- The FAMAS Awards 2018
- The inspiring story behind FAMAS Awards 2018
It was almost instinctive. Everyone said yes right away. Each jury member believes FAMAS is a tradition worth saving. “Pang-FAMAS ang acting. Pang-FAMAS ang pelikula. (Acting deserving of the FAMAS. A film worthy of the FAMAS)” It used to be generic for cinematic excellence.
Ricky Lee was approached by Madonna Sanchez, Megavision, and Famas 2018 Awards producer, to head the FAMAS jury. The mandate was to instill change. He said yes on several conditions: that the jury be independent; that he be given a free hand in the selection of all jury members; that awards be given to short and documentary films; that the award for best story be eliminated and awards be given instead for original and adapted screenplay; that the award for best child performer be scrapped.
The conditions were met. The three handpicked sets of juries for the three section– full-length documentary, short film, and full-length feature– composed of film practitioners, academicians, and film reviewers were completed. Rules were crafted. Thus, began the screening of over a hundred movies.
Ricky’s philosophy was clear. There is only one Philippine cinema and this is not divided into mainstream or indie, commercial or artistic. The present landscape has grown so vast that it is imperative that all forces that define Philippine cinema be included. Inclusivity is a must. And there is only one major criterion — cinematic excellence. And cinematic excellence is driven by craft, substance, and the manner by which the medium is used to achieve a vision or how the parameters of the medium are stretched to find new or innovative ways of expressing a filmmaker’s message.
There are 10 jury members for a full-length feature, four members for a documentary, and four members for short films. Ricky heads all three sections. Votes are tabulated to help determine the shortlist for each category, but all voting is superseded by the outcome of the deliberation. Therefore, it is not surprising if a film that may not figure well in the tabulation can land in the final list after a thorough deliberation.
Ricky doesn’t vote. In principle, he may, in case of a tie. But he encourages all jury members to deliberate. He joins in the discussion. He leads and arbitrates. In the end, the jury members make the final choices.
Why FAMAS?
“Why not? Famas is a tradition. We grew up with Famas. Whatever happened along the way, we were asked to help, and we want to help,” Ricky states.
“Malaki ang utang na loob ko sa awards dahil malaking bahagi ng pagkakakilala sa akin ay dahil sa mga award na natanggap ko. Pero hindi ako naniniwala sa awards dahil para nitong pinagboboksing ang mga pelikula. But this is a tradition na siguro ay nakakatulong para mabuhay ang interes sa pelikula. I can recognize that pero gusto ko i-share ang aking pananaw. (I owe a lot to awards because a large measure of why I became known was because of the awards I received. But I don’t believe in awards that pit films against each other like boxers in a ring. But this is a tradition that may help revive interest in films. I can recognize that but I want to share my views.) There were a lot of exceptional movies in 2017 and that should be celebrated. Perhaps equal to awarding the FAMAS trophy is the recognition that the past year was a golden harvest of cinematic gems,” Ricky emphasizes.
FAMAS 2018 is a celebration of the cinematic achievements of all the filmmakers and the list of nominees is proof that there is an abundance of outstanding films: films that move and inspire, films that make a statement on our present realities, films that create a new reality and share new insights on events that happened decades ago, films that go inside the mind of the young and allow us to take a peek at points-of-view we may have sometimes ignored.
Ricky emphasizes; “We celebrate achievements in the technical and creative aspects of filmmaking. We celebrate performances. We cannot say this actor is better than the other actor or this director is better than the other director. I would like to think that we are recognizing achievements by awarding them with nominations and we give the FAMAS trophy to the one who we think gave the most remarkable achievement.”
The Nominees
How can one define the spectrum of a list that purports to include only the best?
Balangiga: Howling Wilderness is a period piece of visual poetry set in the aftermath of the Balangiga massacre. It stars three non-actors– a grandfather and two children. One of the children is a toddler. All three give powerful performances and help define the world the movie created with messages on patriotism, the savagery of war, children as victims and many more.
On the other hand, Love You To The Stars and Back is a big studio movie that uses the rom-com genre as a springboard. But the filmmaker brilliantly traverses and breaks formulaic elements to come up with a film that is sincere and affecting as it poses questions on love, mortality, and relationships. Needless to say, the performances in this film are highly commendable.
Yield is a powerful documentary that follows the lives of a number of children over a span of a couple of years. The cinema verite documentary derives its power not only from its subjects but also from the use of cinematic elements to drive home its statement on the helplessness of children and the physically afflicted in the midst of poverty.
Yield is nominated in several categories including achievement in directing and best picture. This may look new to some but a documentary is a non-fiction narrative and, for all intents and purposes, is eligible for recognition in the full-length feature section.
“Lines are blurred among cinematic formats and genre. At tama yon. Ang isang documentary, hindi man singlakas ng hatak sa mga manonood tulad ng isang commercial film, ay isang narrative na ang intent at power ay walang ipinagkaiba sa kinikilala nating feature films. Ang kakulangan ng hatak sa manonood ay hindi batayan upang isantabi ang halaga niya sa cinematic landsacape. Mas dapat ngang matulungan ang mga manonood na makilala ang documentary films dahil ang saysay nito ay mahalaga. Ginagawa na ito sa mga malalaking international film festival, sa Oscar awards, eligible ang mga documentary film para sa best picture award, ang rebolusyonaryong MMFF noong 2016 ay ginawa na ito. (And that is correct. A documentary, even if does not pull in audiences as much as a commercial film, is a narrative whose intent and power are no different from the feature films we are familiar with. This lack of audience pull is not a basis to set aside their importance in the cinematic landscape. We should popularize documentary films even more because their relevance is important. This practice is already being done in major international festivals. In the Oscars, documentary films are eligible for the best picture award. This was also done in the revolutionary MMFF in 2016.),” Ricky explains.
The short films’ list comprises of 10 titles that use various genres. Despite their short runtime of three to 25 minutes, these films deliver stories that punch at one’s sensibility and consciousness and push the limits of the short-medium. This is an important section. As technology has democratized film production, each one has the power to tell his story in a cinematic language he may desire.
Ricky stresses; “Films contribute to our collective consciousness and awareness. They are a great part of our culture. The value of a film is not dictated by the number of viewers but by the message and vision the film imparts.”
“Every film, whatever genre it uses, carries with it a statement. And a good film carries a statement that is true and just. The artists who worked in the nominated films bear the truth that gives value to the meaning of life and humanity. They not only give voice to truth and justice but they serve the underprivileged whose voices, dreams and desires are drowned in the murky sea of untruth and injustice. In the end, films may entertain, educate, or stir emotions. But a good film serves a greater purpose of questioning the human condition. The nominated films do this and more. This is a great reason to cheer them on.“
Do awards matter?
For some, an award is a validation of their truth. For others, awards encourage them to produce more movies that, they perceive, matter. For the FAMAS jury, the 66th FAMAS Awards serves as a platform to celebrate the good movies of the past year, informing the public about what the jury feels are the values one should look for in appreciating a worthy work. It is an occasion where filmmakers can interact with each other and revel in the celebration that in 2017 their films are a testament to a job well done.
The 66th FAMAS Awards will be held on June 10, Sunday at The Theater at Solaire. (Miguel Claro)
