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'Respeto' director Treb Monteras 2nd receive the Best Film trophy along with the film's cast and crew.
(PHOTOS COURTESY OF CCP/KIKO CABUENA) |
AFTER receiving rave reviews from Cinemalaya audiences—who
are film aficionados and festival newbies alike—“Respeto” by Alberto “Treb”
Monteras 2nd also won the coveted Best Film in this year’s edition of the independent
film festival.
An exploration of the Philippine hip-hop underground world
where a young aspiring rapper and a Martial Law poet cross paths, “Respeto”
emerged as the biggest winner at the awards night held on August 13 at the Cultural
Center of the Philippines (CCP) Main Theater. Besides being recognized as Best
Film, it also won Best Supporting Actor for Dido de la Paz, Best Sound for
Corinne De San Jose, Best Editing for Lawrence Ang, the 2017 NETPAC (Network
for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema) Award and the Audience Choice Award.
As additional award, the film’s Ike Avella shared Best
Cinematography with Baconaua’s TM Malones.
Monteras’ directorial debut at Cinemalaya bested eight other
films in the Full Length Feature category, and won P350,000 cash award and the
Cinemalaya Balanghai trophy.
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| Cinemalaya 2017 winners with CCP president Nick Lizaso (standing,
third from left) and Cinemalaya officials. |
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| Acting awardees (from left) Dido de la Paz (Best Supporting Actor), Angeli Bayani (Best Actress), Noel Comia Jr. (Best Actor) and Yayo Aguila (Best Supporting Actress). |
Below is the full list of winners and citations:
FEATURE FILMS
1. The AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD for the Full-Length Feature
Film goes to: “RESPETO” by ALBERTO MONTERAS II
2. For the impressive evocation of the din and blare of the
underside of Manila, and the effective conjuring of the roar and tumult of the
hip-hop underworld, BEST SOUND is awarded to:
CORINNE DE SAN JOSE for “RESPETO”
3. For the highly simple but very stirring musical evocation
of a boy’s loneliness in the aftermath
of his mother’s death, and of his touching attempts at connecting with his
estranged prizefighter-father, BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE is awarded to:
PEPE MANIKAN for “KIKO BOKSINGERO”
4. For the effective assembly and selection of images and
sequences that all together credibly depict a poor but determined teenager’s
drive to make it as a hip-hop minstrel despite the poverty, squalor and
violence dominating the underbelly of Manila, BEST EDITING is awarded to:
LAWRENCE ANG for “RESPETO”
5. For their powerful application of light and shadow and
effective rendering of shots and images, which all together portray, the plight
of communities and their drive to rise above their misery, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
is awarded to:
TM MALONES for “BACONAUA”
and
IKE AVELLANA for “RESPETO”
6. For the highly relevant subject matter and the
psycho-social unraveling from the trauma of abuse, BEST SCREENPLAY is awarded
to:
ZIG DULAY for “BAGAHE”
7. For her quiet and endearing portrayal of a nanny seeking
to relieve the loneliness of a boy who has lost his mother and is trying to
endear himself to his estranged father, BEST PERFORMANCE OF A SUPPORTING
ACTRESS is awarded to:
YAYO AGUILA for “KIKO BOKSINGERO”
8. For his powerful portrayal of an old man haunted by the
demons of his past and compelled to adjust to the present, the BEST PERFORMANCE
OF A SUPPORTING ACTOR is awarded to:
DIDO DE LA PAZ for “RESPETO”
9. For the effective summoning of the resources of cinema to
depict a sleepy fishing village reeling from the auguries of superstition while
confronting the ugly specter of crime and violence, BEST DIRECTION is awarded
to:
JOSEPH ISRAEL LABAN for “BACONAUA”
10. For her convincing portrayal of an overseas Filipino
worker subjected to state criminal and psycho-social investigation, media
sensationalism, and political opportunism, which merely worsen the trauma of
her abuse, BEST PERFORMANCE OF AN ACTRESS is awarded to:
ANGELI BAYANI for “BAGAHE”
11. For his charming and heartrending performance of a boy
who misses his late mother and tries to learn boxing to connect with his
estranged prizefighter-father, BEST PERFORMANCE OF AN ACTOR is awarded to:
NOEL COMIA JR. for “KIKO BOKSINGERO”
12. For its very engaging depiction of a small fishing
village struggling to achieve community and continuity in the face of
superstition, crime and violence, the SPECIAL JURY PRIZE is awarded to:
“BACONAUA” by Joseph Israel Laban
13. For tackling the complex issue of human rights violation
across two generations, musically connected by the vibrant and socially-conscious
use of language, the 2017 NETPAC Award for the Full-Length Category goes
to: “RESPETO” by ALBERTO MONTERAS II
14. For its infectious, propulsive energy, its highly
convincing cast of characters and very effective ensemble acting, its
breathtaking, nearly epic sweep of the underside of Manila, its expert
application of the resources of cinema to depict a teenager’s drive to rise
above poverty and violence, its cogent
melding of contemporary rap and traditional oral literature, and its sheer
humanity and coruscating poetry, BEST FILM is awarded to:
“RESPETO” by ALBERTO MONTERAS II
SHORT FILMS
1. The AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD for the Cinemalaya
Short-Feature Film goes to:
“NAKAUWI NA” by MARVIN CABANGUNAY and JAYNUS OLAIVAR
2. For its poignant tale of a girl growing up in an island,
subjected to the joys and troubles of childhood, and how she is made to cope
with all of this, the BEST SCREENPLAY is awarded to:
DUWI MONTEAGUDO for “BAWOD”
3. For effectively employing the technical and creative
resources of film language in its poignant portrayal of a deep-sea fisherman
who finally embraced the bosom of the ocean, BEST DIRECTION is awarded to:
E DEL MUNDO for
“MANONG NG PA-ALING”
4. For its witty take on an old couple growing apart, and
how they try to rekindle the passion, revealing how despite man’s increasing
conquest of outer space, there will always be the universal need for human
connection, the SPECIAL JURY PRIZE is awarded to:
“FATIMA MARIE TORRES AND THE INVASION OF SPACE SHUTTLE PINAS
25” by CARLO FRANCISCO MANATAD
5. For Its Creative Approach Of Using A Technology In
Delivering A Wider Perspective On The Issues Of Diaspora, Love And Distance,
the 2017 NETPAC AWARD goes to:
“ALIENS ATA” by KARL GLENN BARIT
6. For its powerful evocation of the storm-tossed island and
how it tries to heal from the afflictions of nature, as reflected poignantly by
the characters in trying to rebuild and heal the wounds of their coming of age,
the BEST SHORT FEATURE FILM is awarded to:
“HILOM” by P.R. PATINDOL
Members of the Main Competition Jury were Padmashri Dr.
Girish Kasaravalli, Freddie Wong, Sheron Dayoc, Lee Briones-Meily and Joselito
“Lito” Zulueta. In the NETPAC Jury were Ismail Basbeth, Tsengel Davaasambuu and
Ricardo Lee.
Cinemalaya is a project of the Cinemalaya Foundation, the
Cultural Center of the Philippines in partnership with Ayala Malls
Cinemas. Established in 2005, Cinemalaya
is an all-digital film festival and competition that aims to discover,
encourage and honor cinematic works of Filipino filmmakers.
(RELEASED BY CCP)
