JUDY ANN AND BEA LEAD HONOREES AT FILM AMBASSADORS’ NIGHT
THE Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) has released the list of honorees for the annual Film Ambassadors’ Night (FAN), which will be held on Sunday, February 9. For 2020, FDCP recognized 63 honorees as Film Ambassadors across Filipino film industry artists, directors and creatives as well as titles from different genres and formats that have received awards in film festivals abroad in 2019.
The FAN honorees are categorized into A- Listers, actors, short films, full-length films, TV awards, technical and creative awards and special citations. This first category celebrates those who have won awards in the most prestigious “A-List” international film festivals around the world, namely the “big three” in Cannes, Venice and Berlin, as well as a select number of major festivals around the globe according to the FIAPF list.
A-Listers this year include Brillante Mendoza’s “Mindanao,” which won Best Narrative Film and Best Actress for Judy Ann Santos in the Cairo International Film Festival in Egypt; Jun Robles Lana for winning best director for “Kalel, 15,” at the 2019 Tallinn Blacknights International Film Festival; and the documentary film “Aswang,” directed by Alyx Ayn Arumpac which won the Fipresci Prize in International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), which is considered the most prestigious film festival in the field of documentary filmmaking.
Raymund Ribay Guttierez’s film “Verdict,”
the official Philippine entry to this year’s Oscars holds the highest award our country has achieved this year, having claimed the Special Jury Prize in the Orizzonti section of the 2019 Venice International Film Festival.
Other honorary Film Ambassadors include Bea Alonzo for her Asian Stars Up
Next Award, Maja Salvador for her Best Actress performance in "Wildflower," and the criticallyacclaimed, multi-award-winning films “Signal Rock” (directed by Chito Rono) and “Balangiga: Howling Wilderness” (directed by Khavn Dela Cruz). The late Kristoffer King will receive posthumous honors for his role in “Kristo” as well.
The late veteran actors Eddie Garcia and Tony Mabesa, who starred in Joel Lamangan’s award- winning
“Rainbow’s Sunset,” will be given posthumous honors during the Film Ambassador’s Night. Adding to their already illustrious careers, both actors tied in the Best Actor category during the 52nd Worldfest Houston International Film Festival and were part of the Best Ensemble Cast victory in New York’s International Film Festival 2019, alongside the rest of
Rainbow’s Sunset’s lead cast. “These Film Ambassadors display the diversity and the wide spectrum of our national film industry. They exemplify the best that Philippine cinema has to offer, and as its cream of the crop they promote Philippine cinema internationally, therefore empowering our local film industry and strengthening our cultural heritage.” FDCP Chair Liza Dino said.
The new honorees will join the over 200 filmmakers and other members of the film industry who have been recognized by FDCP for their success in the international arena since the event’s inaugural night in 2017. Past honorees have featured and covered the various spheres of Philippine cinema, from blockbuster films such as “The Hows of Us,” starring Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, to indie filmmakers such as Lav Diaz and Kidlat Tahimik.
FDCP’s Fourth Annual Film Ambassadors’ night kicks-off an eventful year for the agency as it continues to lead the celebration of Sine Sandaan, the centennial year commemoration of Philippine cinema, which began in September 2019.