgettable matriarch roles in “Tanging Yaman,” “Magnifico,” and “Rainbow’s Sunset.”
Considered as a “prominent figure in the Golden Age of Philippine Cinema,” Romero’s career spanned more than 70 years in the showbiz industry. She also served as an inspiration to a new breed of Filipino actors.
“There is absolutely no better way of defining the Filipino movie queen than Gloria Romero. In her 90s right now, Gloria Romero has become the epitome not only of professionalism but everything that Filipino cinema was before in the past decades,” noted Reyes.
Two organizations dedicated to film archiving and restoration — SOFIA and ABS-CBN Film Restoration Sagip Pelikula — will also be granted awards at the forthcoming event.
Founded in 1993, SOFIA has been archiving films for 30 years and still “remains true to its mission of preserving Filipino films and educating the public of our rich cinematic history.”
Meanwhile, led by Leo Katigbak of the ABS-CBN Film Archives, Sagip Pelikula has been around since 2011 and has successfully digitized and restored more than a hundred Filipino films, including National Artist for Film Ishmael Bernal’s “Himala,” Peque Gallaga’s “Oro, Plata, Mata,” and Carlos Vander Tolosa’s “Giliw Ko.”
“The ABS-CBN Film Restoration has been instrumental in reintroducing well-loved Filipino classics to Filipino audiences, particularly the youth. It remains committed to its purpose of preserving the country’s cinematic legacy for future generations of Filipinos,” said FDCP.
“I’m a tragic victim of this because I realized about 40 percent of the films I made are gone because they were not properly preserved or restored,” remarked Reyes.
“But these two groups are working very hard in order to preserve Filipino films, in order to make