ON TV, DIRECTOR Joel Lamangan megs light confections like the hit telefantasya “
Magic Palayok”. On the big screen, he’s been making nothing but socially relevant films lately like the award-winning “Dukot” and “Sigwa”. He has completed “
Deadline” about warlordism and the wanton murders of media people. It has yet to have its premiere night on June 28, but he has now also finished a new meaningful film, “Patikul”, which was screened at the classy Bantayog Memorial preview room. An entry in the Cinemalaya Directors Showcase, it’ll be shown at the CCP and Greenbelt 3 starting July 16. “I was a judge in the Palanca scriptwriting contest last year and when I read the original script of Kristoffer Brugada for ‘
Patikul’, I immediately liked it,” he says. “It won first prize then I contacted him and told him I want to film it. We entered it in Cinemalaya at natuwa kami nang makuha. Heto ngayon, pelikula na. It’s the fight for education and literacy in the very poor town of Patikul in Sulu. The coffee farms who live there are used to the war between the military and the Abu Sayyaf. They see education as their ticket to a better life, so when the Abu Sayyaf killed the school’s principal, played by Marvin Agustin, they took up arms to protect the teachers who get scared of reporting for work. Allen Dizon plays Amman, the leader of the coffee farms who convinces his townmates to take action for the sake of their kids. Also in the cast are
Glaiza de Castro as the teacher who replaces Marvin, with Ciara Sotto and Dimples Romana among the parents. Lahat sila, napakagagaling.”
We’d like to congratulate Direk Joel for the big success of “Sigwa” in the Star Awards last Tuesday night. So far, it has already won best picture and best director for Direk Joel in Golden Screen and Gawad Tanglaw. In Golden Screen, it also won best supporting actor and actress awards for Tirso Cruz III and Zsa Zsa Padilla. At the Star Awards, it won best digital film and best director, plus best supporting actor again for Tirso and four technical awards. It’s truly vindicated after the Cinemalaya largely ignored it last year. In contrast, the choices of the jurors there didn’t win in other award giving derbies this year.
