Friday, August 29, 2025

9:00 AM | The Winning Darkness

It is not really a rare case when judges for a literary contest gather together to deliberate on the winners—and find out, to their delighted astonishment, that they practically share the same titles in their shortlists, give or take one or three. It is not a rarity, but it is always a welcome happenstance—because it makes the deliberation easier to accomplish, with no one fighting for stray entries that are nowhere to be found on each other’s lists, making the decision sometimes difficult. This was what happened when the judges for the 2025 Nick Joaquin Literary Awards—poet Marra PL Lanot, fictionist Susan S. Lara, and I—met online over Zoom last August 23. It took less than an hour to agree on the winning titles—covering stories and poems that appeared on Graphic Reader from February 2024 to January 2025—and we spent most of the time just doing chika. We were unanimous in our choices, and by the time this article would see print, these winners would have already been announced last August 28 in a ceremony held at Luxent Hotel in Quezon City.

The NJLA is the annual derby sponsored by Philippines Graphic Magazine, which seeks to award the best short stories and poems published in its monthly literary supplement, Graphic Reader. It is named after the great writer and National Artist for Literature who served as literary editor of the magazine for many years until his death in 2004. [As an aside, I am always happy to note that Nick Joaquin chose one of my stories for publication in the Graphic before he died—a particularly rambunctious piece about a hustler who gets flummoxed when he is “rented out” by a high schooler.] I’ve been shortlisted for the award a few times over the years, but only won the grand prize in 2023, for my story “Ceferina in Apartment 2B.” This year, I stepped in as judge, taking over the spot vacated by one of my writing idols, Butch Dalisay.

It was not an easy task reading and assessing 47 short stories of varying quality, as well as 50+ poems. I had about a month to read through the pile—which was a challenge, because I have somewhat become a “slower” reader recent years, perhaps owing to my ADHD. That meant though that I had to muster all my concentration for each story, and when a fantastic one came my way, my pleasure in the reading was double. There were stories about mysterious goings-on in the Cordilleras that verge on the supernatural; about the historical Enrique in the company of Magellan sailing towards fate in 1521; about serial murderers and serial daters; about good people trapped in the Battle of Manila in 1945; about trans children choosing names;, about ambitious boxers whose dreams get thwarted by the punishing realities of the sport; about commencement speakers embarking on nostalgia trips; about hapless people in love affairs; about storytellers contemplating the doomed love stories they’re penning.

In the end, from our combined shortlists of stories, we fell in love with “All Fall Down” by Menchu Aquino Sarmiento, a comedic comeuppance of the upwardly mobile in society; “Ashfall” by E. V. Rieza, which turns from funny ruminations of a local journalist covering a volcanic eruption to a serious consideration of the tragedy that lies in the end; “Palaspas” by Cesar Miguel Escaño, which is about a boating competition in Dumaguete, and deftly explores the vagaries of revenge, class disparities, and the flimsiness of luck; “Holiday Pay” by Rick Patriarca, which, in two segments, delves into the psyche of an ordinary, down-on-his luck office worker, who finds out that he has been bamboozled by a street vendor—and then shows up a year later with a strange idea for revenge; and finally, “Homecoming” by Joshua Berida—a story that feels epic in its examination of a man who runs away from what is expected of him back home in the Philippines, and tries to find himself in the snowy landscape of Siberia. That story’s minute description of rural life in the wilds of Russia is so maximalist in its breadth, but somehow manages to concentrate all of that into a lean story of loneliness and defiance. I was in awe reading this story. [Note: I have omitted titles that did not land on all our lists.]



These beautiful stories—surprise, surprise—were just our collective runners-up. Eventually, we chose three titles as our winners for the short story: “Dial D for Desire” by George Deoso, bagging first prize; “Angel of Light” by Menchu Aquino Sarmiento, second prize; and “The X-Ray Tech’s Love Story” by Paulino Lim Jr., third prize. These were the stories that haunted me for days on end, after reading them.

Lim’s story glimmers with the deceptive simplicity of two Filipino expats talking, but beneath the ordinary rhythms of conversation is a reservoir of memory, regret, and the weight of lives lived elsewhere. What begins as a casual exchange in a California hospital—two countrymen discovering kinship in shared language—gradually unfurls into a meditation on exile, lost loves, and deferred dreams.

What I love most is the story’s restraint. There is no melodrama here, no need for heightened conflict; instead, Lim allows nuance to do the heavy lifting. Each detail reverberates: the mention of a first love rejected at a rich family’s doorstep, the broken hearts left behind in the Philippines, the delicate balancing act of faith, marriage, and temptation in a new country. The betrayal of infidelity. These are the textures of diaspora, rendered with precision but also with deep compassion. The story ultimately lingers because it understands how loss accumulates quietly in the lives of migrants. The characters talk about jobs, about choir performances, about family routines, but in the spaces between their words, you hear the ache of what might have been. Andy’s roses, dumped into a trash can in youth and sent again decades later, become the story’s quiet emblem: a love story both aborted and rekindled, hopeful and tainted, impossible and unforgettable. And the language—clean, supple, unforced—carries all this with grace. Lim’s prose resists ornament, but each sentence hums with resonance, like a hymn sung under one’s breath. By the end, we realize this is not just Andy’s love story, but also the narrator’s, and perhaps our own: the universal story of what we leave behind, and how memory, in its stubborn persistence, never quite lets us go.

