2009 UP Gawad Plaridel honors Kidlat Tahimik

MANILA, Philippines – Independent filmmaker Kidlat Tahimik is this year’s recipient of 2009 UP Gawad Plaridel for his outstanding contributions to independent filmmaking and will be awarded on July 10, 200, 1:30pm at the Cine Adarna, UP Film Institute, Diliman, Quezon City.

Inspired by the progressive ideals of Marcelo H. del Pilar (nom de plume, Plaridel) of the reformist newspaper La Solidaridad in the 1890s, the annual award honors a Filipino media practitioner whose professional integrity and commitment to public service are reflected in his or her exemplary achievements in print, film, radio, television or the new media.

Tahimik was chosen for his excellence in the art and craft of cinema, as well as for pioneering efforts in introducing Philippine independent filmmaking to a global audience. His independence as an artist is reflected in the non-commercial nature of his films, inspiring budding Filipino filmmakers to follow his example and to listen to their “inner duwende (dwarf).”

He joins past UP Gawad Plaridel awardees Eugenia Duran-Apostol (2004, Print Journalism), Vilma Santos (2005, Film), the late Fidela “Tiya Dely” Magpayo (2006, Radio), Cecilia Lazaro (2007, Television) and Pachico A. Seares (2008, Community Journalism).

As part of the ceremonies, Tahimik will also deliver a lecture on independent filmmaking. The event is open to the public and is supported by UP College of Mass Communication, Coca-Cola Company and Unilever Philippines.