Boses to be seen & heard in Assumption
MANILA, Philippines - “Boses wows New York” was how a Filipino paper bannered it when the Assumption Alumnae Association, New York chapter, headed by Linden Martinez (with a lot of support from Ching Legarda and Vina Francisco), brought the indie film to the Big Apple last year. Since then, it has continued to go around film festivals and communities from Spain, India, Korea, Hong Kong, Geneva, Yale University, Hawaii, Boston to Naga, Baguio, Pangasinan, Tacloban, Tondo and Bagong Silang. It has received major awards and nominations from Golden Screen, Gawad Tanglaw, Star and Urian.
The film comes home to the Mother Rose Hall Auditorium in Assumption San Lorenzo on Aug. 5, 6 p.m., sponsored by the Assumption Alumnae Association Inc. Manila, as a fundraising event for its mission schools. Performing live is renowned Julliard-trained violinist Coke Bolipata with child prodigy Julian Duque and accompanied by pianist Jourdann Petalver who graduated in Milan. Special guests include multi-awarded actor Ricky Davao. Gina Gabaldon Hechanova, who at present heads the Association, passionately rallies her board of directors to support this indie film directed and produced by her batchmate Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil, an advocacy filmmaker who believes in the power of art to transform.
At a quarterly lunch attended by over a hundred alumnae recently, Dr. Pinky Valdes, dean of Assumption’s Mesil (school for innovative learning), revealed the new thrust of the Assumption College. The school was founded by St. Marie Eugenie in 1839 to bring about a transformed society centered on Jesus Christ. For Ellen, it seemed she was going back to where it may have all started.
Boses is a moving tale about rebirth and the power of friendship. Losing his ability to speak after being beaten by his father (Ricky Davao), seven-year-old Onyok (real life child prodigy Julian Duque) is brought to a children’s shelter run by the saintly Amanda (Cherry Pie Picache). Staying nearby is her brother, Ariel (renowned violinist Coke Bolipata), a concert violinist who turned reclusive after being traumatized by the death of his girlfriend. Drawn to the sound of Ariel’s playing, the boy takes supervised lessons and reveals an extraordinary gift for the instrument. A lovely friendship grows between Onyok and Ariel, who recovers his own humanity himself; as well as between Onyok and plucky girl Shirley, another victim in the shelter.
Boses was given a unanimous grade of A by the Cinema Evaluation Board. It has since received glowing reviews from film critics both here and abroad.
Hechanova, who recently arrived from Canada, said arrangements are presently being made for Boses to screen in Vancouver.
La Salle Benilde and Human Ecology of UP Los Baños also have screening schedules to be finalized soon. A church group is also arranging for its screening among prisoners in Tacloban.
(Boses was funded by Cinemalaya, Unicef, Casa San Miguel, DSWD, FDCP and the Council for the Welfare for Children. For tickets, call 894-3561 and 894-3580. Please check www.bosesthevoice.wordpress.com for other information.)
