At 8PM last night, November 10, the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino, the country’s prestige film criticism body, held its annual awards ceremony, the 43rd Gawad Urian, for the first time online to encourage an industry that is surviving in The New Normal, and at the same time mourning the loss of those that were killed by the coronavirus.
Bagging this Urian’s most number of awards is Epicmedia’s neo-noir thriller Babae at Baril (The Girl and The Gun) featuring a girl, or should we say a woman played by Janine Gutierrez who also wins the award for Best Actress, as voted by the country’s prestige award-giving body to practitioners in the field of cinema in the country.
Last night’s awards ceremony was far from the usual theater setting, but due to the onslaught brought upon by the coronavirus, from its announcement of nominees back in September down to tonight’s ceremony, the Manunuri has decided to hold this online live via their Facebook Page which can also be streamed on their YouTube page.
READ: QCinema 2019 review – Babae at Baril
The awards ceremony aims to join together an industry that has been paralyzed by the pandemic, both financially and production-wise as most production houses have decided to suspend or proceed, but on gruesome “new normal” procedures to ensure safety on shoots. The pandemic has also seen a great divide in terms of support of the closure of media conglomerate, ABS-CBN, as well as in support of an authoritarian regime that seems to have impaled the whole country with its mishandling of disaster and crisis management early this year.
Albeit a small gesture, although we ourselves aren’t fans of a tiering process within this small community we have here, here’s hoping that this gesture by the Manunuri gives hope to more viewers to watch homegrown films.
Here’s the complete list of winners:
BEST PICTURE
Winner: Babae at Baril
Nominees:
- Ang Hupa
- Cleaners
- Edward
- Huwebes Huwebes
- John Denver Trending
- Kalel, 15
- Metamorphosis
BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
Winner: No Data Plan by Miko Revereza
Nominees:
- A is for Agustin
- Budots: The Craze
- Dagami Datoy
- For My Alien Friend
- Likhaan: Habi ng Yakan
BEST SHORT FILM
Winner: Tokwifi by Carla Pulido-Ocampo
Nominees:
- Black Sky
- Here, Here
- Ilaw sa Kahoy
- Judy Free
- Michel de Certeau’s Metaphor for Everyday Life
BEST DIRECTOR
Winner: Rae Red (Babae at Baril)
Nominees:
- Glenn Barit (Cleaners)
- Arden Rod Condez (John Denver Trending)
- Lav Diaz (Ang Hupa)
- Jun Robles Lana (Kalel, 15)
- Arnel Mardoquio (Alma-ata)
- Thop Nazareno (Edward)
- Jose Enrique Tiglao (Metamorphosis)
BEST SCREENPLAY
Winner: Jun Robles Lana (Kalel, 15)
Nominees:
- Glenn Barit (Cleaners)
- John Bedia, Denise O’Hara, Thop Nazareno (Edward)
- Arden Rod Condez (John Denver Trending)
- Lav Diaz (Ang Hupa)
- Don Gerardo Frasco, Kristoffer Villarino, Januar Yap (Huwebes Huwebes)
- Rae Red (Babae at Baril)
BEST ACTRESS
Winner: Janine Gutierrez (Babae at Baril)
Nominees:
- Kathryn Bernardo (Hello, Love, Goodbye)
- Alessandra de Rossi (Lucid)
- Max Eigenmann (Verdict)
- Angie Ferro (Lola Igna)
- Jean Garcia (Watch Me Kill)
- Anita Linda (Circa)
- Nadine Lustre (Ulan)
- Bela Padilla (Mañanita)
- Sue Prado (Alma-ata)
- Ruby Ruiz (Iska)
BEST ACTOR
Winner: Elijah Canlas (Kalel, 15)
Nominees:
- Louise Abuel (Edward)
- Oliver Aquino (Jino to Mari)
- Gold Azeron (Metamorphosis)
- Raymond Bagatsing (Quezon’s Game)
- Royce Cabrera (Fuccbois)
- Gio Gahol (Sila-Sila)
- Joel Lamangan (Ang Hupa)
- Jansen Magpusao (John Denver Trending)
- Alden Richards (Hello, Love, Goodbye)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Winner: Yayo Aguila (Metamorphosis)
Nominees:
- Pinky Amador (Ang Hupa)
- Perla Bautista (Ulan)
- Angie Castrence (Iska)
- Cherie Gil (Kaputol)
- Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan (Hello, Love, Goodbye)
- Meryll Soriano (John Denver Trending)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Winner: Kristoffer King (Verdict)
Nominees:
- Ricky Davao (Fuccbois)
- Dido dela Paz (Edward)
- Topper Fabregas (Sila-Sila)
- Yves Flores (Lola Igna)
- Noel John Noval (Huwebes Huwebes)
- JC Santos (Babae at Baril)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Winner: Tey Clamor (Babae at Baril)
Nominees:
- Tey Clamor (Lola Igna)
- Tey Clamor (Metamorphosis)
- Mycko David (Jino to Mari)
- Neil Daza (Ulan)
- Lav Diaz & Daniel Uy (Ang Hupa)
