Restored Version of 'HIMALA' Premieres at 69th Venice International Film Festival

Source: http://bidakapamilya.blogspot.com/2012/08/restored-version-of-himala-premieres-at.html

August 11, 2012

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The restored version of the Filipino classic film, “Himala” by the late National Artist Ishmael Bernal will be screened at the prestigious 69th Venice Film Festival this year.

The 1982 film starring Nora Aunor will be screened during the fest through the program titled “Venizia Classici” along with restored classic films, “Chimes at Midnight” by Orson Welles, “Fanny and Alexander” by Ingmar Bergman, “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” by Howard Hawks and many more.

The restoration is meant to “give contemporary audiences the opportunity to view again or see for the first time films of great historical importance, and to revaluate films that have been unjustly forgotten or that are no longer visible, projected on the big screen in the best possible conditions,” said the program’s statement.

Written by multi-awarded screenwriter Ricky Lee, “Himala” was initially released for the Metro Film Festival in 1982. In 2008, the film won the Viewer’s Choice Award for Best Asia-Pacific Film of All Time in the CNN Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

The restoration of the film about religion and faith healing was made possible by the ABS-CBN Film Archives headed by Leo Katigbak.

“This is the 30th year of Himala. It is a great Filipino classic we would like everyone to see. We are also planning to re-release it theatrically among other plans. We have also restored Maalaala Mo Kaya, The Movie which is celebrating its 20th year and we have begun work on restoring another ECP title, Oro Plata Mata, which we hope will be ready by early 2013,” Katigbak said.

“Himala” will be shown at the Venice Film Fest that will run at Venice Lido from August 29 to September 8, 2012.

THY WOMB: THE DIRECTOR'S OVERVIEW

By:  Michael U. Obenieta

Source:  http://michaelobenieta.wix.com/thy-womb#!about/c1wfv

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“I AM making a film about the Bajaus, with the aim to celebrate a nonviolent people amidst a very violent world. It’s an intriguing premise about a particular people of peace living in a place of endemic violence.



One of the most interesting peoples in southern Philippines, the Bajaus are native sea-dwellers that are also found in the neighboring Malaysian and Indonesian archipelagos. They are the so-called Sea Gypsies who are skilled in building various types of boats, and widely known as fishermen, pearl divers and mat weavers.​

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As a film, THY WOMB examines the opposing natures of two women (Nora Aunor/Shaleha’s sterility against Lovi Poe/Mersila’s fertility) to reflect the prevailing condition in Tawi-Tawi, a place endowed with natural beauty and rich resources but mired in economic and socio-political crises. A quiet hell of a paradise, THY WOMB’s “birth place” and its environs are constant reminders of yesterday’s conflict that has remained unresolved up to the present.

The Bajaus are considered to be the most primitive and oppressed among several ethnic groups in the region; and they assume a subordinate status in their diverse and divided community, which includes the Samal and the Tausug, among others. But in spite of this, the Bajaus are generally perceived to be non-confrontational, forgiving, seemingly contented and happy people.

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When wronged, it is said that the Bajaus would simply move to another place, bringing their houseboats (lepa-lepa), constantly roving, living in harmony with nature. To this day, they are mostly looked down, degraded and much maligned by their ethnic neighbors and others, thus rendering them harmless, helpless and almost powerless.

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But in their heart of hearts, are they really so, or is it just another way of life merely misunderstood by those inured to violence? With this thought and theme, and my curiosity further piqued, the narrative voice of the film has emerged loud and clear.

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With intensive research and truthful depiction of certain characters and their circumstances, as articulated in the poignant tale of an aging, childless couple who resolve to find the mother of their much-wanted child, I hope THY WOMB would show a slice of life in the best possible light."

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                                              -- BRILLANTE  MA. MENDOZA

A SCHOLAR'S INSIGHT

By: NIKOS DACANAY

August 9, 2012

By making THY WOMB, Nora is, perhaps without her knowing it, making many big statements.

First, by choosing an indie film as her comeback film she legitimizes this new wave of film making in Philippine cinema. By ignoring major film productions, she is in effect challenging their immaturity and criticizing what has now become of show business, a business that values mediocrity and cheap entertainment.

