Raymond Red’s Himpapawid tops YCC honors for distinguished achievement in film in 2010

Raymond Red’s Himpapawid swept five of six categories of the annual awards of the Film Desk of the Young Critics’ Circle for film year 2010. The tragic drama of a deranged hijacker pushed to his limits by modernity’s dehumanizing and oppressive social relations was voted Best Film of the Year and conferred recognition for Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Visual Design, Best Film Editing and Best Performance for Raul Arellano. It won over two other nominees for the best film category: Remton Siega Zuasola’s Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria and Jerrold Tarog’s Punerarya (an episode of Shake, Rattle & Roll 12).

Tarog’s Punerarya, which garnered nominations in all categories, scored in Best Sound and Aural Orchestration, and the film’s lead performer Carla Abellana tied with Arellano for Best Performance. Zuasola’s Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria got nominations in all categories, except in performance.

YCC cites Himpapawid for intelligently plunging into the ironies and complexities of interstitial spaces left open by the tensive relations between social injustice and individual redemption. The film’s trope of escape, flying, fleeing and migration frames the desperation and angst of characters negotiating the countryside’s abjection, the city’s inhumanity, and society’s decaying institutions. While all characters are eventually trapped in several labyrinths of debilitating alienation, the film succeeds in investigating the poignant circularity of humanity’s convoluted fall – which draws us into reframing the materiality of the human condition, in general, and the impoverishment of Filipinos, in particular, all in terms simultaneously dialectic, cyclical and spiral.

Only Himpapawid, Punerarya and Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria made it to YCC’s short list, which is composed of films that got the nod of majority of the members of the organization. Only short-listed films earn the privilege to be nominated for any of the six categories. YCC does not confer nominations on artistic or technical merit if the film does not qualify in the short list. This is one of the major departures of the YCC from all award-giving bodies in the country.

Established in 1990, YCC is composed of members of academe who, through the years, have become attentive observers of Philippine cinema. Coming from various disciplines, they bring an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of film. Current members of the organization are from the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University.
The organization departs from many conventions of other award-giving bodies both here and abroad in bestowing cinematic honors. For instance, the award for Best Film of the Year is reserved for the director such that no separate prize for direction is needed. The Best Performance award is most coveted as it is conferred on a screen performer whether male or female, adult or child, individual or as part of an ensemble, in leading or supporting role. To uphold a more dynamic and encompassing way of looking at films, technical honors refer to fusion of outstanding efforts in fields otherwise deemed apart. In this case, the Best Cinematography and Visual Design recognition covers both camerawork and art direction. Similarly, Best Sound and Aural Orchestration encompasses not sound engineering alone but musical score as well.
Schedule for the awards presentations has yet to be arranged.
Here is the complete list of winners and nominees for this year’s YCC film awards:
The Film Desk of the Young Critics’ Circle
21st Annual Circle Citations for Distinguished Achievement in Film for 2010

Best Film of the Year:

Winner: Himpapawid directed by Raymond Red (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production; Raymond Red, David Hukom, Roger Garcia and Butch Jimenez, producers; Jimmy Duavit and Oli Laperal, associate producers)
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria directed by Remton Siega Zuasola (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures; Jiji Borlasa and Beverly Tañedo, producers; Ronald Arguelles, executive producer; Sherad Anthony Sanchez, supervising producer)
Punerarya (episode of Shake, Rattle & Roll 12) directed by Jerrold Tarog (Regal Entertainment; Lily Monteverde, executive producer; Roselle Monteverde-Teo, producer; Sarah Pagcaliwagan, associate producer; Manny Valera, supervising producer)

Best Screenplay:

Winner: Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – Raymond Red
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures) – Remton Siega Zuasola
Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Onay Sales and Aloy Adlawan
Best Performance by Male or Female, Adult or Child, Individual or Ensemble in Leading or Supporting Role

Winners:
Carla Abellana in Punerarya (Regal Entertainment); and
Raul Arellano in Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production)
No other nominees in Best Performance

Best Achievement in Cinematography and Visual Design
Winner: Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – Raymond Red, cinematographer; Danny Red, production designer; Cesar Hernando and Ronald Red, design consultants
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures) – Christian Linaban, cinematographer; Kaloy Uypuanco, production designer; Victor Villanueva, art director; Syrel Lopez, costume
Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Mackie Galvez, director of photography; Benjamin Padero, production designer

Best Achievement in Sound and Aural Orchestration
Winner: Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Lamberto Casas Jr., sound designer and engineer; Jerrold Tarog, musical scorer)
Nominees:
Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – Diwa de Leon, musical scorer
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures) – Vanya Fantonial, sound designer; Jerrold Tarog, musical scorer

Best Achievement in Film Editing
Winner: Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – David Hukom, Jay Halili and Raymond Red
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures)
Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Renewin Alano

Film Desk of the Young Critics Circle 2011: Eulalio R. Guieb III (chair), Flaudette May V. Datuin, Patrick D. Flores, Tessa Maria T. Guazon, Eloisa May P. Hernandez, Jayson Jacobo, Jema Pamintuan, Choy Pangilinan and Jaime Oscar Salazar; on leave: Noel D. Ferrer, Nonoy L. Lauzon, Eileen C. Legaspi-Ramirez, Gerard R. A. Lico, Jerry C. Respeto, Neil Martial R. Santillan and Galileo S. Zafra.
YCC drew its selection from both regular and non-regular releases comprising the entirety of Philippine cinema output in 2010. Films considered for discussion were those that had three or more screenings before a paying or non-paying audience in any public venue. ###