If you’ve seen the trailer of Felix Manalo, and if you hadn’t seen the founder of Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), a Christian sect in this country, you’d ask, “was that how he looked like when he was still alive?”
The many kapatid who have seen it seemed incredulous with the resemblance of the actor to the real person. Even Dennis Trillo, who plays Felix Manalo, was surprised to see how he had grown closer to the character physically.
“Sabi nga nila, hawig daw ako kay Ka Felix, tapos tiningnan ko yung ibang eksena (Many say I had a close resemblance to Ka Felix, so I watched some of the scenes) and I wondered how,” the actor told me after the press conference for the film at Gloria Maris in Gateway at the Araneta Center.
Felix Manalo is an Iglesia ni Cristo-funded production for VIVA Films. It is another project of epic proportion and is still on its finishing stages as of press time. It presents the story of Felix Manalo and is set for release in theaters nationwide on Oct. 7. Joel Lamangan directs the nearly three hours long cinematic biopic.
Dennis Trillo in the film is Felix Manalo, the First Executive Minister of Iglesia ni Cristo, and Bela Padilla is Honorata, his wife.
The film traces the origins and growth of INC church from its humble beginnings in 1914 through to the present day.
The film moves from the time of Felix’s birth in 1886 until his death in 1963.
Shooting took all of 57 days over a period of eight months involving some of the country’s award-winning production people whose extensive research, through the accommodation of the Iglesia ni Cristo, resulted in elaborate production sets and costumes that replicate multiple or specific time periods depicted in the movie.
Will the film look like an expensive profile-raising material for INC?
Lamangan said, “I don’t think so. Of course we tried to be as faithful to the life of Ka Felix and we consulted their council in presenting sensitive scenes. We have to make sure that the things we present in the film is according to INC’s set of rules and beliefs. Otherwise, we would be creating an anti-INC film.”
So, Catholics and members of other religious sects can watch this film without being annoyed by pontifications of its main characters?
Lamangan said that it is inevitable that the characters would mouth “mga doktrina” during their discourses, “but these are all within the dramatic interplay during the film. That is the reason we took this long to complete the film to make sure the movie is secular and not religious.”
Interestingly, Felix Manalo cuts across deeply rooted religions as it relays Ka Felix’s trials and tribulations in his search for truth and his faith.
It is an excellent showcase of how one man can overcome challenges about his love of God.
The film is essentially a love story between God and man, between Ka Felix and his faith in God, Ka Felix and his wife Honorata and Ka Felix and the Iglesia ni Cristo.
The audience will come to know, through the film, who Ka Felix was as it depicts him like any normal human being — a dutiful husband and a doting father.
The top-notch production names included in Joel’s team are director of photography Rody Lacap, costume designer Joel Marcelo Bilbao, production designer Edgar Littaua, Danny Red, set design and construction, musical director Von de Guzman and sound engineer Albert Michael Idioma.
Lending support to Dennis and Bela, meanwhile, is a cast of a hundred stars like Lorna Tolentino, Gabby Concepcion, Richard Yap, MyleneDizon, Yul Servo and more.
For a sneak peek on Felix Manalo’s teaser trailer and other updates, visit VIVA ENT YouTube channel and its official website www.felixmanalothemovie.com.
COMGUILD, EdukCircle Awards honor Kapuso
GMA News and Public Affairs further strengthened its stature as the most trusted news organization in the country as it seized various distinctions from the 10th COMGUILD Media Awards and the 5th EdukCircle Film and Television Awards in two ceremonies held over the weekend.
On Aug. 16, COMGUILD Center for Journalism recognized GMA News’ Jessica Soho as the Media Persona of Excellence. Soho also is now in the 2015 Hall of Fame for the Most Outstanding Female News Presenter after winning in the same category for four consecutive years. Her Sunday news magazine program Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, meanwhile, scored the Best Magazine Show award.
Kara David was also inaugurated into the 2015 Hall of Fame for the Best Female Field Reporter. David hosts I-Witness and Powerhouse, and co-anchors GMA News TV’s News To Go.
Soho and David now join the roster of COMGUILD Hall of Fame winners along with Mel Tiangco (Most Outstanding Female News Presenter) and Jiggy Manicad (Best Male Field Reporter).
Mike Enriquez, in turn, took home the Most Outstanding Male News Presenter of the Year accolade; while GMA’s 24 Oras was cited as the Best News Program of the Year, making it a candidate for the COMGUILD Hall of Fame citation next year.Meanwhile, the Best Educational Program and Best Lifestyle Program recognitions were given to Born to be Wild (with Ferdz Recio and Nielsen Donato) and GMA News TV’s Biyahe ni Drew (with Drew Arellano).
Dingdong Dantes completed the Network’s COMGUILD list of winners with the Most Popular Television Personality of the Year. The awarding ceremonies were held at the Henry Lee Irwin Theater of the Ateneo de Manila University. The event coincided with the 10th Annual Conference of Journalism and Mass Communication Students of the Philippines with the theme “Mass Media in the Verge of Information and Transformation.”
EdukCircle Film and TV Awards, an award-giving body that honors exemplary film and TV personalities, for its part, also heralded Soho the day before COMMGUILD’s, as the Best Female News Anchor of the Year for GMA News TV’s State of the Nation.
Mel Tiangco, who co-anchors 24 Oras and hosts Magpakailanman, received the Most Outstanding Journalist in Public Service citation for GMA Kapuso Foundation.
Finally, Pinoy MD’s Connie Sison accepted the Best Health Show Host award at the UP Theater of the University of the Philippines in Diliman during the 12th International EdukCircle Convention on Psychology and Media Communication.
New promotions
Congratulations to Jose Mari R. Abacan and Joseph Jerome T. Francia of the Kapuso network.
GMA Network recently announced their promotion of to the position of First Vice President.
Abacan was appointed First Vice President for Program Management. Abacan paved the way for GMA to become the pioneer in Koreanovelas in the country by introducing the likes of Full House, Stairway to Heaven, and Jewel in the Palace – all of which drove the ratings of the Network – to the Filipino audience. As the new First VP for Program Management, he will continue to lead and oversee all program acquisition initiatives from foreign producers, while ensuring that these are responsive to the viewers’ consistently changing preferences.
Abacan has been with the company since 1993 and rose through the ranks being a Project Coordinator, Program Unit Manager, Program Manager and eventually, Vice President for Program Management in 2005. With more than two decades of experience in program management, he has been selected as a juror at the International Emmy Awards on multiple occasions and is a key figure behind award-winning programs, GMA Telesine and Pira-Pirasong Pangarap. Concurrently, he will continue to serve as Project Director of GMA Network Films, working closely with its President in conceptualizing and producing various movies. Abacan holds a Psychology degree from De La Salle University Manila.
Meanwhile,. Francia was named First Vice President and Head of International Operations. Francia is credited with negotiating content distribution deals for the Network’s premium channels GMA Pinoy TV, GMA Life TV, and GMA News TV International with international multi-platform pay-TV giants.
With these deals, he has successfully launched a multi-million dollar international content distribution business, with thriving affiliate relationships with pay-video operators in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and other Asia-Pacific territories, as well as various countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. In his new position, Francia will continue to be responsible for the Network’s international operations together with his team composed of programming, marketing, business development, and broadcast operations professionals in the country as well as abroad. He has been with the company starting 2004.
Francia graduated with a degree in Journalism at the University of the Philippines Diliman. He is an alumnus of the Post-MBA Program of the Kellogg School of Management in Illinois, USA and a High Distinction alumnus of the MBA program of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He also attended the CTAM U Executive Management Program at the Harvard Business School in Massachusetts, USA. (30)