FAMAS VICTORY SUPPLEMENT VOLUME 2

FAMAsawards January 2019

Redlark Online Takes an In- depth Look at Famas Awards 2018

Famas 2018 and the Year that Was in Pictures Famas Megavision and Ms Donna Sanchez on Making A Change in the Film Industry

Get to Know the People Behind the New Famas 2019 Team

storiestotell FAMAS AND MEGAVISION

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PORTRAITS

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MUCH ADO

6-7 FAM AS

LIFE BEFORE FAMAS

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DENNIS MARASIGAN

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LOVE ACCORDING TO MR. RICKY LEE

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RICKY LEE

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FAMAS AWARDS AND THE MEGAVISION

M u ch Ado Abou t Som et h in g

Por t r ait s

LIFE BEFORE FAM AS

Dir Den n is M ar asigan , pp4-5 h is jou r n ey con t in u es

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8 All Abou t M r . Rick y Lee

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Afamasmegavision Everything begins with a vision and a dream to make a difference no matter how small can turn into something big.

Awards. In the world of entertainment when you ask actors , directors , writers , what they think about awards, they will almost always respond that it is a good idea to receive an award but it is not necessary. But for us who still believe in a creator 's outstanding work in the field of cinema, it is something to be proud of ; a time of celebration and should not be looked down upon. Being recognized is an expression of gratitude over a job well done.

The Famas Megavision 2019 team.

It is the realization of an artist's journey from when he or she started , up to where he's at , the very moment he or she receives the trophy.

Award recipients get emotional on stage because for that brief moment, their entire lives flash back to remind them that they have done something good.

Ms. Donna Sanchez and a few of her trophies from various award giving bodies.

" I h ope w e k eep on gr ow in g . M y u lt im at e dr eam f or Fam as is f or it t o r each w h at it 's m ean t t o be. Cin em at ic excellen ce. Recogn it ion of cin em at ic excellen ce." - Don n a San ch ez, Execu t ive Pr odu cer FAM AS 2018 - 2019 , M egavision In t egr at ed Resou r ces, In c.

msdonnasanchezcontinuesthefamaslegacyof excellence

muchadoabout something Much has been said about Famas. The winning moments, the stars , the intrigues , even gowns and the stories on the other side of the red carpet. Why not talk about those people who made it happen?

By REDLARK ONLINE

There is nothing more profound than having done something that will bring about an important change in society. Such was the feat Ms Donna Sanchez has achieved and contributed in the Philippine cinema .

"Our relationship with Famas started way back in 2010 when they decided to acknowledge and give recognition for the advocacy films that I have done.They really appreciated that I was like the pioneer in a lot of the films that was meant to bring out socially relevant films such as my film Tulak, the first drug addiction film with Rafael Rosel as lead. Then I produced HIV, Si Heidi, Si Ivy at Si Vi that's about HIV awareness; the third film we made was about bullying , Larong Bata; the fourth is about health and nutrition Filemon Mamon and then there's also about the environment entitled Pinoy Scout. And the last film is about Edsa. It is a film we made in commemoration of 30 years after the Edsa revolution. "

How did Famas get in the picture? " To answer your question, matagal na kaming magkakilala. Siguro nakita nila yung puso ko to do advocacy films so they asked me if I wanted to produce the awards night. Initially , I said no kasi wala akong alam diyan and then eventually, I felt maybe I should give it a try , if I could really improve and make it better. Why not?

Who is your greatest influence ?

I would say it would be Nico and Keira. They are my two kids. I believe I owe it to them to come out with work that is something I am proud of and they could be proud of. They inspire me to always take the challenge because they can see me. You can't hide who you really are to your children. We live in the same home. They know if I say something and if I live it through. So, they set the standard for me. The peg of the person that I want to be which is a better person in any way I can. I owe it to my kids.

Ms Donna recalls going through the hardships and learning is part and parcel of trying to make it into the world of show business. " You're studying and working at the same time. Ang dami kong natutunan."

LIFE BEFORE FAMAS "Napakasimple. Sanay na ako sa trabaho kong distribution, that's my business. I have been distributing for over 35 years . I know it very well.

Sanay na sanay ako. But when I came into this project of Famas talagang nanibago ako. Parang imagine first day of college is also the first day of work. "

HOW WAS IT LIKE MEETING "THE" DENNIS MARASIGAN FOR THE FIRST TIME?

"The one thing that impacted me about Direk Dennis Marasigan. I had so many fears that time and he would say 'what are you worried about Donna?' But then here he is and he would say ' wala yan kayang kaya yan.' He's in charge of the production and I'm glad that he's been part of the team because he is an expert. He would always tell me to calm down . He assures me that everything will turn out fine. And we have succeeded. " - DS

Gawad Buhay Director Dennis Marasigan delivers his speech after he received the award for Outstanding Stage Direction last December 31, 2018.

(Photo by Drake Pagulayan)

WORKING WITH RICKY LEE ...

