WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016
Honors for GMA News TV’s ‘Reel Time’
at 2016 Asia-Pacific Child Rights Award
MMFF 2016 goes indie, snubs big films
G
MA Network gave honors to Philippines anew as GMA News TV’s flagship documentary program Reel Time won the Grand Prize at this year’s Asia-Pacific Child Rights Awards for its documentary Isinulat sa Tubig. At the same time, the station also earned a nomination from the Asia Rainbow TV Awards for Naku, Boss Ko!.
Isinulat sa Tubig is an eye-opener of a documentary. It is about a group of children who needs to cross a part of an ocean and climb a mountain to reach the schools. It was written and directed by Executive Producer Jayson Bernard Santos. “We are very much overwhelmed by Reel Time’s third recognition from the Asia-Pacific Child Rights Award. The documentary resulted in collaboration among educators in Matnog, Sorsogon and viewers who sent donations after watching the documentary. The audience’s active participation in starting small but meaningful reforms in the education of the students is the best reward we received for this story,” said Santos, who received the award from Andrew Brown of UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office in a ceremony held in Bali, Indonesia on Oct. 24. The Asia-Pacific Child Rights Award for Television by Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is the most prominent distinction in Asia and the Pacific that recognizes the efforts of broadcasters and producers in pursuing high quality children’s programming and better coverage of issues affecting children. For five years in a row, documentary programs from GMA Public Affairs have won the Asia-Pacific Child Rights Award. Reel Time took home three of these, while I-Witness and Front Row won in 2012 and 2014, respectively. The same episode is also vying for the Best Documentary award at this year’s Asia Rainbow TV Awards after being included in the top three nominees along with another GMA Public Affairs original, the eight-part political romcom, Naku, Boss Ko!. THE 30th PMPC Star Awards for Music Group of the Year, T.O.P. (Top One Project), has conquered Music Museum with their first major sold-out concert entitled T.O.P. in Concert. The boy band composed of Adrian Pascual, Joshua Jacobe, Louie Pedroso, Mico Cruz and Miko Manguba was able to show their talent, performing top hits of different genres. From RnB to Pop Rock, plus the jukebox OPM hits of the 90’s, T.O.P. has charmed the crowd with its harmony and made the chart-topping tunes of the past relatable to its millennial audience. T.O.P. hit a home run when they performed “Paggising” and “Alaala,” two of the most favorite songs from their self-titled album under GMA Records. The familiar harmony that gave them their identity as a boy band led their fans to sing along. They also shared the stage with GMA Artist Center’s bombshell Kim Domingo and performed The Chainsmoker’s hit ‘Closer’ that drove the audience to frenzy. Meanwhile, the boys’ vocal range was put to test when they belted out Aegis’ favorite hits with Rock N’ Soul Diva Aicelle Santos. T.O.P. ended the concert on a high note as they
“Reel Time” Executive Producer Jayson Bernard Santos and Program Manager Nowell Cuanang receive the 2016 Asia-Pacific Child Rights Award for the documentary, “Isinulat sa Tubig” (inset)
Naku, Boss Ko!, nominated for Best Comedy Program, mixed the sarcastic wit of a political satire and the feel-good vibes of a romantic comedy to expose the absurdity and hypocrisy of some of the campaign strategies employed by some, if not most politicians today. The groundbreaking mini-series aired two weeks before the Philippine national elections, and was top-billed by GabRu or Gabbi Garcia and Ruru Madrid together with veteran actors Tessie Tomas and Leo Martinez. The third Asia Rainbow TV Awards is organized by the Hong Kong Television Association and the China Television Production Committee and is considered the Emmy Awards of Asia. Winners will be announced during the awarding ceremonies on Nov. 27 in Macao.
‘T.O.P. in Concert’ a huge hit
Top One Project or simply T.O.P. performing at the Music Museum with new “Pantasya ng Bayan” Kim Domingo as special guest
acknowledged their mentors and offered a song to Members the boy band claim to continue the veterans that guided them in their journey back improving their craft as musicians, and they in To The Top, GMA Network’s reality show that promised to share a long journey with their paved way to reaching their dreams. fans.