Second, by making an indie film, she lives up to her reputation as a risk taker and experimental, somebody who goes out of her comfort zone to try new techniques and styles in film making. This shows her passion to develop as an artist, forever thirsty for creative challenges.

Third, by choosing the subjects of Islam, Mindanao, and the ethnic Badjaos for her film, she puts on center stage these marginalized discourses, the issues that Philippine histories and narratives have always muted.  In effect, she becomes our Muslim brothers' savior, and also the savior of our culturally rich but forgotten and neglected ethnic groups/tribes.

Nora narrates their lives and their pains on the big screen, telling us how very un-Filipino we are for being too concerned with the glamour of and problems in Manila and being ignorant of the rich heritage of the south as well as the discrimination and alienation of Islamic culture.

By privileging the stories of a lost and dying Badjao tribe in the south, Nora proclaims their importance in the whole discourse on the Filipino identity and Philippine nationhood. Nora may or may not be aware of the ethno/geo-political messages her decision to make Thy Womb has produced, but I guess as an artist she is fully aware that she is challenging hegemonic discourses through the power of her craft.  Her past films which she herself produced are full of criticisms of the social ills of the Philippines.  In this small indie film, Nora is quietly making big statements about being Filipino.  In the process, Venice should not be the only one making this film big but us as well. 

THY WOMB: AN UNTOLD STORY OF MINDANAO

Nora Aunor and Bembol Roco during the shooting of the film 'Thy Womb'.

Condensed from Noralyn Mustafa’s Article ‘The veil, and an untold story’

Philippine Daily Inquirer

August 6, 2012

Link: http://opinion.inquirer.net/34133/the-veil-and-an-untold-story

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“‘Thy Womb,’ Filipino  filmmaker  Brillante Mendoza’s new film about the seafaring Badjaos, is headed to Venice—though not literally sailing on a vinta… (Inquirer, 7/30/12).

“I’m more excited about sharing the story of the Badjaos with the whole world. I will get the chance to present a different face of Mindanao…. (In this film) I focused on a peace-loving people who live in Tawi-Tawi, a group of islands in the south,” Brillante said.

“I am not denying that there is conflict and poverty in our country, but there are untold stories in our midst,” he pointed out.

“I never knew there was such a story in our country,” he said. “The Badjaos are a generally passive people, not aggressive or quarrelsome, and very much capable of unconditional love.”

The Venice invitation that “Thy Womb” got somehow lessens the sting of its noninclusion in this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

“Okay lang yon,” said Mendoza. “I am sure the MMFF committee has its reasons for not picking my movie.”

No, direk, it is not okay. This story about a Badjao midwife is a beautiful one. No wonder it was invited for screening at the Venice Film Festival. But the MMFF does not deem it good enough for inclusion in the local filmfest because it does not measure up to the standards of “Tanging Ina” and “Shake, Rattle and Roll.”

Still, Mendoza is right. There are so many untold stories about Mindanao and Sulu, the Badjaos and the Tausug, the Sama and the Yakan, the Mapun, etc.  Like what Susan Calo Medina in her “Travel Time” said, “to know them (the indigenous peoples), to know their history and their culture, is to respect them.”

Venice Film Festival Screening Schedule of THY WOMB and HIMALA

Source: http://www.labiennale.org/it/cinema/mostra-69/calendario/6set.html

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69. Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica

Direttore: Alberto Barbera

29 agosto > 8 settembre 2012

6 settembre

09:00 SALA GRANDE

FUORI CONCORSO

DU HAST ES VERSPROCHEN (FORGOTTEN) di Alex Schmidt (Germania, 102’, v.o. tedesco s/t inglese/italiano) con Mina Tander, Laura de Boer, Katharina Thalbach, Thomas Sarbacher, Clemens Schick, Max Riemelt

11:30 SALA GRANDE

ORIZZONTI

YEMA diDjamila Sahraoui (Algeria, Francia, 90', v.o. arabo s/t inglese/italiano) con Djamila Sahraoui, Samir Yahia, Ali Zarif

14:00 SALA GRANDE

ORIZZONTI

BELLAS MARIPOSAS diSalvatore Mereu (Italia, 100', v.o. italiano, sardo s/t inglese) con Sara Podda, Maya Mulas, Micaela Ramazzotti

