Will Brillante bag an Oscar?
After winning awards in three of the five major film festivals (Cannes, Venice and Berlin; the two others are Toronto and New York), can filmmaker Brillante Mendoza bring home the elusive big one?
Too early to celebrate. Of course, there’s great expectation when Brillante Mendoza competes in yet another international event, after all he has won awards in three of the considered Top 5 film festivals — Best Direc - tor in Cannes 2009 for Kinatay (Butchered), Orizzonte Jury Prize for Verdict in Venice 2019 and Caligari Award for Tirador in Berlin (the two others are Toronto and New York). This time, his award-winning film Mindanao has been officially selected by the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP headed by Vivian Velez) as the country’s official entry to the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 93rd Oscars set for April 25 next year, several weeks behind schedule due to the pandemic.
It’s Brillante’s third attempt at the Oscars, following in 2016 with Ma’ Rosa (that won Best Actress for Jaclyn Jose in Cannes, the first Filipina to do so in a major film festival) and Verdict (as producer, director is Brillante’s protégé Raymund Ribay Gutierrez).
Until the announcement presumably in late January or early February, it won’t be known which will make it to the magic circle (five or seven finalists). Mindanao, which Brillante himself produced and directed, is only one of the presumably 100 (or more) films from around the world “submitted for consideration.”
“We are not yet short-listed,” clarified Brillante, a veteran in major film festivals (aside from Kinatay and Ma’ Rosa, his other entries in Cannes included Foster Child, Serbis and Taklub; Lola and Thy Womb in Venice; and Tirador and Captive in Berlin). “We still have to campaign,” which is something perhaps he didn’t do in the filmfests mentioned. The Oscars is something else, another (new) battle altogether.
“And we need money,” admitted Brillante, “a minimum of at least US$100,000 (roughly P5 million), with $20,000 (P1M more or less) provided by the Film De - velopment Council of the Philippines (FDCP). We have to spend for promotions. The producers of the chosen film should hire a publicity and promotion company to reach as many academy members as they can, depending on the allotted budget that they have.” (As estimated, there are around 500 voting members, one of them actress-turned-nun Dolores Hart, and most of them if not all, unless you can afford them, must be provided with a CD/DVD copy of the submitted entry.)
A Herculean task, really. It’s an accepted practice to openly campaign (by placing ads in industry papers like Variety and Hollywood Reporter) unlike here when campaigning is done “secretly.”
According to Brillante, “Hollywood spends about $150M to campaign for their films every year. Those behind Parasite, the Korean production that won Best Picture (and other major awards) last year, spent several million dollars.”
The selection process for the Oscars differs from that of the filmfests mentioned.
“In the film festivals, ‘any’ filmmaker can submit his film and a selection committee will decide if the submitted film can compete or be part of the festival, based on the creative merits of the film.
“On the other hand, the Oscars accept only films chosen by the representing body from countries all over the world. It can be any film these representing bodies choose.”
Even if a film has won several awards locally is not a guarantee that it will make it in those film - fests, including the Oscars.
Mindanao won majority of the awards in the 2019 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress for Judy Ann Santos for her performance as a Muslim mother taking care of her cancer-stricken daughter (played by Yona Tangog who won Best Child Performer) while waiting for her husband (Allen Dizon, Best Actor) to return from serving as a medic soldier in the South.
“It was an answered wish,” Judy Ann told The STAR in a post-MMFF interview. “Matagal ko nang gustong makatrabaho si direk Brillante. I watched his films, especially Ma’Rosa. I’d been hearing a lot about how he worked kaya gusto ko siyang ma- experience.” (Note: In 2009, Judy Ann submitted Ploning, a film she herself produced and starred in, to the Oscars’ Best Foreign Language Film category. It did not qualify.)
Mindanao was shot in 12 days in 2017.
“Iba ang style ni direk Brillante. He would guide you and when he couldn’t ‘feel’ your performance, he would tell you pero hindi niya sasabihin kung paano mo dapat gawin. It’s up to you to interpret your role and ‘feel’ it. If you are a mother playing that kind of role, it can be very heavy here (pointing to her chest). Masakit sa dibdib, mabigat sa dibdib. At the same time, mabigat dalhin ‘yung bata kaya doble ang bigat,” she laughed.