CROSSWORD PUZZLE Wednesday, November 23, 2016
ACROSS 1 Dupe 5 Place for a sleeping bag 9 Brother’s child 14 Diet spread 15 Reebok rival 16 Broke off 17 Looks sleepy 18 Chemists’ lairs 19 Give the slip 20 Sweeper’s need 22 Bee’s posterior 24 “Luck of the Draw” singer 26 Sum total 27 Treats wood 30 On the topic 35 Actress — Berry 36 Miff 37 Brickell of pop 38 Perry Mason’s org. 39 Snow — 42 Mantra chants 43 Easy win 45 “Wimoweh” beast 46 C-3PO or R2-D2 48 Threshold 50 Sweetie pies 51 Make a selection 52 Like a stumblebum 54 Grayer
58 Shoe inserts 62 Ice-fishing tool 63 NFL broadcaster 65 Fix potatoes 66 Coup de — 67 Vineyard valley 68 Ark. neighbor 69 Brand to sleep on 70 Kid stuff 71 Find in the dark DOWN 1 Body of water 2 Slugger Moises — 3 Gets spliced 4 It may be flared 5 Chunnel terminus 6 — -garde 7 Playing marble 8 “El Condor —” 9 Meter marker 10 Entail 11 Party-tray cheese 12 Yield, as territory 13 Idyllic spot 21 Jury or wainscot 23 Farm machine 25 Libya’s capital 27 Pottery fragment 28 Major no-no
29 Texas tourist site 31 Pizzazz 32 Mud brick 33 Trekkie idol 34 Dry runs 36 Churn up 40 Upper-crust 41 Plummets 44 Keep safe 47 Fully informed (3 wds.) 49 Bridal wreath shrub 50 Redheads’ tints
Eugene Domingo starrer ‘Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank 2’ joins seven other films that complete MMFF 2016’s “Magic 8” list
53 Chilly 54 Droops 55 Artificial fly 56 Microbiology gel 57 Monthly payment for many 59 Area behind a dam 60 Dashiell’s peer 61 Close off 64 — Paulo
THE Metro Manila Film Festival has done a seismic shift. Not only it surprised the audience that anticipates the film event every year, it also shocked film workers, the production outfits and the big stars. MMFF’s credibility as a film festival have been in question for years. While most festivals have a solid reputation of raising the profiles of the participating filmmakers and introducing films with artistic integrity, the same thing cannot be said of MMFF’s recent editions. Every year, we get to see the same kind of movies in MMFF. Even the actors are the same familiar faces fielded to star in film entries, which are mostly film franchises or sequels. If the 2012 edition of the MMFF was a prelude to this year’s film affair, then producers and film outfits who join the festival each year should have realized by then that it’s imperative to do a big switch, too. In the 38th MMFF, Thy Womb, an indie film by Brillante Mendoza, was the most decorated film of the awards night. It walked home bagged seven major awards including Best Actress for Nora Aunor, the highly-coveted Gatpuno Antonio Villegas Cultural Award, Best Director for Mendoza, Best Original Story, Gender Sensitive Award, Best Cinematography and Best Production Design. It however lost to Star Cinema’s family drama One More Try in the Best Picture competition. Last Friday, MMFF organizers made an announcement that surprised the festival audience. There are no big films in the list, which means no big stars, too. The film entries, which the MMFF selection committee led by University of the Philippines professor Nick Tiongson called the “Magic 8,” were chosen based on their story, creativity and technical excellence. The new rules say, the conditions for the choice of finalists are built on story, audience appeal, overall impact (40 percent); cinematic attributes and technical excellence (40 percent); global appeal (10 percent); and Filipino sensibility (10 percent). These are the same rules that put Vic Sotto’s Enteng Kabisote 10, Vice Ganda and Coco Martin’s Super Parental Guardian and Richard
Yap’s Mano Po 7 to their proper places. The “Magic 8” includes: Die Beautiful directed by Jun Robles Lana, starring Paolo Ballesteros; Kabisera, directed by Arturo San Agustin and Real Florido and stars Nora Aunor, Ricky Davao, JC De Vera, Jason Abalos, Victor Neri and Rj Agustin; Saving Sally, a film Avid Liongoren and top billed by Rhian Ramos and Enzo Marcos; Seklusyon helmed by Erik Mattifeaturing Rhed Bustamante, Phoebe Walker, Elora Espano,Neil Ryan Sese, Ronnie Alonte, Lou Veloso, Dominique Roque, John Vic De Guzman and JR Versales; Sunday Beauty Queen by Baby Ruth Villarama starring Hazel Perdid, Maylyn Jacobo, Cherry Bretania and Leo Selomenio; Vince & Kath & James (Star Cinema) directed by Ted Boborol and stars Julia Barretto, Joshua Garcia and Ronnie Alonte; Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 2: Forever is Not Enough directed by Marlon Rivera topbilled by Eugene Domingo and Chris Martinez; and Oro directed by Alvin Yapan, starring Joem Bascon. The MMFF is always full of surprises either it’s a scandal or a major change in its guidelines in choosing the films entries including the Best Film. But MMFF is definitely headed in the right direction. It will no longer be branded as a unique festival that only allows formula and big films to be part of its selection.
Award winning ‘Die Beautiful,’ a film by Jun Robles Lana, is among the MMFF 2016 film chosen for its story and technical excellence