Geirry Garccia, the late creator of the famed animated TV series “Ang Panday” in the 1980s, is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 5th Animahenasyon Philippine Animation Festival to be held from Nov. 22 to 25.
“He’s a very important figure in local animation history. I’m really glad to see that he’s now getting the recognition he deserved,” said Tuldok Animation Studios Inc. founder Ramon del Prado, who incidentally is the first Outstanding Emerging Artist in Animation awardee for the annual three-day fete.
Garccia, an advertising art major from Far Eastern University, began his career as a matte artist in Image Film in 1974. He worked on the animated series “Panday,” which was released in 1986. In spite of production limitations, “Panday,” a creation of comics writer Carlo J. Caparas, became very successful and even earned Garccia a Special Citation from the Film Academy of the Philippines in 1987.
Reports say Garccia was “disillusion with the way unscrupulous manufacturers robbed him of his intellectual property and his marketing arm’s deceit” when he decided to leave the country with his family in 1988.
Live action-animation
Upon his return to Manila in 1995, OctoArts International produced “Isko: Adventures in Animasia,” which Garccia codirected with Mike Relon Makiling. “Isko” combined live action with 30 minutes of animation sequence.
Garccia’s first full-length animated film, “Adarna: The Mythical Bird,” was released in 1997. It was screened at the 7th International Animation Festival in Hiroshima, Japan, the following year.
In 2006, Garccia was recognized for his pioneering work in “Adarna” by the United Animator’s Inc. which hosted the “1st Pioneer’s Animation Recognition Night” in Makati City.
He died in February 2010 after a lingering ailment, at age 58, at his home in Verona, New Jersey.
Almost 150 entries, some from Italy and Switzerland, will compete this year in different categories in the student and professional divisions of Animahenasyon—the flagship project of the Animation Council of the Philippines Inc. (ACPI). (For the complete list of competing films, log on to www.animationcouncil.org.)
“Last year, we were able to highlight and promote various animation professionals outside Manila by holding the festival in Naga City,” said Michael Kho Lim, ACPI executive director and overall project director. “This year, as Toei Animation Philippines coproduce our festival, we are out to prove that the Philippines is more than just an outsourcing destination, but also a hub for original content production.”
The three-day event will be held at Eastwood City in Libis, Quezon City, where the TAP office is located.
Filipino talent
TAP is cohosting this year’s Animahenasyon as its way of emphasizing the Filipino talent in animation all these years, said Nestor Palabrica, TAP general manager and this year’s festival director. “We have always been known to service animation for other countries, but we’d also like to stress the point that the Philippines is more than that. We also have the capability to produce our own animation content.”
Festival programmer Ricky Orellana said most of the entries submitted this year tackle human drama and relationships. For instance, Jeff Capili’s “Pasintabi,” an entry of Tuldok Animation, focuses on the bond between a man and his grandson.
“An entry from Cebu, ‘Anna’ (by Jerome Alcordo and Ionone Bangcas), is about a family welcoming a young girl into its home and the life of its members,” said Orellana. “Unlike in previous years when we had a lot of entries on super heroes, the stories today have touches of drama. Of course, there are also the usual fantasy and comedy genres.”
Orellana said he is very pleased with the quality of this year’s lineup. “I guess at some point tumaas na ang level of competence natin. As for the entries from the two European countries, you will see the foreign influence in the sense that they are more experimental.”
Original content
Orellana, however, clarified that this does not necessarily mean their work is better than their local counterparts.
“I’m very impressed in terms of ideas and execution. This justifies putting up Animahenasyon, which aims to encourage original Filipino content,” said Orellana. “This is really happening now. We’re seeing new and better-quality works each year.”
Also part of the festival is the conference featuring foreign animation professionals who are invited to share their expertise and experiences. These include Silas Hickey from Cartoon Network Asia Pacific; Richard Morgan Grenville from the series “Supa Strikas,” independent character designer and concept artists Chris Lie, and traditional painter and digital artist Luis Lasahido, among others.
To conclude the festival is the closing ceremony and awards show to be held at the Eastwood City Open Park on Nov. 25.