Sylvia brings home her 29th award

As they say, Sylvia Sanchez’s cup runneth over. Last Sunday, she brought home a Best Actress award for her performance as a battered wife in Jesusa at Sinag Maynila, an independent film festival established by Brillante Mendoza and Solar Entertainment boss Wilson Tieng. So far, Sylvia has won 29 awards (for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, etc.). Asked if she has room for more, Sylvia smiled, “There’s more room.”

At the rate she’s going, Sylvia might have to fill up that “more room” in due time, considering how bankable she is these days both for movies and TV series, never mind if she sometimes ends up the third choice (in Jesusa, she replaced Nora Aunor and Lorna Tolentino).

“It’s never an issue with me,” Sylvia told Funfare at the thanksgiving lunch she hosted with her children Arjo and Ria (who came direct from the airport upon arrival from Hong Kong where she watched the John Mayer concert). “I mean, not being the original choice. Basta ako, I just play my part well and that’s all that matters.”

Neither does Sylvia mind if she’s handled by a new director, such as movie writer Ronald Carballo in Jesusa.

“Basta maayos kausap, it’s okay. I am not choosy when it comes to directors. In fact, we should give new directors a chance. I’m game with that anytime.”

As she does with any role, Sylvia took her Jesusa character to heart. The movie opens with her walking aimlessly perhaps to establish her no-direction existence. In one scene where she is drugged, Sylvia vindicated herself with amazing credibility even if, she swore, she has never taken (any illegal) drug her whole life.

“Do you know how I got help?” asked Sylvia. “From some members of the crew and people on the set. Before the take, nagbiro pa ako, ‘Who among you have taken drugs?’ May umamin. I was told that during an addict’s ‘high’ moment, sometimes he would scratch the table and that’s exactly what I did.”

Anytime now, Sylvia is going to Dubai to shoot for a documentary about OFWs, showing their “other side” and not the usual gory stories we see in newscast about OFWs being killed or raped by their bosses or left to starve for days.

“This docu will show the success stories of OFWs,” explained Sylvia (other actors will shoot their parts in other places abroad). “It will be shown in schools.”

Meanwhile, Sylvia hopes to work again with Arjo (with her in the Kapamilya soap Hanggang Saan) and also with Ria.

“I just bought the right to a beautiful family story which is perfect for all three of us. I’m planning to produce it myself but not this year. I’m waiting for the right time.”

These days, mother and son have been so busy that they seldom see each other even if they are living together at the family residence in White Plains, Quezon City.

“But I make sure that we are together on Sundays,” stressed Sylvia. “On Saturday, I would Viber them, ‘Tomorrow is Sunday. It’s family day.’ Sagrado ang araw na ‘yan sa amin.”

Yes, said Sylvia, she enjoys an “open” relationship with her children.

“No secrets among us,” said Sylvia, but then, she added, “if there’s something they don’t want to share with me, I don’t force them.”

Such as especially Arjo’s much talked-about romance with Maine Mendoza. After firing quite a mouthful against bashers, Sylvia has opted to keep mum, not even making any comment (either a “yes” or a “no”) if it’s true that, up to now, she has yet to meet Maine, although Arjo has been telegraphing on social media his and girlfriend Maine’s activities.

Tommy another awarded actor

Tommy Abuel and Marita Zobel were belatedly given their awards (for Dagsin) at a recent mini-presscon.

Without fanfare, Tommy Abuel also has his own share of awards although he keeps quite about it, including one for Maynila sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag, the Lino Brocka 1975 classic which marked Tommy’s transition from theater where he started his acting career. The latest is Best Actor for Dagsin (Gravity), not just one or two or three but four — from the 2017 Los Angeles Philippine International Film Festival, 2016 Cinemalaya Film Festival, 2018 European Philippine International Film Festival and as Film Ambassador (2018, from the Film Development Council of the Philippines).

The same film won Best Actress in a Cameo Role for Marita Zobel at the 2017 Urduja Film Festival.

“When I started in films,” recalled Tommy (a lawyer), “I was considered ‘elitist’ because I came from theater. At that time, very few theater actors were recruited for the movies. Every time there was a heavy role, they would say, ‘Kunin nyo si Tommy Abuel, pang-award yan.’ My image changed when I started doing movies for (the late director-producer) Danny Zialcita. It was my second wind in showbiz and Danny helped me become ‘commercial,’ from pang-award to pang-masa.” 

In Dagsin, which will have its commercial run starting on April 20, Black Saturday, Tommy plays a wheelchair-bound World War II survivor with Marita as his wife.

Tommy with Dagsin director Atom Magadia and wife Anne Prado-Magadia who wrote the story.

“I love my role,” said Marita who is among the only three LVN actresses still active (the two others are Perla Bautista and Luz Valdez). “Nai-iba. In the story, my character was raped during her younger years. In Biyaya ng Lupa, one of my early films at LVN, I also played a rape victim,” added Marita who has six children by her late husband (San Beda basketball player Boy Roxas). “Three of my four sons are in the US and I visit them regularly. Kagagaling ko pa lang dun last month,” (One of Marita’s two daughters was married to actor Julio Diaz by whom she has a daughter.)

Incidentally, Dagsin is the first directorial work of Atom Magadia, an alumnus of the Art Center College of Design in California for Film Production, and who trained at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, UCLA School of Theater/Film/Television, and Actor’s Studio West & American Society of Cinematographers. Dagsin was written by Atom’s wife, Anne Prado-Magadia, a graduate of the University of Asia & the Pacific who took further studies in production and public relations in the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

The couple stayed in the US for years. Atom said that he suffered a stroke and wanted to die because half of his body was paralyzed.

“But my wife told me that she would help me fulfill my dream of making films if I’d recover. We decided to come home and we started work on Dagsin.”

What’s up?

• Here are more showbiz/showbiz-related candidates running in May’s midterm elections, left out in last Tuesday’s list:

• Janella Estrada, for mayor of San Juan City;

• Lito Camo, for Board Member in Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro;

• Barbara Milano, for vice mayor of San Juan City;

• Long Mejia, for congressman, Camarines Sur;

• Jerika Ejercito and Miley Atienza (Manila); Mikey Belmonte and Jan Marini (Quezon City); Vandolph, Dominic Ochoa and Jomari Yllana (Parañaque City); and Rowena Bautista (Cavite) for councilor.

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