Dolphy and sons also Best Actress winners

2001 MMFF ‘Magic 7’

The 2001 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) committee, chaired by Caloocan City Mayor Rey Malonzo, and the MMDA (Metro Manila Development Authority) announced last Saturday the seven (up from the usual five) official entries, a.k.a. "Magic 7," for the filmfest which starts on Dec. 25 and ends on Jan. 3, 2002.

They are:

• Bagong Buwan (Star Cinema), directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya

• Yamashita (The Tiger’s Treasure) of MaQ Films, by Chito Roño

• Bahay ni Lola (Regal Films), by Uro dela Cruz

• Hubog (Good Harvest Productions), by Joel Lamangan

• Tatarin (Viva Films), by Tikoy Aguiluz

• Susmaryosep (4 Fathers) of Maverick Films, by Boy Vinarao

• Di Kita Ma-Reach (Ecorp Movie Ventures), by Willy Milan

A Funfare source said that this year’s MMFF committee decided to increase the number of entries to seven, instead of just five, not really to accommodate First Son Mikey Macapagal-Arroyo (Pampanga Vice Governor), star of Di Kita Ma-Reach. "Even before Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo became President," the source added, "the MMFF/MMDA have been planning to add two more to the official list of entries due to persistent clamor from industry people."

The "casualty" of the MMFF/MMDA screening was poor Jinggoy Estrada, former First Son, whose movie, Maverick Films’ Peksman, Walang Iwanan, failed to make it.

Oh, well, as they said, "weather-weather lang ’yan."

* * *

Imagine that we are in Belgium, attending the 23rd Brussels International Film Festival. Pregnant silence as the host is about to announce the names of winners.

And the winner for Best Actor is... Oops! Wait a minute, it’s a tie... No, correction, please. It’s a triple tie!

And the winners as Best Actors are... Dolphy, Eric Quizon and Jeffrey Quizon for their performance as comfort gays in (RVQ Productions’) Markova, directed by Gil M. Portes.

Applause, applause, applause!

Now, the winner for Best Actress.

And the winner is... Oops! Wait a minute, it’s a tie... No, correction, please! It’s also a triple tie!

And the winners as Best Actress(es) are, again... Dolphy, Eric Quizon and Jeffrey Quizon... for the same film.

The winners were nowhere to be found at the ceremonies last Nov. 11. Eric couldn’t leave his tapings for the ABS-CBN legal drama series Your Honor and neither could Jeffrey (for GMA’s Biglang Sibol), while Dolphy had some pressing matters to attend to. Direk Gil was busy with the promo for his movie, Huwag Kang Kikibo.

But last Saturday, a simple "awarding" ceremony was held at the Sze-Chuan Restaurant (corner of Roxas Boulevard and Quirino Avenue, Manila), presided by Robert Malengreau, Brussels Filmfest director, who flew in purposely to personally hand over the trophies (six-inch tall, showing a winged goddess-like woman wrapped only in a flimsy, flowing half-gown) which were engraved with the words Best Actor/Best Actress. Dolphy and sons Eric and Jeffrey got one trophy each.

Still visibly depressed over the fate of son Vandolph who has remained unconscious at the Makati Med (the respirator is taken off every now and then to let him breathe on his own) a month after that car accident in Pangasinan (Vandolph’s girlfriend, Desiree Raquiza, was buried yesterday at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque City), Dolphy smiled wanly as he accepted the trophy, saying in a weak voice, "I never thought I’d win a Best Actress award." And neither did Eric and Jeffrey (who won a Best Supporting Actor trophy for the role in last year’s Metro Manila Filmfest).

The Brussels "double victory" (it is, isn’t it?) is a vindication (especially) for Dolphy who everybody thought was a shoo-in for the Best Actor award (that went to Johnny Delgado for Tanging Yaman).

The triple tie is a "first" in any filmfest, local and/or international and perhaps it might take a long, long time – even forever! – for another actor to win both the Best Actor and Best Actress awards.

Malengreau explained the "phenomenon" by saying that the three actors played both male and female (even if actually gay) characters in Markova, so that’s it.

The "Prize for Best Interpretation" to the trio was briefly explained by the jury (which included Korea’s top director Je-Gyu Kang and Japan’s Aya Tananka) thus: The two prizes are awarded to three actors playing one character at different periods in his life. With a mixture of emotion and humor, the co-existence of masculinity and femininity in each human being is thus brilliantly illustrated.

Joel Lamangan’s Deathrow was given the prize for "the best committed film championing a cause" at the same Brussels Filmfest where Albert Martinez won as Best Actor (for Rizal sa Dapitan) in 1998 and Vilma Santos in 1999 for Bata, Bata, Paano Ka Ginawa? (which also won the Best Director plum for Chito Roño).

(Note: Markova will be reshown in selected SM theaters in Metro Manila starting Wednesday, Dec. 12.)

What’s up?

• The Calle 5 Food Zone is presenting "It’s Cool Time at Calle 5" promo starting today. For every P500 purchase of food and beverages, customers are entitled to a free cool handy electric fan (battery operated). So bring all your friends and avail of this Calle 5 promo. Calle 5 Food Zone is located at 1328 A. Mabini St., Ermita, Manila.