Nora Aunor

16:30 SALA GRANDE

VENEZIA 69

SINAPUPUNAN (THY WOMB)di Brillante Mendoza (Filippine, 100’, v.o. filippino s/t inglese/italiano) con Nora Aunor, Bembol Rocco

19:00 SALA GRANDE

FUORI CONCORSO

THE COMPANY YOU KEEP di Robert Redford (Usa, 125’, v.o. inglese s/t italiano) con Robert Redford, Shia LaBeouf, Julie Christie, Sam Elliott, Jackie Evancho, Brendan Gleeson, Terrence Howard

22:00 SALA GRANDE

VENEZIA 69

LA CINQUIÈME SAISONdiPeter Brosens, Jessica Woodworth (Belgio, Paesi Bassi, Francia, 93', v.o. francese s/t inglese/italiano) con Aurélia Poirier, Django Schrevens, Sam Louwyck, Gill Vancompernolle

13:00 PALABIENNALE

ORIZZONTI

ARAF (ARAF – SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN)diYesim Ustaoglu (Turchia, Francia, Germania, 124', v.o. turco s/t inglese/italiano) con Neslihan Atagül, Baris Hacihan, Özcan Denis, Nihal Yalçin, Ilgaz Kocatürk

15:30 PALABIENNALE

ORIZZONTI

GAOSU TAMEN, WO CHENG BAIHE QU LE (FLY WITH THE CRANE)diLI Ruijun(Cina, 99', v.o. mandarino s/t inglese/italiano)

con Ma Xingehun, Tang Long, Wang Siyi

17:45 PALABIENNALE

FUORI CONCORSO

O GEBO E A SOMBRA di Manoel de Oliveira (Portogallo, Francia, 95’, v.o. francese s/t inglese/italiano) con Michael Lonsdale, Claudia Cardinale, Jeanne Moreau, Leonor Silvera, Ricardo Trêpa, Luís Miguel

20:00 PALABIENNALE

VENEZIA 69

SINAPUPUNAN (THY WOMB)di Brillante Mendoza (Filippine, 100’, v.o. filippino s/t inglese/italiano) con Nora Aunor, Bembol Rocco

a seguire

VENEZIA 69

LA CINQUIÈME SAISONdiPeter Brosens, Jessica Woodworth (Belgio, Paesi Bassi, Francia, 93', v.o. francese s/t inglese/italiano) con Aurélia Poirier, Django Schrevens, Sam Louwyck, Gill Vancompernolle

14:00 SALA DARSENA

SETTIMANA DELLA CRITICA

XIAO HE (LOTUS)di Liu Shu (Cina, 90’, v.o. cinese s/t inglese/italiano) con Tan Zhuo, Luo Kang, Guo Zhongyu, Xu Mingzhe

17:00 SALA DARSENA

GIORNATE DEGLI AUTORI

KEEP SMILING di Rusudan Chkonia (Francia, Georgia, Lussemburgo, 91', v.o. georgiano/francese s/t inglese/italiano)

14:00 SALA PERLA

ORIZZONTI CORTOMETRAGGI

MIRACLE BOY di Jake Mahaffy (Usa, 17’, v.o. inglese s/t italiano) con Cameron Cannon, Carter Taylor, Adam DeLany, Tyler Cook

CHO-DE (INVITATION)diMin-young YOO (Corea del Sud, 16’, v.o. coreano s/t inglese/italiano) con Lee Sang-hee

RESISTENTE di Renate Costa, Salla Sorri (Danimarca, Finlandia, Paraguay, 20’, v.o. spagnolo/italiano/portoghese s/t inglese/italiano) con Alberto Bonnet

I’M THE ONE diPaola Morabito (Australia, 14’, v.o. inglese s/t italiano) con James Fraser, Maya Stange, Alan Dukes

O AFINADOR di FernandoCamargo, Matheus Parizi (Brasile, 15’, v.o. portoghese s/t inglese/italiano) con Lui Seixas, Norival Rizzo, Sandra Corveloni

LIVING STILL LIFE diBertrand Mandico (Francia, Belgio, Germania, 15’, v.o. francese s/t inglese/italiano) con Elina Löwensohn

CARGO di Carlo Sironi (Italia, 15’, v.o. italiano/rumeno/ucraino s/t inglese/italiano) con Lidiya Liberman, Flavius Gordea, Marius Bizau, Inga Chiriac

