2009 MMFF Awards Night set Monday night
by Crispina Martinez-Belen ( Manila Bulletin ) 12.27.09

The 2009 Metro Manila Film Festival Awards Night is set Monday night at the SMX Convention Center. It’s the fourth day of the much-awaited annual film festival of Filipino movies. There are only seven official entries this year that will be competing for the various awards.

At stake are 19 award categories: The Gatpuno Antonio J. Villegas Cultural Award, Second Best Festival Picture, Third Best Festival Picture, Best Festival Director, Best Festival Actor, Best Festival Actress, Best Festival Supporting Actor, Best Festival Supporting Actress, Best Festival Cinematography, Best Festival Musical Score, Best Festival Original Theme Song, Best Festival Editor, Best Festival Screenplay, Best Festival Sound Recording, Best Festival Original Story, Best Festival Production Design, Best Festival Visual Effects, Best Festival Make-Up Artist, and Best Festival Child Performer (who should be not more than 12 years old).

For the Best Festival Picture, the criteria are: Artistry, creativity and technical excellence, innovativeness and global appeal (40%), Box-office performance based on the first three days, from Dec. 25-27 (50%), and Filipino, cultural and/or historical value (10%).

Criteria for Best Festival Performers: Naturalness and depth of acting (25%), proper timing and clear interaction with other performers (25%), consistency of characterization (25%), and logical and effective depiction/projection of the role being portrayed (25%).

Criteria for Best Festival Direction: Effective interpretation of screenplay into film (20%), appropriate pacing of the story and creative camera works (20%), proper motivation of performers (20%), continuity of overall production value (20%), and global competitiveness and entertainment value (20%).

Criteria for Best Festival Screenplay: Creative development of story concept (50%), global appeal and competitiveness (25%), and originality of style (25%).

Criteria for Best Festival Story: Originality of concept and development (20%), social, cultural and ethical values (20%), global acceptability/entertainment (20%), imaginative and credible characterization (20%), and extra-ordinary appeal (20%).

Criteria for Festival Visual Effect: Global competitiveness (25%), creative visual execution and original interpretation (25%), appropriateness and consistency (25%), and precision of timing of computer graphic projection (25%).

Criteria for Best Festival Editing: Logical, effective or smooth pacing of scenes (25%), consistency of flow of story (25%), creativity (25%), and global competitiveness (25%).

Criteria for Best Festival Cinematography: Creative camera movements and lighting (25%), global competitiveness (25%), effective visual impact (25%), and appropriateness and consistency of camera works (25%).

All the seven official entries – “Ang Darling Kong Aswang,” “I Love You, Goodbye,” “Mano Po 6 (My Mother),” “Nobody, Nobody but Juan,” “Panday,” “Shake, Rattle & Roll XI,” and “Wapakman” – are nominees for Best Festival Picture (Gatpuno Antonio J. Villegas Cultural Award, the 2nd Best Festival Picture and 3rd Best Festival Picture).

Among the nominees for Best Festival Actor are: Bong Revilla (“Panday”), Dolphy (“Nobody, Nobody but Juan”), Vic Sotto (“Ang Darling Kong Aswang”), Gabby Concepcion and Derek Ramsay (“I Love You, Goodbye”), and Manny Pacquiao (“Wapakman”).

For Best Festival Actress, among the nominees are: Sharon Cuneta (“Mano Po 6”), Angelica Panganiban (“I Love You, Goodbye”), Cristine Reyes (“Ang Darling Kong Aswang”), and Iza Calzado (“Panday”).

For Festival Best Director: Joel Lamangan (“Mano Po 6”), Mac Alejandre (“Panday”), Laurice Guillen (“I Love You, Goodbye”), Tony Y. Reyes (“Ang Darling Kong Aswang”), Enrico Quizon (“Noboby, Nobody but Juan”), Rico Gutierrez, Don Michael Perez and Jessel Monteverde (“Shake, Rattle & Roll XI”), and Tofel Lee (“Wapakman”).

For Best Festival Supporting Actor, among the nominees are: Phillip Salvador (“Panday”), Dennis Trillo (“Mano Po 6”), Eric Quizon, Jeffrey Quizon and Eddie Garcia (“Nobody, Nobody but Juan”), Jojo Alejar (“Wapakman”), and John Lapus (“Shake, Rattle & Roll XI”).

For Best Festival Supporting Actress: Zsa Zsa Padilla and Heart Evangelista (“Mano Po 6”), Agot Isidro (“Ang Darling Kong Aswang”), Kim Chiu (“I Love You, Goodbye”), Heart Evangelista (“Nobody, Noboby but Juan”), and Rhian Ramos (“Panday”).

For Best Festival Screenplay: Roy Iglesias (“Mano Po 6”), Laurice Guillen and Mark Meily (“I Love You, Goodbye”), Eric Quizon and Bibeth Orteza (“Nobody, Nobody but Juan”), RJ Nuevas (“Panday”), and Bibeth Orteza and Anna Karenina Ramos (“Ang Darling Kong Aswang”).

For Best Festival Original Story: Roy Iglesias (“Mano Po 6”), Vanessa Valdez, Anna Karenina Ramos and Kriz Gazmen (“I Love You, Goodbye”), Carlo J. Caparas (“Panday”), Bibeth Orteza, Vic Sotto and Tony Y. Reyes (“Ang Darling Kong Aswang”), Eric Quizon and Bibeth Orteza (“Nobody, Nobody but Juan”), Emman dela Cruz (“Wapakman”), and Gina Marie Tagasa, Elmer Gatchalian and Renato Custodio (“Shake, Rattle & Roll XI”).

For Best Festival Cinematography: Moises Zee (“Mano Po 6”), Lee Briones-Meily (“I Love You, Goodbye”), Regiben Romano (“Panday”), Lito Mempin (“Ang Darling Kong Aswang”), Ricardo Jose Trofeo (“Nobody, Nobody but Juan”), Juan Lorenzo Orendain and Louie Quirino (“Shake, Rattle & Roll XI”), and Luis Quirino (“Wapakman”).