Heard of the name Frank Lloyd Mamaril? Bet you had, if you follow much of the events on the lifestyle scene.
Mamaril had been involved in projects like the Miss World 2013 pageant in charge of the on-air videos of the show, also the NCAA Opening TV coverage last year (his first from the production numbers to the overall execution).
The young director was also the guy behind the first major concert of Morisette, which gave him a feeling of being in the circle of major concert directors. Then it was followed by Lani Misalucha’s Love Catcher concert that won an a Star Award for Music in 2016 as Concert of the Year.
Mamaril’s portfolio is also bursting with accomplishments in music video direction, TV Specials (for Metro Magazine) and a gig with an international TV channel (Stylist, Inc. on E!)
But when you talk with Mamaril, he doesn’t have that usual attitude common to individuals that had attained a certain level of stature in their fields, talking like they are God’s gift to their profession. Mamaril is grounded, humble and very soft spoken. Almost shy to the point that you have to egg him on to say what he really dreams of becoming despite the accomplishments that he had accumulated for his portfolio.
The former Multimedia Arts lecturer at College of St. Benilde of De La Salle University and now teaching content production at Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Valenzuela right in his hometown says, “I am tired of teaching at a university where everything is readily available. I challenge myself even more by teaching in a state college, proving that it is never a hindrance to be creative not having the facilities and equipment.”
Mamaril never fails to mention that it is really hard work and a great amount of courage, his failures, and faith that took him to where he is now.
All he wanted to do at the beginning was to tell stories, and this passion remains the foundation of his every single undertaking. “I create because I believe that there is something more beyond giving life to an idea or concept. It’s all about making an impact and telling a story, a good story,” he said.
FLM Creatives, Inc., the company he founded and heads, I gearing up for more projects this year. Mamaril is now preparing to launch himself as a movie director, “something I wish people would like and patronize. He said he has a concept and story in mind and is just scouting for possible partners so he’d be able to realize his ultimate dream of being a filmmaker.
Mamaril is young. Only 32 years old, he has all the time to mold his project and himself into something the world will celebrate once he has made it into a reality.
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AiAi de las Alas, otherwise known as the Comedy Queen in local entertainment, is also a sought after product endorser. Recently she signed with Grainsmart as the first celebrity endorser of the country’s leading rice retailer.
At Astoria Hotel where she inked the deal with the rice retailer, she was welcome by Jenny Velasco, operations manager of Grainsmart and Vic Echegoyen, Sales and Marketing Manager.
De las Alas is very happy till today she is still trusted by people, like the ones behind Grainsmart, to help them in their business endeavors.
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From the Land of Stories itself, Czech Embassy Manila, in partnership with the Film Development Council of the Philippines, debuts its first yearlong film festival, Czech Movie Gems.
Hosted by Cinematheque Centre Manila, Czech Movie Gems features a spectacular line-up of films spanning almost 50 years from the 1950s to the 2000s. Screening every second Wednesday of the month, 13 films of different genres from drama, comedy, romance, musical to science fiction, animation, historical and war will be screened until January 2019.
Kick-starting the festival on Jan. 10 was Academy-award winning movie, Kolya (1996) directed by Jan Sverák. Another Sverák masterpiece that will be featured in the Czech Movie Gems selection is Dark Blue World (2001) – the Czech’s answer to the US’ blockbuster Pearl Harbor. Set during World War II which followed the intertwined fates of a group of Czech pilots fighting Nazi Germany alongside the British arms and the love struggle of two men as they both fall for the same woman.
For the Sci-Fi fanatics, Czech Movie Gems offer the throwback movie must-watch for Star Trek avid fans, Ikarie XB-1 (1963). Its re-mastered version recently screened as part of the Cannes Classics selection will bring to the Filipino viewers a story of spaceship travel. After its wide US release, it inspired the creators of the first Star Trek TV series.
Other films included in the Czech Movie Gems selection are: King of Šumava (1959), a black and white communist political propaganda piece with great cinematography; Rebels (2001), a musical 60s retro-movie of two star-crossed lovers; Beauty in Trouble (2006) tells the story of a young, beautiful and troubled woman falling in love with a foreigner; Markéta Lazarová (1967) a cult classic about a battle between a King and a minor clan against the backdrop of Christianity replacing Paganism during the medieval times.