I (together with my friends Mike Sicat and Boy So) am producing Direk Mario O’Hara’s film Ang Paglilitis ni Andres Bonifacio which is a finalist in the 2010 Cinemalaya Film Festival which will be held on July 9 to 18 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). This is my second attempt at movie production after Astig. Ang pelikula ay kasali sa Open Category (Director’s Showcase) na bagong section sa 2010 Cinemalaya na bukas sa mga Filipino filmmakers who have directed at least three full-length feature films which have been released commercially.
Mahirap pero masaya ang mag-produce ng isang pelikula. Marami ang nagtatanong sa akin why we agreed to produce the movie. Why not? I have been dealing with public figures for almost 20 years. I play diverse roles in this business but I still want to grow. I want to learn new things and I want to give back to this industry na naging mabuti sa akin. Direk Mario is also a friend at naniniwala ako sa kanyang kakayahan bilang isang matapat na alagad ng sining.
Maganda ang premise ng pelikula. Hindi ba’t may mga nagtatanong na si Andres Bonifacio ay ipinapatay ni Emilio Aguinaldo pero bakit pareho silang bayani? Sa totoo lang, hindi ko alam ang sagot. Pero ang alam ko ay makatutulong ang pelikulang ito sa mga kabataan sa pag-aaral nila ng kasaysayan ng bansa. Learning history need not be boring.
“Paglilitis” is a period movie about the trial of Bonifacio under the Philippine revolutionary government established by Emilio Aguinaldo. Ayon sa mga historical accounts, Bonifacio was convicted of sedition or crime against the state and tried in a court in Cavite na alam nating lahat na baluwarte ni Aguinaldo.
Ang pelikula ay tinatampukan nina Alfred Vargas (Andres Bonifacio), Danielle Castano (Gregoria de Jesus), Lance Raymundo (Emilio Aguinaldo), Kristoffer King (Ciriaco Bonifacio), Janvier Daily (Procopio Bonifacio), at iba pang mga actors.
Hindi biro ang pagbuo ng konsepto at pagdidirek ng pelikulang ito. Blood, sweat and tears were literally and figuratively invested in making this movie – from the picturesque scenes that were shot in Intramuros; Norzagaray, Bulacan; Pampanga; and Pasay City, to the costumes and props that were reminiscent of the era. Ginamit din ang original poem na sinulat ng asawa ni Bonifacio na si Gregoria de Jesus and some of the songs that her second husband, Julio Nakpil, had composed.
Direk Mario read and researched extensively regarding the actual accounts of the witnesses about the trial of Bonifacio from which the story was based. Sabi nga ni Direk Mario, “The roots of Philippine politics can be traced back to the time of Bonifacio and Aguinaldo. Even then, power struggle was already prevalent. Our point in making the movie was to answer the questions, ‘Bakit pinatay ng isang bayani ang isang bayani?’ and ‘Sino ang bida at sino ang kontrabida?’ We didn’t answer these questions for the audience, it’s up to them to give their own conclusions.”
Ang winner sa Open Category ay makakatanggap ng P300,000 at Balanghai Trophy.
Kaibigan, usap tayo muli!
Points of Boy
by Boy Abunda
