A Life in the Theater

The Internet can sometimes unlock treasures of memories.  I was browsing for copies of films I did in my early years and found several of them uploaded to Youtube. Among them are Kung Ako'y Iiwan Mo, directed by  Laurice Guillen   from a script by Nicanor Tiongson, starring Nora Aunor and Christopher de Leon.  I did double duty, filling in for Jerry O'Hara as Assistant Director for two of the four weeks it took to shoot the film, and acting in a scene (with Christopher, Mitch Valdez (billed as "Maya Valdez" in the credits) and the late Tony Santos.  If the location looks familiar, it's the Ateneo de Manila University.   Others in the cast were Rolly Quizon, Susan Valdez, Tony Mabesa, Jonas Sebastian, Jon Arino, Rikki Jimenez, Joe Jardi, Estrella Kuenzler and Nina Lorenzo. Among those who had cameos were Bienvenido Lumbera, Sonia Roco and Doreen Fernandez as members of a thesis defense panel, and Armida Siguion Reyna, Johnny Delgado, Bibsy Carbal...

I am helping out a new independent film company with their maiden venture in filmmaking, entitled CATTLEYA: An OFW Story.  Here's a first look at the film, through its first teaser video. http://youtu.be/VAGc1bnOoqo For stills and other information about the film, visit its FB page here:   https://www.facebook.com/CATTLEYAMOVIE

Last week, I received a text message that said it has been one year to the day that theater, television and film actor, writer and director Mario O'Hara had passsed on.  It made me look back at all the other icons and inspirations of my life and career that have since left us in this mortal world, especially those that i have had the privilege of knowing and working with. TONY ESPEJO (June 15, 1948 - July 21, 2012) Tony Espejo succumbed to multiple organ failure a few days before Mario O'Hara's passing.  He had founded Bulwagang Gantimpala and nursed the company even after it left the Cultural Center of the Philippines post-EDSA.  I had been fortunate to work with Tony and Gantimpala on a number of productions as lighting designer, as a writer and as an actor. Many people have heard the story of how I learned that my play "Silang Nalugmok sa Gabi" won in the 1984 CCP Literary Contest by way of a phone call from Tony, minutes just before I stepped out of the hous...

The INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR FILM AND ARTS (IIFA) announces its summer line-up of courses at its Makati venue (LAB 315, EVEKAL Building, 855 Arnaiz Avenue, Legazpi Village, Makati City) to be handled by an impressive list of Workshop Mentors which include award-winning writer Armando "Bing" Lao, broadcaster and Center for Sports Communicator founder Noel Zarate, animation specialist Jet Legaspi, and singer-actor Roeder Camanag, together with IIFA Directors Dodos de la Cruz, Nap Jamir, Dennis Marasigan and Cris Mojica. The IIFA 2009 Summer Program includes workshops in Acting for Camera, Acting for Kids, Broadcast Performance, Computer Graphics for Film and Animation, Corporate and Documentary Directing, Musical Theater Performance and Writing for Film. In addition, IIFA will hold a live-in Film and Cinematography and Advanced TV Commercials Directing Summer Camp in Villa Antonio, Pansol, Los Banos, Laguna from May 17t 31, 2009. Beginning the second half of 2009, IIFA will...

The award-wnning digital film adaptation of SA NORTH DIVERSION ROAD based on the play by Tony Perez and directed by Dennis N. Marasigan finally has its theatrical run exclusively at the Indie Sine Robinson’s Movieworld Galleria from April 28 to May 1. SA NORTH DIVERSION ROAD was a finalist in the 2005 Cinema One Originals and was an official selection in the 19th Singapore International Film Festival and the 42nd Pesaro International Film Festival. It was nominated for Best Actress at the 2006 Gawad Urian and for Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Song in the 2006 Golden Screen Awards where it also won Best Screenplay Adaptation. John Arcilla and Irma Adlawan play 10 different couples, all of them travelling in a car along North Diversion Road. Revolving around the theme of infidelity, love and redemption, the film is adapted for the screen and directed by Dennis N. Marasigan, with cinematography, editing and sound design by Mo Zee, production design by Bianca Dadivas, and music by Jes...