16:30 SALA PERLA

VENEZIA CLASSICI - FILM RESTAURATI

CINERAMA SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE (1958) di Francis D. Lvon, Walter Thompson, Basil Wrangler, Richard Goldstone, Carl Dudley (Usa, 143’, v.o. inglese s/t italiano)

17:30 SALA PERLA 2

FUORI CONCORSO- PROIEZIONI SPECIALI

YA MAN AACH (IT WAS BETTER TOMORROW)di Hinde Boujemaa (Tunisia, 74’, v.o. arabo s/t inglese/italiano)con Aida Kaabi

19:45 SALA PERLA 2

RETROSPETTIVA 80!

DIEU A BÉSOIN DES HOMMES (1950)di Jean Delonnay (Francia, 100’, v.o. francese s/t inglese/italiano)

22:00 SALA PERLA 2

VENEZIA CLASSICI - DOCUMENTARI

GLI ANNI DELLE IMMAGINI PERDUTE di Adolfo Conti (Italia, 87’, v.o. italiano s/t inglese)   

14:30 SALA VOLPI

VENEZIA CLASSICI - DOCUMENTARI

GLI ANNI DELLE IMMAGINI PERDUTE di Adolfo Conti (Italia, 87’, v.o. italiano s/t inglese)   

17:00 SALA VOLPI

RETROSPETTIVA 80!

GENGIS KHAN (1950)diManuel Conde, Salvador Lou (Filippine, 91’, v.o. filippino s/t inglese/italiano)

19:30 SALA VOLPI

VENEZIA CLASSICI - FILM RESTAURATI

STROMBOLI TERRA DI DIO (1950) di Roberto Rossellini (Italia, 107’, v.o. italiano s/t inglese) con Ingmar Bergman, Mario Vitale

22:00 SALA VOLPI

FUORI CONCORSO

THE TIGHTROPE di Simon Brook (Francia, Italia, 86’, v.o. francese/inglese s/t inglese/italiano)con Peter Brook, Yoshi Oida, Shantala Shivalingappa, Marcello Magni

14:30 SALA PASINETTI

VENEZIA CLASSICI - FILM RESTAURATI

TELL ME LIES (1968)di Peter Brook (Regno Unito, 108’, v.o. inglese s/t italiano)

Nora Aunor

17:15 SALA PASINETTI

VENEZIA CLASSICI - FILM RESTAURATI

HIMALA (MIRACLE)(1982)di Ishmael Bernal (Filippine, 124’, v.o. filippino s/t inglese/italiano)

22:00 SALA PASINETTI

GIORNATE DEGLI AUTORI - EVENTI SPECIALI

TERRA MATTA IL NOVECENTO ITALIANO DI VINCENZO RABITO ANALFABETA SICILIANO di Costanza Quatriglio (Italia, 75', v.o. italiano s/t inglese)

a seguire

GIORNATE DEGLI AUTORI – EVENTI SPECIALI

NON MI AVETE CONVINTO di Filippo Vendemmiati (Italia 75', v.o. italiano s/t inglese) con Pietro Ingrao, Giulia Ingrao, Giacomo Tanghellini, Marta Gilmore

INSIGHT ON THY WOMB

By: LOUIS S'MERCK

A picture can be interpreted a hundred different ways.  One's imagination can play simply or wildly.  Mine is a little bit of both.  The water represents the "Womb".  The persons represent a baby inside the womb, either a boy or a girl.  The paddles or the act of paddling represents "survival".  If you paddle through life, it means you face and fight the challenges of life.  But when you stop paddling or rowing, it's a sign of giving up on life.  The picture really speaks about "life" in general . . . the life actually starts when we're in the womb, not we're born.  Life in the womb is important, it's our training ground. That's just me . . . and my thoughts.  The picture is "off-center" because that symbolizes reality.  True life is not always calm and quiet.  It shifts to the left . . . or to the right.  Brilliant!

STILL THE SUPERSTAR

By: TRICIA AQUINO

INTERAKSYON

August 8, 2012

Source: http://www.interaksyon.com/entertainment/gallery--nora-aunor-still-the-superstar-during-tv5-fans-day/

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She came, she saw, she conquered the hearts of fans once again.

