MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), in anticipation of the 6th Film Ambassadors’ Night, gathered friends from the press last Feb. 22, 2022 in Quezon City.
The FDCP welcomed more than 40 of their 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 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. Dumaguin admits that his win was unexpected, “fast forward to a year from that win, nandito po ako sa harap niyo, until now I’m still taking everything in and using everything for experience.”
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. “Iyong dala mo ang pangalan ng Pilipinas sa paglahok mo roon [international film festivals] at mabigyang parangal, talagang nakakataba ng puso,” Jumawan remarked.
“My House” is one of the twenty one 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.”
All of the 77 honorees — including the Camera Obscura and Gabay ng Industriya Awards to be conferred by the FDCP — will all be feted at the Film Ambassadors’ Night on Feb. 27, 2022 to be held in the historic architectural landmark, The Manila Metropolitan Theater.
In the press conference, FDCP Chairperson and CEO, Liza Diño expressed “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 also clarified, “We name them ‘film ambassadors’ because they represent our cinema, they promote our films in different parts of the world by joining international film festivals. We give importance to these recognitions because they are creating platforms for our Filipino filmmakers to be showcased in that particular country where their films were screened.” She added, “With more than 7000 film festivals all over the world every year, our role is to find the legitimate ones. Our criteria is on the film festivals and not on the filmmakers.”
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. This year’s Film Ambassadors’ Night is special as it will also celebrate not just the wins, but the courage and strength of Filipino filmmakers overcoming the challenges of filming during a global pandemic in the past year–and despite these challenges, still get to represent the country in the world stage. Film Ambassadors’ Night 2022 will be an in-person event this Sunday exclusive to honorees. Telecast date via the FDCP Channel will be announced at a later date.
