Nora Aunor topbills horror flick ‘Mananambal’

MANANAMBAL is a new horror film of National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Nora Aunor. Principal photography starts this June in Siquijor island in Central Visayas.

At 70, the legendary icon of Philippine Cinema continues to essay lead roles in film, as long as she believes in the story material and finds it interesting to do.

From La Aunor’s own words, “Maganda ang istorya. Mababait rin ang mga tao sa production,” that’s why BC Entertainment Productions, a new independent movie company, got Nora’s nod to accept the offer.

Mananambal will be directed by Philip Daffon, his directorial debut. For the record, direk Philip has been a seasoned thespian in the production industry for 33 years now. His background is doing work in advertising, documentary films and projects, and the likes.

Screenplay is from the collaboration of the creative minds of Bel Paquiz, Gabriel Divina, and Veronica Reyes.

Director of photography is Peter Frac (who did camera work in Way Of The Cross and Traslacion: Ang Paglakad Sa Altar Ng Alanganin).

Producers are Alvin Anson and GWard, Inc. (headed by its CEO Gorio Vicuna) with executive producer Karen Ortua (whose initial movie venture was Lagaslas).

Mananambal is a Filipino practitioner of traditional medicine, who is also capable of performing sorcery, as common knowledge puts it.

Like the general albularyo, a mananambal obtain his or her status through ancestry, apprenticeship, or through an epiphany and is generally performed by the elders of the community, regardless of gender.

The practice, called panambal, has a combination of elements from Christianity and sorcery which appear to be opposites since one involves faith healing while the other requires black magic and witchcraft.

The supporting cast members of Mananambal will be announced soon. (Philstar.com) n

“As far as shows are concerned, I just want the Filipino people to feel proud because sometimes we are misrepresented in America. They thought Filipinos are just for domestic (service). We are connoted or we are connected to being contract workers. There were those who would look down on us and sometimes there’s this racial slur,” Rodel expressed his feelings when I asked what he wanted right now.

“It makes me feel proud for Arnel Pineda, Manny Pacquiao, Lea Salonga and also other well-known artists, who have Filipino blood like Bruno Mars. They are able to show to the world how talented Filipinos are. Kaya gusto ko rin na mas marami pa tayo na maitaguyod ang bandera ng Pilipinas. And even if I have been living in the U.S. for 20 years now,

I want Filipinos to know that the Philippines is still home to me,” added Rodel, who is currently back in the country for the Side A repeat performance, Then and Now The Repeat, today, June 1, at the Newport Performing Arts Theater and for his first oneman art show dubbed The Fine Art of Rodel Gonzalez, on June 3, at COLLAB Sheraton Manila at Hotel Newport World Resorts.

I have known Rodel for many years even before he and his brother Naldy formed the OPM band Side A. The brothers started as members of The FM Band that had music gigs in pizza parlors and folk music bars. If I am not mistaken, it was at the Manila Hilton, where I first met them. I remembered they stood out in the auditions as back-up band for Joey Albert, Isay Alvarez, Juno Henares and Lerma dela Cruz, who were regular performers then at the hotel.

Rodel amusingly recalled how surprised I was when I found out that they could actually sing because as a back-up band, they were instructed by the F&B manager to strictly play instrumentals.

“Naldy told me to sing after hours of playing instruments while waiting for the singers to come on stage. Natugtog na kasi namin lahat kaya sabi ni Naldy kumanta na ko (laughs),” Rodel ruminated.

After that, the F&B manager and I agreed to also assign Rodel and his band in the first set of the show. But even on the second set, the audience would request their songs.

“So, the singer would pass the mic to me kasi ‘yung