Still a top draw, Superstar Nora Aunor had screaming fans on their feet Sunday at the height of the festive “Salamat Kapatid! The All-Star TV5 Fans Day” at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Fans who braved the incessant rains to make it to the day-long event hosted by Mr. Fu and “Talentadong Pinoy” Hall of Famer Makata Tawanan formed a tight press around the multi-awarded veteran actress, last seen on TV5’s “Sa Ngalan Ng Ina”, hoping to get a kiss or a touch at least.

Ate Guy graciously allowed a few to get close before taking the stage to thank them and announced that more projects with TV5 were lined up for her this year.

She was not the only one who made the fans happy that day, though.

Read more . . .

'HABAGAT' NORA AUNOR

Nora Aunor leads in packing donations to be given to the flood victims.

Source: http://www.showbiznest.com/2012/08/nora-aunor-jasmine-curtis-smith-artista.html

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The latest onslaught of torrential rains emphasized how the Filipino spirit is indeed weather-proof. Although Metro Manila and neighboring provinces were left paralyzed by the monsoon, Filipinos from all parts of the country came together in aid of those most in need.

One of the groups organizing comprehensive rescue and relief programs is TV5, through RESCUE5 and the Alagang Kapatid Foundation. Hundreds of thousands of displaced citizens were able to benefit from TV5’s continuous operations. Kapatid stars also took part in various aspects of the network’s efforts to help those affected by the rains.

The Superstar herself, Nora Aunor, helped pack relief goods at the TV5 Broadway office, which is one of the drop-off points for donations coursed through Alagang Kapatid Foundation. Danita Paner and IC Mendoza also joined the relief operations. Ate Guy and other TV5 volunteers headed to the Sta. Lucia covered court in Novaliches to distribute goods to the families taking shelter in the evacuation center.

Nora Aunor leads in relief operations in Sta. Lucia Covered Court
Quezon City

Nora Aunor comforting evacuees at Alagang Kapatid Foundation's
relief ops in Sta Lucia.

Briefing for Relief Operations

THY WOMB: SCREENING SCHEDULE

Letter from Venice Filmfest organizer, Annalisa Montesi to Don Zandro through e-mail. She gave the screening schedule of 'Thy Womb', which is as follows:

Sinapupunan (Thy Womb)
di Brillante Mendoza
Running time : 1.40.00

Dear sir,
we are glad to inform you that the screenings the above film, presented at the 69th Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica, will take place as follows :

Screenings schedule :

Date : 06/09/2012
Cinema hall : SALA DARSENA
Time : 9.00
Access : Press, Industry

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Date : 06-09-2012
Cinema hall : SALA PERLA
Time : 11.30
Access : Press, Industry
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Date : 06-09-2012
Cinema hall : SALA GRANDE (Official Screening)
Time : 16.30
Access : Pubblico, Tutti gli Accrediti
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Date : 06-09-2012
Cinema hall : PALABIENNALE
Time : 20.00
Access : Pubblico
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Date : 07/09/2012
Cinema hall : PALABIENNALE
Time : 10.45
Access : Tutti gli Accrediti

Hope we all make it to the screenings.

THY WOMB

Source:  http://www.sentieriselvaggi.it/166/47646/VENEZIA_69_-_Sinapupunan,_Brillante_Mendoza_tra_i_nomadi_del_mare_teaser_trailer_e_foto.htm

Brillante Mendoza porta in concorso alla 69° Mostra del Cinema di Venezia il suo ultimo film: Sa Iyong Sinapupunan (titolo internazionale, Thy Womb).

La protagonista è una levatrice Bajau - una popolazione indigena del sud-est asiatico, dalle tradizioni millenarie, che vive principalmente di pesca: gli appartenenti a questo gruppo etnico vengono definiti "nomadi del mare. Il film segue la vita quotidiana della donna nella comunità filippina di Tawi-Tawi. 

Per ironia del destino, questa levatrice, che fa nascere i bambini, è sterile. A interpretarla, Nora Aunor, attrice, cantante e produttrice, vera e propria icona del cinema filippino, molto celebre in patria, consacrata nel 2010 tra le migliori attrici asiatiche del decennio 2010 dalGreen Planet Film Award, accanto a nomi quali Gong Li e Maggie Cheung. 