To honor and thank Mr. Ricky Lee, we are sharing some of his beloved quotes we lifted from his works ;

"Me quota ang pag-ibig. Sa bawat limang umiibig, isa lang ang magiging maligaya. Ang iba, iibig sa di nila iniibig. O iibig nang di natututo. O iibig na wala. O di na iibig kailanman."

"Ang iba'y iibig sa maling panahon, umibig na noong 1980's, nakipagmartsa sa mga aktibista, pero ang taong nakatakda para sa kanya ay noon pang 1930's, isang rebelde laban sa mga Amerikano, matagal nang namatay. Kaya she keeps falling in love sa mga lalaking mas matatanda hinahanap sa kanila ang di mahanap na wala, hindi mapagtagpo ang kahapon at ang kasalukuyan."

"May mga pusong pinaglalaruan. Nasa parehong building ng call center but they will never realize that they are on the same floor. Maski parang laging may strange force na humihila sa kanila para tumingin sa kabilang building. Kailanman ay di sila magtatagpo. Tanungin man siya ng boyfriend niya kung ano iyong lagi niyang tinitignan sa kabila ay di niya masasagot. At kailanman ay di niya malalaman kung sino nga iyong nasa kabila."

mgapanulat nimr.rickylee "Mas matinding nakakaalala ang puso kaysa sa utak."

"Ang great love mo di mo makakatuluyan. Ang makakatuluyan mo ay yung correct love."

" WITH ALL HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS, HE IS SO SOFT SPOKEN . HE HARDLY TALKS . I MEAN FOR SOMEBODY WHO HAS DONE OVER A HUNDRED FIFTY OF HIS SCREENPLAY PUT ON FILM, A HUNDRED FIFTY ! AND YOU KNOW, HE IS SO CALM BUT WHAT I LIKE MOST ABOUT RICKY IS THAT HE IS VERY FIRM ON WHAT HE WANTS AND WHAT HE EXPECTS. AND WHEN WE AGREED ON THIS."

H

E WANTED MY

COMMITMENT THAT I CAN PROMISE HIM THE CHANGES BECAUSE OTHERWISE HE DOESN'T WANT TO BE PART OF THE TEAM UNLESS I CAN LIVE UP TO THE COMMITMENT.

- DONNA SANCHEZ

Contact info.redlark@gmail.com www.famas.ph @twitter

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ictoriousmoments ...

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EDLARK ONLINE

EXTENDS ITS WARM GRATITUDE TO ALL OUR FRIENDS , PARTNERS AND AFFILIATES ; THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO MADE THE 2018 FAMAS AWARDS NOMINEES NIGHT MORE EXCITING THAN EVER. ALL OUR LOVE , FROM REDLARK , MANILA

M s D, our one and only.

M s Charisse Tinio, doing what she loves most. t

THE BIRTH OF FAMAS AWARDS 2018

by Miguel Claro

It was almost instinctive. Every one said yes right away. Each jury member believes FAMAS is a tradition worth saving. ?Pang-FAMAS ang acting. Pang-FAMAS ang pelikula. (Acting deserving of the FAMAS. A film worthy of the FAMAS)? It used to be the generic for cinematic excellence.

Ricky Lee was approached by Madonna Sanchez, Megavision and Famas 2018 Awards producer, to head the FAMAS jury. The mandate was to instill change. He said yes on several conditions: that the jury be independent; that he be given a free hand in the selection of all jury members; that awards be given to short and documentary films; that the award for best story be eliminated and awards be given instead for original and adapted screenplay; that the award for best child performer be scrapped.

The conditions were met. The three handpicked sets of jury for the three section-- full-length documentary, short film, and full-length feature-- composed of film practitioners, academicians, and film reviewers were completed. Rules were crafted. And, thus, began the screening of over a hundred movies.

Ricky?s philosophy was clear. There is only one Philippine cinema and this is not divided into mainstream or indie, commercial or artistic. The present landscape has grown so vast that it is imperative that all forces that define Philippine cinema be included. Inclusivity is a must. And there is only one major criterion -- cinematic excellence. And cinematic excellence is driven by craft, substance, and the manner by which the medium is used to achieve a vision or how the parameters of the medium are stretched to find new or innovative ways of expressing a filmmaker ?s message.

There are 10 jury members for full-length feature, four members for documentary, and four members for short films. Ricky heads all three sections. Votes are tabulated to help determine the shortlist for each category, but all voting is superseded by the outcome of the deliberation. Therefore, it is not surprising if a film that may not figure well in the tabulation can land in the final list after a thorough deliberation.

Ricky doesn?t vote. In principle, he may, in case of a tie. But he encourages all jury members to deliberate. He joins in the discussion. He leads and arbitrates. In the end, the jury members make the final choices.

WHY LEND YOUR NAME TO FAMAS ? ?Why not? Famas is a tradition. We grew up with Famas. Whatever happened along the way, we were asked to help, and we want to help,?

