The 2018 National Arts Month in Bohol will open February 8 at the Bohol Cultural Center with a special tribute to Maryo J. de los Reyes, a multi-awarded film director rooted in the island province, who died of cardiac arrest January 27 in Dapitan.
The Biyaheng Sining-Bohol will kick-off with road tour workshops from February 9-11 of Kontemporaryong Gamelan Pilipino (KONTRAGAPI), the multi-awarded resident ethnic music and dance ensemble of the University of the Philippines headed by artistic director Edru Abraham, in Maribojoc, Tubigon, Loon and Tagbilaran. Screenings of the 2017 Manila Film Festival winner LARAWAN, the movie musical, will follow on February 13.
“We are both happy and sad for this unforgettable month of February: happy because of the exciting events we have lined up for Arts Month. Sad because of the early demise of the Boholano brilliant movie and TV director Maryo J. los Reyes, who megged the incomparable ‘Magnifico’ and ‘Bamboo Flowers,’” said Lutgardo Labad, head of Bohol Film Commission.
De los Reyes, who inaugurated December 30 his retirement house and compound in Dau, Tagbilaran, planned to make a movie about the life of Boholano hero Francisco Sandrejas, popularly known as Dagohoy, and another film based on incidents during the second World War involving the Balili heritage house in the provincial capital, Labad disclosed.
The prolific filmmaker brought TOFARM films to Bohol audiences in July 2017 produced, he said, “to elicit awareness and excitement among filmmakers to craft films that reflect the life of Filipino farmers.” He was TOFARM Film Festival director.
In a party for 2018 New Year countdown held in Gloria Balili-Katz’s residence in Dauis town, he told guests that his next film in Bohol will be titled, “Kasingkasing” or “Heart” in Cebuano/Boholano. In 2012, he directed “Bamboo Flowers,” a movie about the aspirations of some islanders with the scenic Abatan River as backdrop.
The KONTRAGPI road tour workshops intend to “equip Boholano musical artists with a broader range of knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for more creative, more nuanced, vibrant and original musical creation,” composer-director Labad shared.
KONTRAGAPI, he said, “draws inspiration from the wealth and depth of Asia through performances in the repertoire of all original music, dance mime and song using a variety of instruments from the region.’ He expressed hope that the exposureto the group “will help enhance the quality of musical arrangement composition and performance of musical ensembles in Bohol and expose our student populations to quality music from outside Bohol.”
The musical team will hold lecture-demonstrations and perform in the following towns: On February 8 at the Bohol Cultural Center at 2:00 pm as part of the February Arts Month Celebration of the province and at 4:30 pm for Tagbilaran City Schools; On February 9 in Maribojoc Cultural and Sports Center (9 am to 1 pm), and Tubigon Cultural Center (3:30 pm to 7 pm); on February 10 in Loon (9 am to 2 pm), Loon; and Tagbilaran (5:00 pm to 7pm), at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary Auditorium. On February 11, at 6:00 pm KONTRAGAPI joins in at the BALUT BEER BALAK literary festival by the Bohol KAKA Society at the CPG Ancestral House Grounds.
The Biyaheng Pelikula featuring LARAWAN, the movie musical, aim “to raise the awareness of the Boholano community, students in particular, on the life and works of National Artist for Literature NICK JOAQUIN, and on the art of film-making utilizing the recent LARAWAN, the movie musical, as venue for such engagement,” says a brief by Kasing-Sining Teatro-Bol-anon.
LARAWAN THE MOVIE MUSICAL is the film adaptation of yet another musical theater adaptation of the Filipino literature and theater classic PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST AS FILIPINO, now popularly known as LARAWAN or ANG LARAWAN, created by National Artist Nick Joaquin. This film version bagged several major awards in the recent 43rd MMFF Competitions, namely: Best Picture, Best Musical Score, Best Production Design, Gatpuno Antonio Villegas Cultural Award.
LARAWANwill be screened at the Bohol Cultural Center on February 13 or February 16 with the following time slots:
-
- 9:30 am; 1:00pm; and 3:30 pm with tickets at P80 per student for groups; 100 students and above;
- 6:00 pm GALA EVENT with a LIVE SYMPOSIUM WITH THE STARS (Celeste Legazpi and Rachel Alejandro) and screening of the movie with tickets at P200
The 2018 National Arts Month Celebration has been organized in Bohol under the auspices of the Office of the Governor’s Center for Culture and Arts Development (CCAD) in cooperation with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Film Development Council of the Philippines, City Government of Tagbilaran, DEPED, Bohol Film Commission and Kasing Sining Teatro Bol-anon Ensemble. (Cooper Resabal)