Gil M. Portes: The true New Millennium director

Director Gil Portes is honest enough to admit: "Modesty is not one of my virtues."

He proclaims himself the true new millennium director. "I close the year 2000 with Markova, Comfort Gay and open 2001 with Gatas, Sa Dibdib ng Kaaway.

He quickly adds that some Cannes Filmfest personnel have requested for a copy of Markova, which he has already sent, and Gatas will follow soon. "I also got an invitation to submit both films at the Lincoln Film Society and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, where the only Filipino film shown so far was Lino Brocka’s Maynila: Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag."

Portes’ last two films gained wide acclaim in the international festival circuit: Miguel/Michelle and Saranggola. He has acquired a formidable reputation as a fiercely independent filmmaker whose gift of gab can raise funds for his mostly socially relevant films from the most unexpected sources, like his debut film, Tiket Mama, Tiket Ale, Sa Linggo ang Bola, which was produced by a former classmate of his in 1976.

Portes got his masters from Syracuse University in New York and trained with the British Broadcasting Co. in London before starting his own TV career in Manila as the director of the award-winning drama series, Huwaran.

It was his second film that gave him much acclaim, Sa Piling ng mga Sugapa, which won the Urian best actor award for Bembol Roco in 1978 in his role as a drug addict. His first big hit was Miss X starring Vilma Santos and filmed in Amsterdam in 1979.

Nora Aunor won more best actress awards for his films with Portes: Merika and Andrea, Paano Ba ang Maging Isang Ina. Gina Alajar scored a grand slam as best supporting actress for his Mulanay.

After more than two decades as a filmmaker, Gil’s enthusiasm as a director has not waned at all. Aside from Markova and Gatas, he has another film in the can, Huwag Kang Kikibo, Diyos ang Humihipo, which is about cults.

He is also about to start a new film, Anak ng Pari, starring Judy Ann Santos as a balikbayan who discovers that she is the daughter of a parish priest. He also looks forward to making the sequel to Miss X, Anak ni Miss X, also to be filmed on location Amsterdam.

He is glad that Jeffrey Quizon won the Metro Manila Filmfest Best Supporting Actor award as the young Walterina in Markova, but at the same time feels sad that Dolphy failed to bag the best actor trophy as Markova in his sunset years.

"I just hope Dolphy will be vindicated in this year’s awards-giving season," he says.

He also felt bad when Gatas, the launching movie of Mylene Dizon, didn’t make it as an official entry in the filmfest.

"But who knows?" he shrugs. "Like what I was telling Mylene, it might be a blessing in disguise. For one thing, we’re getting more theaters now. I never thought this project would push through. When we offered it to Carmina Villarroel, she didn’t like to do the breast exposure scenes. We then gave the script to Chin Chin Gutierrez, who liked it but was asking an astronomical fee. Then I thought of Mylene, who did a very good jobs for me as the girlfriend of a closet queen in Miguel/Michelle. She got excited after reading the script and consented to do it, but our next problem was who’d play the Japanese captain who’d be her friend and lover. Our producer, Jesse Ejercito, won’t settle for a local actor na mukhang Japanese. He says the role of the Japanese officer is very vital to the story, so hindi puede ang pekeng Hapon. We auditioned several Japanese gentlemen, pero puro pangit. I was beginning to lose hope until I got a call from talent manager Joji Dingcog. He has a discovery raw he’d like me to meet. We arranged to meet at the Pen lobby and the moment Kenji Motoki walks in, I knew I have my Capt. Hiroshi Sugimoto for Gatas. He’s actually a Filipino who has lived both in Japan and Canada. His real name is Jose Manuel Marquez. He has great chemistry with Mylene on screen and this is very evident in their nude love scene. Talagang nag-water-water si Mylene sa kanya."

Mylene plays Jomari Yllana’s wife in the story. When Jomari is arrested by Japanese soldiers on suspicion that he is a guerrilla fighter, Mylene goes to Kenji and asks for mercy for her husband. When Kenji’s Filipina wife, Nicole Hoffer, dies from childbirth, Mylene acts as a wetnurse to his orphaned baby.

One of the films’ assets is the beautiful musical score, including the original theme song, Tulog Na, sung by Ruth Liwanag. The score and the song are written by Joy Marfil, and Gil takes pride in the fact that he was the one who discovered Joy while still a student at the UP Conservatory of Music.

"I once did a short docu-drama for the Department of Health. We needed original music for it but only P12,000 was left from our budget. I went to Ryan Cayabyab in UP and he introduced me to Joy, who’s graduating magna cum laude. She didn’t even ask about the talent fee but was just very honored to do the score. She wrote the theme song while in a bus on her way home. We got her again in Mulanay and she was so enthusiastic that she overscored it. I removed a lot of her music from the final print. She cried and walked out. I told her scoring is a different art. At the Manila Filmfest awards night, she won for best musical score and from then on, she trusted me. She also wrote the music for Markova using a full orchestra. I’m glad I was the one who gave her the break in scoring for films."