Ricky states. ?Malaki ang utang na loob ko sa awards dahil malaking bahagi ng pagkakakilala sa akin ay dahil sa mga award na natanggap ko. Pero hindi ako naniniwala sa awards dahil para nitong pinagboboksing ang mga pelikula. But this is a tradition na siguro ay nakakatulong para mabuhay ang interes sa pelikula. I can recognize that pero gusto ko i-share ang aking pananaw. (I owe a lot to awards because a large measure of why I became known was because of the awards I received. But I don?t believe in awards that pit films against each other like boxers in a ring. But this is a tradition that may help revive interest in films. I can recognize that but I want to share my views.) There were a lot of exceptional movies in 2017 and that should be celebrated.

Perhaps equal to awarding the FAMAS trophy is the recognition that the past year was a golden harvest of cinematic gems,? Ricky emphasizes.

FAMAS 2018 is a celebration of the cinematic achivements of all the filmmakers and the list of nominees is proof that there is an abundance of outstanding films: films that move and inspire, films that make a statement on our present realities, films that create a new reality and share new insights on events that happened decades ago, films that go inside the mind of the young and allow us to take a peek at points-of-view we may have sometimes ignored.

Ricky emphasizes; ?We celebrate achievements in the technical and creative aspects of filmmaking. We celebrate performances. We cannot say this actor is better that the other actor or this director is better than the other director. I would like to think that we are recognizing achievements by awarding them with nominations and we give the FAMAS trophy to the one who we think gave the most remarkable achievement.?

THE NOMINEES LIST 2018 How can one define the spectrum of a list that purports to include only the best?

Balangiga: Howling Wilderness is a period piece of visual poetry set in the aftermath of the Balangiga massacre. It stars three non-actors-- a grandfather and two children. One of the children is a toddler. All three give powerful performances and help define the world the movie created with messages on patriotism, the savagery of war, children as victims and many more.

On the other hand, Love You To The Stars and Back is a big studio movie that uses the rom-com genre as a springboard. But the filmmaker brilliantly traverses and breaks formulaic elements to come up with a film that is sincere and affecting as it poses questions on love, mortality, and relationships. Needless to say, the performances in this film are highly commendable.

Yield is a powerful documentary that follows the lives of a number of children over a span of a couple of years. The cinema verite documentary derives its power not only from its subjects but also from the use of cinematic elements to drive home its statement on the helplessness of children and the physically afflicted in the midst of poverty.

Do awards really matter ?

For some, an award is a validation of their truth. For others, awards encourage them to produce more movies that they perceive, matter.

For the FAMAS jury, the 66th Famas Awards serves as a platform to celebrate the good movies of the past year, informing about the public what the jury really feels are the values one should look for in appreciating a worthy work. It is an occassion where filmmakers can interact with each other and revel in the celebration that in 2017 their films are a testament of a job well done. - RICKY LEE , Jury Head, FAMAS Awards 2018

Yield is nominated in several categories including achievement in directing and best picture. This may look new to some but a documentary is a non-fiction narrative and, for all intents and purposes, is eligible for recognition in the full-length feature section.

?Lines are blurred among cinematic formats and genre. At tama yon. Ang isang documentary, hindi man singlakas ng hatak sa mga manonood tulad ng isang commercial film, ay isang narrative na ang intent at power ay walang ipinagkaiba sa kinikilala nating feature films. Ang kakulangan ng hatak sa manonood ay hindi batayan upang isantabi ang halaga niya sa cinematic landsacape. Mas dapat ngang matulungan ang mga manonood na makilala ang documentary films dahil ang saysay nito ay mahalaga. Ginagawa na ito sa mga malalaking international film festival, sa Oscar awards, eligible ang mga documentary film para sa best picture award, ang rebolusyonaryong MMFF noong 2016 ay ginawa na ito. (And that is correct. A documentary, even if does not pull in audiences as much as a commercial film, is a narrative whose intent and power are no different from the feature films we are familiar with. This lack of audience pull is not a basis to set aside their importance in the cinematic landscape. We should popularize documentary films even more because their relevance is important. This practice is already being done in major international festivals. In the Oscars, documentary films are eligible for the best picture award. This was also done in the revolutionary MMFF in 2016.),? Ricky explains.

The short films list comprises of 10 titles that use various genres. Despite their short runtime of three to 25 minutes, these films deliver stories that punch at one?s sensibility and consciousness and push the limits of the short medium. This is an important section. As technology has democratized film production, each one has the power to tell his story in a cinematic language he may desire.

Ricky stresses; ?Films contribute to our collective consciousness and awareness. They are a great part of our culture. The value of a film is not dictated by the number of viewers but by the message and vision the film imparts.?

?Every film, whatever genre it uses, carries with it a statement. And a good film carries a statement that is true and just. The artists who worked in the nominated films bears the truth that gives value to the meaning of life and humanity. They not only give voice to truth and justice but they serve the underprivileged whose voices, dreams and desires are drowned in the murky sea of untruth and injustice. In the end, films may entertain, educate, or stir emotions. But a good film serves a greater purpose of questioning the human condition. The nominated films do this and more. This is a great reason to cheer them on.?