Nora Aunor sarà presente al Lido anche nella sezione Venezia Classici: nel 1982 è stata la protagonista diHimala, diretto da Ishmael Bernal.

Il marito della protagonista è interpretato da un altro veterano del cinema filippino, Bembol Roco (ha lavorato  tra gli altri per Lino Brocka). Completano il cast Mercedes Cabral (diretta da Mendoza nell'ultimo Captive,presentato alla 62° Berlinale; l'abbiamo vista anche in Thirst di Park Chan-Wook) e Lovi Poe, nei panni della figlia della protagonista.

Lo script è di Teresa Barrozo, compositrice che ha lavorato per Raya Martin e Brillante Mendoza, responsabile delle musiche diKinatay, con il quale ha vinto il premio per la miglior colonna sonora al 42° festival di Sitges, oltre che delle soundtrack di Tirador, Lola eCaptive. La fotografia è di Odyssey Flores, fidato collaboratore di Mendoza per Foster Child, Serbis,Kinatay, Lola, Captive.
 

In rete c'è anche un' anteprima video dal set (purtroppo senza sottotitoli) in cui compaiono il regista e la protagonista del film. 

Tutte le foto dal set di Thy Womb, che mostrano il lavoro di Mendoza e della sua crew, sono nella nostra gallery. 

I film del cineasta filippino sono disponibili nel nostro paese grazie a Atlantide Entertainment.

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TRANSLATION:

The lead character is a midwife Bajau - an indigenous people of south-east Asia, from ancient traditions, which lives mainly on fish: the members of this ethnic group are called "nomads of the sea". The film follows the daily lives of women in the Filipino community of Tawi-Tawi.

By an irony of fate, this midwife, who gives birth to children, is sterile. To interpret it, Nora Aunor, actress, singer and producer, a true icon of Philippine cinema, very famous at home, consecrated in 2010 among the best actresses of the decade 2010 Asian Film Award from the Green Planet, alongside names such as Gong Li and Maggie Cheung.

(Nora Aunor is also represented in the Lido in Venice Classics section: for the 1982 film where she starred Himala, directed by Ishmael Bernal.)

The husband of midwife is played by another veteran of Philippine cinema, Bembol Roco (he worked among others for Lino Brocka). Completing the cast Mercedes Cabral (starred in another Mendoza-directed movie Captive, presented at the 62nd Berlinale, we saw even in Thirst by Park Chan-Wook) and Lovi Poe, in the role of the daughter.

The script is by Teresa Barrozo, a composer who has worked for Brillante Mendoza and Raya Martin, head of the music of The Execution of P, with whom he won the award for best soundtrack at 42 ° Sitges festival, as well as the soundtrack Tirador, Lola and Captive. The photography is by Odyssey Flores, trusted associate of Mendoza for Foster Child, Serbis, Kinatay, Lola, Captive.

On the net there is a 'preview video from the set (unfortunately without subtitles) in which they appear the director and star of the film.

All photos from the set of Thy Womb, which show the work of Mendoza and his crew are in our gallery.

The Filipino film director are available in our country thanks to Atlantis Entertainment.

  

RESTORING 'HIMALA'

By:  Bayani San Diego Jr.

Philippine Daily Inquirer

August 5, 2012

Source: http://entertainment.inquirer.net/52959/restoring-himala

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Two decades ago, it would have cost P15 million to restore an old movie; but with digital technology, the cost of saving our cinematic gems has become less prohibitive.

Leo Katigbak, head of ABS-CBN Film Archives, had always wanted to upgrade the network’s library, home to such classics as Peque Gallaga’s “Oro, Plata, Mata” and Ishmael Bernal’s “Himala.” He recalled, “It always boiled down to a question of costs.”

Then he met with Manet Dayrit, head of Central Digital Lab, who had taken up as a pet project the digital restoration of “Himala.”

Solution

“For years, we had been doing tests, figuring out ways to make the process less expensive, less time-consuming and less labor-intensive,” Dayrit related.

Last year, the team found the solution.

ABS-CBN and Central Digital Lab plan to digitize and restore some 3,000 titles in the network’s film vaults—beginning with “Himala,” starring Nora Aunor, which marks its 30th anniversary this year, said Katigbak.

