The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) has successfully gathered friends from the press, film workers and luminaries, and the agency’s stakeholders in a star-studded event that celebrated the wins of Filipino filmmakers overcoming the challenges of filming during a pandemic.
A total of 77 honorees were feted at the Film Ambassadors’ Night, an in-person event held Sunday at the newly renovated Metropolitan Theater (MET) in Manila. The telecast date via the FDCP Channel will be announced at a later date.
During a media event, held prior to the gathering, the FDCP welcomed more than 40 of its media partners at the agency’s first in-person press conference after two years of holding media events online. About the same number of friends from the press joined the occasion virtually via Zoom.
FDCP Chairperson and CEO, Liza Diño together with Film Ambassadors Adam Dumaguin and Jek Jumawan, shared what’s in store for the honorees at this year’s exclusive Film Ambassadors’ Night that goes with the theme “Beyond Limits” in recognition of the efforts and creative artistry of Filipino filmmakers as shown by their continuous presence in the international scene despite the pandemic.
Dumaguin, a 21-year-old filmmaker, won 3rd Place for his debut short film, My House at the AGBO Film – No Sleep ‘til Film Fest in California, USA last May 2021.
Jumawan, a Senior High School teacher, won best actor “Sun of the East Award” for Pas-an (Carried Burdens) at the Tagore International Film Festival in India last April 2021.
My House is one of the 21 honorees for the short film category while Jumawan is one of the four short film actor honorees.
John Arcilla, A-List Awardee and one of the recipients of the Camera Obscura Award for On the Job: The Missing 8, graced the event as an online participant. Some of the other honorees who were also present virtually were: Hannah Ragudos, director of the Short Film Honoree Ana Bikhayr (Okay Lang Ako); Khent Cacho, director of the Short Film Honoree Ora Miss Mo; Patti Lapus, producer of the Feature Film Honoree Midnight in a Perfect World; and Cedrick Juan, Feature Film Actor Honoree for Gitarista.
“FDCP’s objective for FAN is to celebrate our filmmakers’ successes. We have gone so far in bringing Philippine cinema to the world but we still have so much to do. We continue to create content and we continue to represent the Philippines through our stories,” Diño said.
The annual celebration of Philippine cinema continues to be a symbol of hope for the future of Filipino filmmakers in setting the standards to be a globally competitive industry.
