Lola is Oscar-worthy

As a “surprise entry” in the just-concluded 66th Venice Film Festival (where the other Philippine entry, Pepe Diokno’s Engkwentro, won the Best Debut Film Award), Brillante “Dante” Mendoza’s Lola didn’t bring home the bacon as did Kinatay which won for him the Best Director plum at the Cannes Filmfest but it won the nod of both fans and critics.

Shot in the hectic weeks following direk Dante’s triumph in Cannes, Lola is a fictional story shot documentary style about two grandmothers dealing with the consequences of a murder involving their grandsons, one grandma (Anita Linda) of the victim and the other (Rustica Carpio) of the suspect. Set in the slums of Manila, the film opens a can of worms that exposes the country’s inefficient judicial system, over-crowded prisons and depressed areas, and the gaping disparity between the very rich and the very poor.

Critics in Venice praised Lola, with Italian daily Corriere della Sera calling the performance of the two lead actresses — Anita, 84, and Rustica, 79 — “extraordinary.”

Another critic described Lola as direk Dante’s “most humane, ethically resonant film... a compassionate study which deals with the way justice is a relative concept in a world of abject poverty, almost acts as a response to those who accused his recent Cannes competition entry Kinatay (which touches on the same themes in a far more savage vein) of partaking of the moral depravity it depicts... Lola’s handheld aesthetic, gritty neo-realist feel and slow pacing will obviously confine it to arthouse circuits, but within this niche Lola could turn out to be Mendoza’s most commercially viable film to date internationally...”

Lola is definitely Oscar-worthy. The good news is that that’s just what direk Dante has in mind — to enter Lola in the Best Foreign-Language Film competition in next year’s Oscar race. But first, before aiming to win an Oscar, direk Dante should try (very hard!) to win the nod of the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) which selects the country’s official entry to the Oscars.

There’s a little hitch: Direk Dante is basically an “outsider” and doesn’t have many friends in the FAP whose annual awards, although touted to be the local industry’s equivalent of the Oscar since it is given away by peers, have been widely described as the “Friendship Awards.”

If industry people are deadset on breaking into the international market by, among other ways, winning in international film festivals — and hopefully the Oscar — then they should scrap “friendship” as one of the criteria and choose a film that is truly Oscar-worthy. With his recent Cannes victory, direk Dante will certainly make heads turn if he competes in the Oscars.

But first, does he have to pass through the eye of the FAP needle?

Why Heart backed out of Patient X

Now it can be told: Heart Evangelista backed out as Richard Gutierrez’s leading lady in Patient X, directed by Yam Laranas (The Echo, Hollywood remake of Sigaw; and Asia’s Titanic on National Geographic), because she saw a ghost. Her initial press release for quitting the project was the appendectomy that she recently underwent.

“I already shot for one day and that was when I saw what I’m sure was a ghost,” said Heart. They were shooting in an old building in Boystown then. “I couldn’t sleep after that and I felt I couldn’t continue doing the movie baka makita ko ulit ang ghost na ‘yon.”

Ironically, Heart was replaced by Cristine Reyes with whom she had a little “issue” when Cristine got jealous of Heart after she co-hosted a portion in S.O.P. with Cristine’s ex-boyfriend Dennis Trillo.

“But she promptly said sorry to me,” said Heart who, after recovering from her break-up with Jericho Rosales, promised not to fall in love with a showbiz guy again. She’s now dating a non-showbiz guy but he’s not the controversial politician’s son who is constantly on the front pages because of his unwavering fight for truth.

“I got flowers but I never knew until later that they came from him. I don’t know him at all. But his half-brother is my friend.”

Asked if Cristine had any reason to get jealous, Heart said, “No; none.” She was mum when asked if Dennis was her “type.”

Heart’s mid-afternoon GMA soap Ngayon at Kailanman, opposite JC de Vera (both of them are managed by Annabelle Rama), is ending soon but she’s still busy as one of the hosts of S.O.P. Rules and her own Q11 show Fashionistas With Heart.

Meanwhile, JC seemed to have “mellowed” after the big continuing issue (resulting in filing of charges and counter-charges) between his Tita Annabelle and GMA executive Wilma Galvante. He must have been so traumatized by the incident that he’d rather not talk about it, only smiling when asked about it by the movie press.

He’s resting assured that even if Ngayon at Kailanman is ending, he will continue earning as guaranteed by his GMA contract. He’s now preparing for a four-episode special for Maynila and a TV series for GMA. JC remains a Kapuso at heart in spite of what happened.

Congrats, Diet!

I just got a letter from Diether “Diet” Ocampo whose showbz-unrelated good work deserves to be emulated. Here it is:

Dear Ricky,

How are you? Hope you’re doing fine. Last weekend, I received a certificate of recognition from the Department of Education for K.I.D.S. Foundation’s commitment to improve the welfare of the disadvantaged children and for generously participating in the task of building a nation with the thrust of the national-leadership training for student-government officers and the supreme student governments around the country.

It is nice to see a lot of young people whom I have met during the DepEd and CSCA event in Baguio comprising of more than 6,000 student leaders from all over the country who have shown great hope for a greater change. I have shared my experience with them, facing all challenges to pursue my dreams and talked about how the K.I.D.S. Foundation started four years ago. Most of them have shown enthusiasm in active volunteerism and in joining our annual charity activities which we update regularly in our web site (www.kidsfoundation.org.ph) 

I hope you could join our fourth A Trek to Remember (charity trek) in Catanduanes on Oct 23-26. We will bring with us volunteer doctors, nurses and dentists for the medical and dental mission plus our contributions of food, medicine, toys and school supplies. 

To those who would like to join, please log on to our website for all the necessary details.

Thank you and God bless.

— DIET

What’s up?

• Celebrated Filipino pianist Cecile Licad (photo) will have her final performance tonight at the CCP main theater with German cellist Alban Gerhardt. Licad is soloist in Prokofiev’s Piano concerto No. 3 in C Minor with the Philippine Philharmonic under Oscar Yatco. The PPO Licad-Gerhardt all-Russian program includes Glinka’s Russlan and Ludmilla Overture, Shostakovich’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra with Alban Gerhardt as soloist and to be closed by Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26. Oscar Yatco conducts. Call 9007023, 3573811 or 09065104270 for remaining available tickets.

• Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and other members of the Register and Vote group invade Davao tomorrow, Sept. 17, to promote registration of new voters for the 2010 presidential elections.

“There is an unprecedented number of Filipino citizens wanting to be a part of next year’s elections,” says Pangilinan. “When we were in Cagayan de Oro for the Register and Vote campaign, people were lining up at the COMELEC office as early as 3 a.m. because they were informed that the commission can only accommodate 300 people. The desire to vote is there. We have to let them participate in the democratic process.” Bands like 6Cyclemind and Hale are set to perform together with Luke Mejares and other local performers.

• BBC World News Anchor Rico Hizon has been invited by US Pres. Bill Clinton to moderate the Emerging Markets dinner panel discussion at the 5th Clinton Global Initiative’s (CGI) Annual Meeting in New York City to be held at the Sheraton New York Grand Towers. In Pres. Clinton’s letter to Hizon, he said, “You were such a wonderful addition to our program in Hong Kong and we hope you will be able to join us once again, and serve as moderator at the Emerging Markets dinner, scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 22 from 8:30 to 10 p.m. We’d be delighted if you could lend your voice to this timely discussion.”

(E-mail reactions at [email protected] or at [email protected])