To mark the occasion, the film’s restored and High-Definition version will have its world premiere at the Venice film fest this month. “We have big plans,” Katigbak said. “Since it’s now on HD and DCP (Digital Cinema Package) format, we can release ‘Himala’ theatrically, too.” Eventually, it can be shown on pay TV and cable, and released on DVD as part of something like a “Criterion Collection for local films,” Katigbak added.

Technicians worked on “Himala” for 700 hours.

Frame by frame

The process started by scanning the 35mm prints frame by frame, Dayrit explained. “We scanned from two or three different prints, using the machine Cintel Millennium 2. Some prints had missing scenes. Some were damaged. We had to look for the best reels.”

Two senior restoration artists (Ana Bilbao and Tiqui del Rosario) and a color correction expert (Richard Francia) then commenced work. First, Katigbak said, “they removed fingerprint marks and scratches.”

Restoration experts also need to watch out for molds. Dayrit added, “Luckily, since ‘Himala’ was properly stored in the ABS-CBN Archives, we didn’t have a major mold problem.”

The colorists used the machine DaVinci Resolve, she said. “Colors fade over time. But we took extra care not to tamper with the filmmaker’s original intention.”

The result: In the film’s climax, the red robes of the Virgin Mary statue look more deeply colored; the devotees’ white dresses, newly bleached; the Ilocos sky, bluer; and La Aunor’s brown skin, duskier.

With Protools, audio engineers (Arnold Reodica and Ronald de Asis) worked on the sound— making sure to eradicate pops and whistles. “We also needed to sync some lines of dialogue,” Dayrit said.

DEVOTION

Devotion

BRILLANTE MENDOZA wraps up Tawi-Tawi shoot of "THY WOMB" starring NORA AUNOR

After two-weeks of shooting on location in the island province of Tawi-Tawi in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Brillante Mendoza, Cannes Best Director for 2009, has just completed principal photography of his latest film "Thy Womb," co-produced with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and starring Nora Aunor.

"Thy Womb" deals with the struggles of a Badjao widwife played by Aunor and deals with “an intriguing tale of love adrift with an unsettling question [on] how to sustain a life struck between the devil of passion and the deep blue sea of tradition?”

Nora Aunor flew to Tawi-Tawi on April 14 and was joined by other cast-members Lovi Poe, Bembol Roco, and Mercedes Cabral. The shoot brought them to the island-towns of Bongao, Sitangkai and Taganak where they were warmly welcomed by local residents who were obviously movie fans.

Despite lingering security issues that have put the province in the spotlight recently, the cast and crew did not encounter any problems, thanks to the security provided by local authorities. They were happy to report, in fact, that everything went smoothly and that they are grateful for the warm hospitality extended to them.

"Thy Womb" will have its premier during the Sineng Pambasa - National Film Festival organized by the FDCP to be held in Davao in June,

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Source:  http://www.fdcp.ph/contents/news?id

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Culture Teachers' Group BALATCA Nominates Nora As National Artist

BY NESTOR CUARTERO

mb.com.ph

Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation

May 6, 2012

ONE MORE FOR NATIONAL ARTIST: At no other time in the history of the search for National Artists has it happened that even the country’s House of Representatives has been embroiled in a controversy over who should win the title first.

Should it be Nora Aunor or her longtime arch rival, Vilma Santos?

The controversy was triggered by Rep. Anthony Golez’s (Bacolod) filing a resolution to declare Aunor as a National Artist owing to her stellar track record as an actor, singer, film producer.

Golez’s move was countered by another representative, Lorenzo Tanada III (Quezon), who claimed Batangas Governor Vilma Santos-Recto, whose history of achievements is similarly impressive, was just as deserving to be named as such. This was followed by a similar endorsement made more recently by 18 women representatives who also urged Malacañang to name Nora as a National Artist for film.

The ensuing interplay of opinions has attracted various reactions from as many groups. Comes now a college teachers’ group called BALATCA, or the Batangas-Laguna Association of Teachers of Culture and the Arts, which recently issued Resolution No. 2011-001 read as

“A Petition to the National Council on Culture and the Arts and the Cultural Center of the Philippines to declare Miss Nora Aunor, international film and stage actress, singer, radio and TV performer, as National Artist.”

