Nora Aunor promises to attend awards rites

NORA Aunor FILE PHOTO

Superstar Nora Aunor, recipient of a special award at the Cinema One Originals Film Festival, has agreed to attend the awards ceremony tonight despite rumors that it may result in a conflict between her and another network, according to festival director Ronald Arguelles.

Cinema One, which produces the annual week-long fete, is a Filipino movie channel owned by ABS-CBN Corp. Aunor is an exclusive talent of TV5.

“I’ve written a letter to [TV5 entertainment and creative head) Perci Intalan, who said the network is allowing Nora to attend,” said Arguelles, also Cinema One channel head, during the festival’s opening ceremony at the Edsa Shangri-La Mall in Mandaluyong City. “He even offered to give Nora a ride going to the venue.”

Special tribute

The special tribute to Aunor as an actress and former producer and Mario O’Hara as filmmaker, will coincide with the November 13 festival awards rites at the RCBC Theater in Makati City. They will both receive the Originals in Philippine Cinema Award for their pioneering efforts in independent cinema.

Arguelles said he made sure the awards ceremony would be held outside ABS-CBN “so that Nora will not feel ill-at-ease.” The event was originally set at the Grand Ballroom of Crowne Plaza Hotel in Ortigas, but has previously been booked for the live screening of the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez Las Vegas fight.

“Sana matuloy,” Arguelles said, confident of Aunor’s appearance on the show. “Actress Rosanna Roces, who became really good friends with Nora in ‘Sa Ngalan ng Isang Ina,’ will also be there to give her a tribute.”

Arguelles described the 10 films in the festival, which ends on November 15, as “not your usual crowd-pleasing movies.” “While other festivals offer very mainstream concepts, we are more varied, because we want to veer away from what Star Cinema or Regal Films are already doing. These film outfits are content suppliers of Cinema One.”

10 picks

This year’s films are: Shireen Seno’s “Big Boy”; Dennis Marasigan’s “Anatomiya ng Korupsyon”; Sari Lluch Dalena’s “Ka Oryang”; Brandon Relucio and Ivan Zaldarriaga’s “Di Ingon Na ’To (Not Like Us)”; Victor Villanueva’s “My Paranormal Romance”; Earl Bontuyan’s “Sa Ilalim ng Tulay”; Mes de Guzman’s “Sa Kanto ng Ulap at Lupa”; Ivy Universe Baldoza’s “Mga Anino ng Tanghaling Tapat”; Gutierrez Mangansakan II’s “Cartas de la Soledad”; and Antoinette Jadaone’s “Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay.”

“These 10 films will also be included in the channel’s content,” Arguelles said. “We want a distinction from the commercial films. Also, we’ve always been supportive of regional films.”

The 2011 jury is composed of filmmakers Chito Roño and Chris Martinez, critics Nicanor Tiongson and Dr. Benilda Santos, producer and Hong Kong Film Festival program consultant Raymond Phathanavirangoon and Cannes International Film Festival executive director (for film) Christian Jeune.

‘The more, the better’

Cinema One coincides with the screenings of the Italian Film Festival at the Greenbelt Cinemas in Makati City and the Cinemanila International Film Festival at the Market Market Mall in Taguig City.

Asked to comment on this, Arguelles said “the more films shown, the better. The goal is to please more filmgoers.” He explained that the Cinema One event was originally set for November 23 to 29, “but Shangri-la informed us of the big Hollywood movies which would be shown that same week –‘Happy Feet’ and ‘Breaking Dawn.’ We didn’t have a choice …”