From left: Eddie Garcia, Gloria Romero and Tony Mabesa
You should never give up. You can’t always be successful on your first try,” said Harlene Bautista on what she learned from producing “Rainbow’s Sunset,” which ran away with 11 awards at the recent Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) awards.
The LGBT-themed drama won the best picture honor and best director for Joel Lamangan, among others.
“Production work for ‘Rainbow’s Sunset’ had been such a breeze. I guess what really challenged me as a producer was fighting for its return to the cinemas,” Harlene told the Inquirer shortly after the awards ceremony held at The Theater of Solaire Resorts and Casino in Parañaque City.
Last year’s best picture winner, Loy Arcenas’ “Ang Larawan,” also had the same problem when cinema operators pulled it out from movie houses because of its poor performance in the box-office.
“We hope this doesn’t become the case every single year,” said Harlene. “I promise that despite the experience, we will never give up producing quality films.”
She stressed the need to teach film appreciation to local audience. “I really don’t know how, but one mentor told me, ‘Put only bottles of pineapple juice in the supermarket and that’s all people will buy; but if you give them something new, it might take a while but people will surely try it. It just takes time.’”
Aiko Melendez, who won the best supporting actress award for “Rainbow’s Sunset,” said: “I’m surrounded by great actors. I wouldn’t have gotten this trophy without their help. I play a mayor here. I am the strongest of all the siblings emotionally. People should watch the film to see if my heart would soften as a result of what my parents are going though.”
“For us, he is still the best actor of this festival,” declared Harlene Bautista of Eddie Garcia, star of “Rainbow’s Sunset,” which she produced under Heaven’s Best Entertainment.
Many thought Eddie would bag the best actor award, but the 12-member MMFF jury opted to hand it to Dennis Trillo whom they recognized for his work in the Eric Quizon romantic drama “One Great Love.”
Dennis Trillo
“I still want to congratulate Dennis. I know he gave his best,” said Harlene. “It’s just that it would have made all of us in Heaven’s Best happy if Tito Eddie won it. Anyway, he still got recognized.” Harlene was referring to the Special Jury Prize (for acting) that both Eddie and Max Collins received that night. Incidentally, Gloria Romero bagged the best actress award for her performance in “Rainbow’s Sunset.”
For Dennis, it took him 14 long years to get another best actor trophy from the MMFF. The first was for the Joel Lamangan film “Aishite Imasu 1941.”
Dennis failed to personally accept his trophy, so his talent manager Popoy Caritativo got it on his behalf. On his Instagram account, he thanked producer Regal Entertainment for the trust, as well as his costars “for being serious and passionate about your work. I’m lucky and proud to have joined you in this project.”
He also said Eric “guided him … [and] believed in his capabilities as an actor.”
Jury member and 2017 best actress Joanna Ampil has this advice to the winners: “Enjoy every minute of it. Really, it was hard deliberation. There were some hard picks there that we had to fight for. Whoever won tonight really deserved it.”
Joanna added: “There was a good bunch of people, all 12 of us, who had different tastes. In some categories we were unanimous, in some, we weren’t. We deliberated from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Adulting is hard.”
She said being part of the jury made her appreciate her award even more. “It made me very happy to know that we have this kind of award-giving body that really deliberates. We looked at the contracts again and again. We studied the rules,” Joanna explained.
The three-hour awards show was hosted by Janno Gibbs, Mark Bautista and Nina Dolino.