'THY WOMB' GETS STANDING OVATION

Nora Aunor

By William R. Reyes

Philippine Entertainment Portal

Friday, September 07, 2012 @ 07:30AM

Source:  http://pep.ph/news/35578/thy-womb-gets-standing-ovation-at-its-venezia-gala-premiere-critic-praises-lead-actress-nora-aunor39s-exciting-performance/1/1

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Encouraging para sa mga tagasubaybay ng pelikulang Pilipino ang mga unang pag-uulat tungkol sa mga kaganapan sa Venice, Italy, kaugnay ng pelikulang Sinapupunan (Thy Womb).

Kasalukuyang itinatanghal ang Filipino film na ito bilang Main Competition entry sa 69th Venice International Film Festival (VIFF).

Kahapon, September 6, at 4:30 p.m. (10:30 p.m. Manila time), ginanap ang official screening at gala night ng Thy Womb.

Pinagbibidahan ito ng Superstar na si Nora Aunor at idinirek ng Cannes 2009 best director-awardee na si Brillante "Dante" Mendoza.

Nasa Venice, Italy sina Direk Brillante at Nora bilang bahagi ng Philippine delegation sa nasabing international filmfest; kasama nila ang dalawa pang aktres ng Thy Womb na sina Mercedes Cabral at Lovi Poe.

Kahapon, September 6, ay nakausap sa telepono ng PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) si Direk Brillante.

Ayon sa premyadong direktor, naging maganda at masaya ang pagtanggap sa kanila ng maraming Pilipino na nasa Venice.

"As usual, pinagkaguluhan nila si Ate Guy!" natutuwang sabi ni Direk Brillante.

Ika-sampu ng umaga pa lang sa Venice (4 p.m., Manila time).

Nasa hotel room sina Direk Dante, Boy Palma (Nora's personal manager), at si Ate Guy na "nagpapa-make up pa” dahil maya-maya raw ay gaganapin na ang ang gala screening. Naghahanda na rin daw sila noon para sa press conference.

Sa Hotel Excelsior naka-billet sina Nora at Direk Brillante.

"This is one of the oldest establishments in the world," banggit pa ng direktor tungkol sa hotel na tinutuluyan.

Mula sa hotel, napaulat din na ang delegasyon were driven in Lancia limousines to the presscon venue, in a separate function room, kung saan din gaganapin ang official screening ng Thy Womb sa Sala Grande (Cinema Hall).

STANDING OVATION. By midnight of September 6, agad ding nakarating sa PEP ang magandang balita ng pagkakaroon ng standing ovation ng mga nanood matapos ang gala screening ng Thy Womb.

Abut-abot daw ang pagbati ng mga tagasubaybay nina Nora, Direk Brillante, at iba pang kabilang sa Thy Womb, sa panimulang tagumpay na natamo ng pelikula.

Bungad na pagbati ng Noranians Worldwide (NOW), isang malaganap na fanpage sa Facebook:

"Thy Womb gets standing ovation at Venezia 69 premiere! Congratulations Brillante Ma Mendoza, Nora Aunor and the whole Thy Womb delegation!"

Agad ding nagpadala ng text message sa PEP ang line producer ng Thy Womb na si Larry Castillo.

"There was a five-minute standing ovation until the entire Philippine delegates left the cinema. Grabe! Overwhelming response!" tuwang-tuwang pagbabalita ni Larry.

Samantala, patuloy ang pagpu-post ng mga tagahanga ng Superstar at ni Direk Brillante ng magagandang initial feedback mula sa mga manonood at kritikong nasa Venice ngayon at nakikibahagi sa ginaganap na Venice International Film Festival.

NORA'S "EXCITING PERFORMANCE!” Earlier, at around 9 a.m. (3 p.m. Manila time) and 11:30 a.m. (5:30 p.m., Manila time), nagkaroon ng unang dalawang screening ang Thy Womb, sa Sala Darsena at Sala Perla, respectively.

Dinaluhan ito ng mga miyembro ng media at taga-industriya sa Italy.

May naunang screenings ang pelikula para sa media representatives at foreign critics na dumalo sa presscon, and one of them was quoted as saying: "Nora Aunor delivers an exciting performance..."

Bahagi ito ng isa sa mga unang rave reviews ng Thy Womb, as written in Italian at isinalin sa Ingles, at nai-post sa Noranians Worldwide (NOW) site, which partly stated: 

"Competing for the Golden Lion at the 69th Venice Film Festival in Venice, Brillante Mendoza continues with his radical and uncompromising film to shine authorship of the film industry in the Philippines... Thy Womb reveals a deep film like few others seen in Venice 69..."

Tungkol naman kay Nora, sabi sa review: "In the role of Shaleha, the star of Philippine cinema, delivers an exciting performance!... Mendoza can not resist, and rightly so, the temptation to look closely to Nora Aunor..."

Ilang masusugid ding Noranians sa iba't ibang sites at fanpage na nasa Facebook ang tumutok sa kaganapan, posting comments and photos.

Kabilang dito ang sinabi ng isa sa mga foreign co-producers ng Thy Womb sa the Italian press members na "Nora Aunor is a national treasure!"

Samantala, may nagkakaisa ring impression among early viewers of the film, which stated that Brillante Mendoza's Thy Womb is a "magnifica storia d'amore" or magnificent love story.

Mayroon ding avid Noranians, tulad nina Wilfredo Pascual at Art Barbadillo ng Noranians Worldwide fansite, na nakapanood ng live streaming ng Thy Womb presscon sa pamamagitan ng Raimovievenezia.rai.it, at around 7 p.m. (Manila time).

Proud siyempre sila with the way Nora delivered during the presscon proper.

May interpreter si Nora sa presscon, at translated from Italian to English ang tala ng napag-usapan sa presscon.

"She was asked to compare Himala and Thy Womb," ayon sa mga nakapanood at nakinig sa live streaming.

May naunang screening ang 30-year-old classic film na Himala ng National Artist Ishmael Bernal. Nag-world premiere ang obra, na tinampukan din ni Nora sa papel na Elsa, isang faith healer, sa restored HD version nito bilang isa sa mga entries sa Venizia Classici (section for restored world classic films).

Sabi pa sa post: "Nora responded that both films required quiet performances, ultimately challenging, and that she relied on the support of the film director/s.

"The lack of a script during shootings, or on the set, actually helped her."

Bagamat hindi rin mapapasubaliang mayroong well-written working scripts ang parehong obra. Ricky Lee wrote Himala; Thy Womb's screenplay is by Henry Burgos, na kasama rin sa delegasyon sa Venive.

DIREK BRILLANTE'S COMMENTS. Meanwhile, may mga pahayag si Direk Brillante, as told to the Associated Foreign Press (AFP), tungkol sa naging layunin ng direktor sa paglikha ng pelikulang Thy Womb.

Ayon sa AFP: "Filipino director Brillante Mendoza wanted to show a different side of the Muslim communities in a conflict-wracked part of the Philippines."

Kinunan ang kabuuan ng Thy Womb sa mga bayan ng Bongao at Sitangkai, sa isla ng Tawi-Tawi, sa southernmost part of the Philippines.

"The misinterpretation is that it's a very violent place, very aggressive and very dangerous, but it's not."

Of Tawi-Tawi island, Brillante told the foreign media, "I was surprised when I arrived. It's really different from what we thought.

"The people there are not aggressive, they're very calm; not confrontational and they have an amazing culture!

"It was a discovery for me and I thought I should share this.

"I realized that film is such a very powerful medium... and for me, this is a very rare opportunity to change the mindset of people, to change society."