- Steven Paul Evangelio (Cleaners)
- Odyssey Flores (Mañanita)
- Don Gerardo Frasco, Dwight Handro Buot, Idden de los Reyes (Huwebes Huwebes)
- Cyprus Lilim (Alma-ata)
- Carlo Canlas Mendoza (Kalel, 15)
- Joshua Reyles (Verdict)
- Rommel Sales (John Denver Trending)
- Marcin Szocinski (Watch Me Kill)
BEST EDITING
Winner: Ilsa Malsi (Babae at Baril)
Nominees:
- Diego Marx Dobles (Verdict)
- Diego Marx Dobles & Joselito Altarejos (Jino to Mari)
- Brian Gonzales & Jet Leyco (For My Alien Friend)
- Noah Loyola & Che Tagyamon (Cleaners)
- Ilsa Malsi (Sila-Sila)
- Carlo Francisco Manatad (Fuccbois)
- Thop Nazareno, BB. Joyce Bernal, & JR Cabrera (Edward)
- Benjamin Tolentino (Kalel, 15)
- Renard Torres (Ulan)
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Winner: Eero Yves Francisco (Babae at Baril)
Nominees:
- Ferdi Abuel (Ulan)
- Marxie Maolen Fadul (Kalel, 15)
- Alvin Francisco (Cleaners)
- Alvin Francisco (Edward)
- Matthew Rosen (Quezon’s Game)
- Connie Valera (Watch Me Kill)
BEST MUSIC
Winner: Jude Giatamondoc, Cindy Velasquez & Cattski Espina (Huwebes Huwebes)
Nominees:
- Glenn Barit (Cleaners)
- Teresa Barrozo (Kalel, 15)
- Len Calvo & Adriane Macalipay (Ulan)
- Divino Dayacap (Metamorphosis)
- Fatima Nerikka Salim & Immanuel Verona (Babae at Baril)
BEST SOUND
Winner: Mikko Quizon, John Michael Perez & RJ Cantos (Mañanita)
Nominees:
- Bryan Dumaguina (Watch Me Kill)
- Albert Michael Idioma, Aian Louie Caro & Lamberto Casas, Jr. (Kalel, 15)
- Jet Leyco and Brian Gonzales (For My Alien Friend)
- Daryl Libongco, Aeriel Ellyzon Mallari, RJ Cantos, Mikko Quizon (Sila-Sila)
- John Michael Perez, Daryl Libongco (Cleaners)
- Mikko Quizon, RJ Cantos & Vince Jan Banta (Ulan)
- Roy Santos (Edward)
The Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino is composed of:
Dr. Gary Devilles, Head of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino is a Professor of Sensory Studies, Urban Studies, and Film and Media Studies at the Ateneo de Manila University.
Dr. Rolando Tolentino, Professor and former Dean, College of Mass Communication at the University of the Philippines – Diliman.
Dr. Shirley Lua, associate professor of literature and cultural studies at De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines
Patrick F. Campos, film scholar, an associate professor and the director of the University of the Philippines Film Institute (UPFI).
Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera, Filipino poet and dramaticist, is also a recipient of the National Artist award in Literature as a pillar of Filipino contemporary literature.
Butch Francisco is an actor and television presenter. He also contributes to the entertainment section of the Inquirer.
Tito Genova Valiente, film critic and BusinessMirror columnist is also part of the Executive Committee on Cinema under the National Commission on Culture and the Arts.
Dr. Miguel Rapatan, professor at the De La Salle University
Dr. Nicanor Tiongson, film critic and Professor Emeritus of Film and Audio-Visual Communication at the College of Mass Communication in UP Diliman
Dr. Gigi Javier Alfonso, professor of film and mass communication at the University of the Philippines’ College of Mass Communications. She is now serving her third term as Chancellor of the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU).
What is the ‘Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino’?
Helmed as “The Filipino Film Critics”, the ever-evolving prestigious film critics group started writing and reviewing films, and is also regarded as the Philippines’ counterpart to the New York Film Critics’ Circle. Also often known as “MPP”, the Manunuri was formed in 1976 as a critics’ voice to its then rival, the FAMAS.
This award-giving body formed by film scholars and academe aim to award bodies of work that bring the plight of the human condition, that aim to question and influence.
We’re all for the accessibility of the awards ceremony being made available via live stream on Facebook and YouTube, here’s hoping that even when things get back to normal (possibly) next year, they choose to publish this in the same way too.
You can watch all 1 hour and 28 minutes of it again here:
Stay tuned as we release our commentary on the Gawad Urian awards’ ceremony in a few days through Third World Cinema Club. For more info on the Urian and the Manunuri, visit their official page here: http://www.manunuri.com/
