More ‘can’t-miss, must-watch’ shows deserve viewers’ support and patronage

Behn Cervantes

After our column on Celeste Legaspi’s coming concert at Solaire came out, other “can’t-miss, must watch” shows and film events have made their bid for our especially avid patronage.

They are paced by the new, musical version of Bonifacio Ilagan’s “Pagsambang Bayan,” a landmark production in Philippine theater history.

It was initially directed by the late, great Behn Cervantes in 1977, at the height of martial law, and exposed social and political ills so vividly that it led to the arrest of Cervantes and other production staffers.

Despite this chilling outcome, the play was acclaimed for its impact and courage, so its revival in musical form should be supported not just by theater buffs, but also by freedom lovers.

Its initial run starts on Aug. 4 at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Sta. Mesa, Manila. It is produced by Ilagan’s Tag-ani Performing Arts Society and megged by Joel Lamangan, with 20 songs by Jed Balsamo and Lucien Letaba. (Call 0908-8124781 or 0922-8252604.)

2017 Cinemalaya at CCP

Also to be enthusiastically supported is the 2017 Cinemalaya Film Festival, which runs from Aug. 4 to 13 at the CCP.

Aside from new Filipino productions, the acclaimed festival showcases outstanding Asian movies.

Cinemalaya presaged other Filipino film showcases in offering production grants to new and established Filipino filmmakers, with some of its early “discoveries” continuing to make new movies not just locally, but internationally.

So, it should be gratefully patronized by movie buffs, rather than the formula foreign blockbusters that continue to dominate the box office.

This year’s full-length features are Perry Escaño’s “Ang Guro Kong ’Di Marunong Magbasa,” Mes de Guzman’s “Ang Pamilyang Hindi Lumuluha,” Joseph Israel Laban’s “Baconaua,” Zig Dulay’s “Bagahe,” Sonny Calvento’s “Nabubulok,” Thop Nazareno’s “Kiko Boksingero,” Nerissa Picadizo’s “Requited,” Treb Montera’s “Respeto” and Benjamin Arondaing’s “Sa Gabing Nanahimik ang mga Kuliglig.”

40th Urian Awards

Even if after the fact, we’d also like to cite the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino for the recent 40th Urian Awards, still one of the country’s most reliable arbiters of quality filmmaking above all else.

As the Manunuri’s founding chair, we can attest to the fact that coming up with the first Urian Awards was no walk in the park.

There was only one other film awards group active at the time, and its verdicts were deemed by some to be severely subjective and flawed—so we had our staunch supporters who longed for more objective and reliable citations.

But there were many haters and dissers, who knocked the Urian for “rocking the boat” and challenging the compromised status quo.

Still, the Manunuris have persevered and some grateful industry people continue to value the Urian Awards’ higher and more reliable standards for film excellence for the past 40 years. Here’s to many more!