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ART AND CULTURE TEACHERS’ RESOLUTION: The 30-member BALATCA, some of whose leaders are winners of Metro Bank Outstanding Teachers Award, has come up with a capsule of Aunor’s achievements, justifying their choice.

Following are excerpts from BALATCA’s resolution:

• WHEREAS, NORA AUNOR, named as the country’s one and only Superstar and highly regarded as a living legend as an actress and singer in local show business for more than 40 years now, attests her myriad talent and versatility as a performer by winning a total of 203 awards and citations – 5 International Film Festival Best Actress, 7 FAMAS (Filipino Academy of Movie Arts & Sciences), 8 URIAN (Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino), 8 STAR (Philippine Movie Press Club), 5 FAP (Film Academy of the Philippines), 3 CMMA ( Catholic Mass Media Awards), 10 MMFF (Metro Manila Film Festival, 1 from Manila Film Festival), 4 YCC (Young Critics Circle), 15 from other subsidiary award giving bodies, 9 International Film Citations; 11 TV Industry, 23 Music Industry, 63 Entertainment Industry and 20 Government & Other Educational Institutions awards; and 20 Special Citations;

• WHEREAS, Ms. Aunor’s achievements in local show business as the First and Truly Genuine MULTI-MEDIA artist on radio, television, movies, music, and stage who has risen from and was nurtured by the bosom of the Filipino masses, have been unparalleled from her very humble beginnings as a train water vendor, then as the Grand Champion of television’s Darigold Jamboree and Tawag ng Tanghalan singing contests, and as today’s Philippine Greatest Actress according to the late National Artists Lino Brocka and Lamberto Avellana;

• WHEREAS, Ms. Aunor has made local television history in “Superstar” which has become the longest running TV show ever for having 22-uninterrupted-year broadcast; and she has made a filmography of 177 films and a discography of 45 albums and 238 singles;

• WHEREAS, owing to her great contribution to the advancement of her art and because of the masses from whence she came, Ms. Aunor has been honored by various civic and cultural organizations foremost of which are the Cultural Center of the Philippines Centennial Honor for the Arts: One of the 100 Outstanding Filipino Artists in the Film and Broadcast Arts in 1999, Diamond Anniversary of Philippine Cinema (Under Proclamation No. 448 by Pres. Fidel V. Ramos) Philippine Cinema Greats Roll of Honor (1919-1994) in 1995; the TOWNS (The Outstanding Women in Nations Service) Awards in 1983, Filipino-American Community of Florida USA Jacksonville Award for Outstanding Contribution in the Development of Filipino Culture in 1993, Office of the President Parangal ng Bayan Grand Achievement Award in 1995, City of Manila Araw ng Maynila Award “Pagkilala sa Larangan ng Sining Sa Pagganap” in 1995, Office of the President Parangal ng Bayan Special International Citation Award for being the first Filipina to win an International Best Actress Award in Cairo International Film Festival in Egypt in 1995, Philippine Association of Teachers of Culture and Arts Par Excellence Award in 1996, Film Development Foundation of the Philippines Haligi ng Industriya Award in 1997, National Centennial Commision Gawad Sentenaryo: Sektor ng Kababaihan, Sining at Kalinangan in 1999, and Batangas-Laguna Association of Culture & the Arts’ Dakilang Kayumanggi ng Lahi for Films in 2005; and Manila Bulletin 110th Anniversary citations as one of the 110 World-Class Filipinos together with Dr. Jose Rizal, Cory & Ninoy Aquino, heroes and national artists in 2010.

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OUTSTANDING TEACHERS: BALATCA is headed by its president, Agapita A. Nery, a Metrobank Oustanding Teacher awardee in 2002. BALATCA aims to propagate and preserve culture and the arts by promoting a culture of excellence in films, drama, literature, musical compositions, and non-verbal art forms such as dances and the visual arts.

Organized in 2004, it hands out the annual award, Dakilang Kayumanggi ng Lahi, to outstanding Filipinos who have made their mark in various fields of art. Among those who have been conferred the award are Nora Aunor, National Artists F. Sionil Jose and Bienvenido Lumbera, Lea Salonga and Dolphy.

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Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/358872/culture-teachers-group-balatca-nominates-nora-as-national-artist