Visiting Emmy awardee shares insights into documentary filmmaking

Dana Nachman

Documentary film buffs who want to get pointers on how to come up with their own reality-based productions should take advantage of the visit to the Philippines of Emmy award-winning filmmaker Dana Nachman, under the US Embassy’s Speaker Program, from Oct. 2-7.

Nachman will conduct outreach and director’s talks in Manila and Cebu, where she will interact with filmmakers, film students and enthusiasts.
She will also visit institutions for children who are orphaned, sick or homeless—a specific interest related to her award-winning film, “Batkid Begins,” about a 5-year-old boy who fought leukemia and transformed a nation in 2013.

Nachman’s other documentaries, “Witch Hunt,” “Love Hate Love” and “The Human Experiment,” have been similarly acclaimed and honored with three regional Emmy awards, the Edward R. Murrow Award, and the Jury and Audience awards at film festivals.
Most improved stars

Elsewhere on the arts and media scenes, we cheer the marked improvement this season of some luminaries who used to have a hard time getting their stellar acts together.

Our list of “most improved” stars includes Julie Ann San Jose, who once looked rather nondescript and “generic.”
Of late, however, she has “styled up” her projection, widened and deepened her performance range, and revved up the edge and heat of her musical and dramatic TV forays.

Also more viewable and arresting of late have been the performances of Morissette Amon, Aicelle Santos, Maricar Reyes, Sarah Lahbati, Epy Quizon, Jerald Napoles, Denise Laurel, Sarah Geronimo, Empoy Marquez, Jolina Magdangal, Heart Evangelista, Darren Espanto, Jodi Sta. Maria, Xian Lim, Bailey May, Tristan Ramirez, Liza Soberano, Ketchup Eusebio, Zia Quizon, Yogo Singh and Marvin Agustin.

Their marked improvement as performers is made even more significant by the fact that most of their colleagues in local show business have been lazily going in the opposite direction.

They have been losing energy, creativity and edge, just relying on their popularity as performers to generate the momentum their careers need to remain viable.

This is the easiest thing to do—but not the way to go, because a stellar career isn’t a talent’s birthright, it’s a gift that has to be valued and honed, if the “gifted” star wants it to keep on giving!

The stellar performers have realized and appreciated this, hence their proactive decision to work hard to minimize their flaws and faults, and expand their career options.

Far too many stars, especially of the senior sort, blame other people for the dwindling offers to perform that are coming their way.
They also accuse their fans of disloyalty—not realizing that they have been less than loyal, because they have taken their hard-won popularity for granted.

Some senior stars who now look a lot the worse for wear, or have slothfully added far too many unwanted pounds, can hardly blame their fans for looking for more deserving and appreciative idols and icons to like and love!

So, show biz luminaries should work hard and creatively to keep luminously shining and glowing, both in maturing talent and looks, so they too can be cited and hailed as Most Improved stars—next year!