In a statement, Center Stage Productions expressed happiness that Mindanao has been selected as the Philippines’ official entry to the Oscars.
“We are thankful that since we began to create films 15 years ago,” according to the statement, “we were fortunate enough that through consistent hard work, respected and A-list award-giving bodies both international and local have appreciated and recognized our works but what we are most grateful for is that we found many opportunities to give a light on Filipino culture, creativity and talent, and that we were able to bring the stories of ordinary Filipinos to the world stage.”
In the meantime, let’s keep our collective fingers crossed that Brillante will finally bring home the Oscar that he has been aiming for.
(E-mail reactions at entphilstar@yahoo.com. You may also send your questions to askrickylo@ gmail.com. For more updates, photos and videos visit www.philstar. com/funfare or follow me on www. twitter/therealrickylo.)
Mercury Gets Sophisticated On this first day of December, Mercury enters the adventurous Sagittarius realm, adopting a broader and more sophisticated perspective right from the start of the journey. Courage is at the heart of the matter. The main reason we resist knowing other people, places and perspectives is fear of the unknown. Curiosity will now be stronger than fear.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). You’re typically quite sensitive to what people around you might need and being focused in this way could interfere with recognizing your own needs. So, turn those sensors on yourself and take action to relieve stress.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Someone who is watching you closely may make you feel self-conscious and prone to mistakes. The attention is a compliment, though one that would more comfortably be deflected.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Halfway between two ideas you are unlikely to find favor with either side. But you’re not doing this for the approval. You really want to find a good fit -- a way to see things that makes sense to you.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Perhaps the moon is not the reason for life on earth, but its influence on the tides has made for more diversity than could otherwise be possible. Someone orbiting you will have a similarly favorable influence.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Ambitious people are exciting to you insofar as they work toward achievement. What people would like to do and what they actually do can be two different things, a difference you’ll pay attention to.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). There are many nuances at play as you connect with someone you’ve known a long time and these make the relationship rich in a way that cannot compare with those you barely know -- something you appreciate today.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Remember when you watched yourself making a mistake, in full consciousness of the error but somehow still not able to stop yourself? It will happen again because some mistakes are just too fun to make!
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). For now, don’t concern yourself with the matter of how pointless is an activity. It is quite pointless, indeed, but everything doesn’t have to have a point. Anyway, this one will pay off further down the road.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Even though every state of being is temporary, there are some you want to make last as long as possible. Trying too hard won’t work, though you may be able to relax and give yourself more to savor with increased noticing.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). What the self says matters. It matters going into an endeavor. It matters when the self is satisfied, and it matters even more when the world doesn’t validate the self’s satisfaction. Believe in your compass, not theirs.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Force isn’t the only way to make things happen, and usually it’s not even the best way. Be like water, soft but powerfully shaping all it touches as it makes its way down the path of least resistance.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). There is no universal “up” or “down,” just people pulled toward earth from wherever they happen to be on the sphere. Relatedly, you appreciate friends living according to their beliefs, which are so different from your own.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Dec. 1). There are always those who believe they know your duty better than you do. Your cosmic gift is a self-authority that serves as an armor deflecting the authority of others. You are reinforced by the work you do as a result and you grow in capability, therefore power. You’ll use this to lift loved ones in 2021. Gemini and Capricorn adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 19, 10, 13, 5 and 7.
COSMIC QUESTION: “Having a grand trine in my chart is good, right?”
Yes, but use it wisely. The grand trine is a major planetary configuration in which three planets in the same element (earth, air, fire, water) form an equilateral triangle in your birth chart. Whatever element your triangle is in indicates where you have a natural talent; ignore it at your own risk! You need to use what you’ve got or lose it, but you also need to maintain harmony and balance within yourself while you’re doing it. If your grand trine is fire, you are at your best when you’re active and in the spotlight, but you need to be careful of burnout. If you have an earth trine, you thrive on implementing structure in your environment. Just be sure to take a few risks and don’t be too predictable. Keep it fresh. If you have an air trine, you have a talent for making mental and/or and social connections, but you may be uncomfortable with deep emotions. If your trine is water, you are great at reading the vibes of a room, but this can also make you vulnerable to psychic attack from others’ negativity. Protect yourself!