Sarmiento’s story, on the other hand, is truly diabolical—Susan Lara calls it “Jane Austen with an evil twist”—but above all, it is a marvel of character work, an unflinching portrait of privilege gone rancid, of beauty weaponized into cruelty. At its center is Eden Reyes Blanco, doctora, socialite, political wife, and eldest sister who treats her younger siblings as burdens rather than kin. From the first page, Sarmiento renders Eden with such precision—her vanity, her entitlement, her breathtaking lack of empathy—that the reader is both enthralled and appalled.

This is, at heart, a character study of corruption not in the sense of crime or scandal, but in the corrosion of spirit that entitlement produces. Eden is brilliant, accomplished, glamorous. But she is also monstrous: she cannot help but see her sisters not as family but as genetic embarrassments, obstacles to her polished narrative. The brilliance of the story is that it refuses to soften her, and refuses catharsis. There is no redemption arc here, only the relentless unfolding of a woman who has made herself untouchable, even in the face of her sisters’ suffering.

It is, admittedly, a very evil portrait, but therein lies its power. In Eden we see the distillation of a class and a culture that valorizes success while erasing compassion. The Fairview house becomes the story’s cruel pivot: a symbol of inheritance, obligation, and betrayal. Every exchange with her sisters drips with condescension, her veneer of charity little more than transactional cruelty. This is all rendered perfectly in Sarmiento’s cool, exact, surgical prose. There are no easy emotional payoffs, no melodrama, only the chilling recognition that some lives are hollowed out not by tragedy, but by triumph itself. “Angel of Light” dares to give us a protagonist too evil to be forgivable, and in doing so, exposes the banality of privilege at its most corrosive.

Then there is George Deoso’s story. A story I was so envious over, I wanted to be the one to have written it. Alas, George has—and as a former mentor of his at the Silliman University National Writers Workshop, I am so proud at how far he has come with his fiction.

“Dial D for Desire” is a story that thrums with urgency. From its very first scene, we are made to feel the tautness of a world where intimacy is rehearsed, packaged, and sold by the minute, where the borders between work and desire, performance and truth, blur into something at once exhilarating and devastating. At the center is Ruben Rivera, a towering presence who enters the training room at this BPO with the swagger of someone who knows how to command attention. He is brash, magnetic, and impossibly alive. But the story is told through the gaze of a weary male trainer, someone jaded by years of corporate scripts, who finds himself increasingly drawn to Ruben in ways he cannot entirely admit. This tension—erotic, unspoken, dangerous—gives the story its pulse.

It is that erotic charge I responded to the most. It is a story, after all, that is steeped in longing—and longing and heartbreak together has been my own fiction’s province for some time now. Every page in Deoso’s story feels haunted by the ache of unsaid things, by the quiet devastations of queer desire under fluorescent light. The narrator finds himself tethered to Ruben in all his posturing, menace, and tenderness. The story reads like a confession written against the grain of routine. Calls, scripts, metrics … they all dissolve whenever Ruben enters the frame. What remains is the impossible tension of attraction denied its expression, of intimacy glimpsed but never held. Deoso captures that precarious state with a voice both restrained and trembling, the way grief disguises itself in professionalism until it bursts through.

But it is also more than a queer story; it is a searing document of BPO life in the Philippines, where labor and intimacy are commodified in equal measure. The story places us in the world of Phone Love, an outsourcing account that feels very much like a phone-sex enterprise, where agents are required to sell not just time but fantasy, where one’s voice becomes a product line, and where bodies become extensions of the corporate machine. Ruben is presented as a call center veteran whose skill at “selling himself” is both survival strategy and trap. We witness how in him charisma is easily turned into capital, and even how queerness is both marketable and punishable. The brilliance of Deoso’s narrative lies in its ability to show the dissonance between corporate celebration—Ruben as “top performer”—and the lived precarity of workers whose safety, dignity, and very lives remain expendable. But the story refuses to flatten BPO life into neon glamour or economic miracle. Instead, it exposes the psychic violence beneath the headset: the exhaustion of repetition, the erosion of boundaries, the exploitation hidden beneath statistics. When Ruben becomes the target of a violent client’s whims, the company’s response is chilling in its apathy. Profit outweighs protection; labor is nothing more than replaceable flesh. Of course, it ends in tragedy.

Infidelity. A woman’s monstrous lack of empathy. BPO life in a murderous grind. I’m glad that we chose these stories, even if they invite an examination into the darkness of the Filipino soul, our soul. I call these tandem our “winning darkness.” Sometimes, the dark stories are the narratives that best provide the mirror of who we are as a society. They resonated so fiercely, and they stayed with me, mostly because of the painful truths they tried distilling in their dramas.

From these dark tales, we jump to the poetry—and the common titles in our shortlists all vied, with equal vigor, to be the one poem, or suite of poems, that would land its author the distinction of being Poet of the Year. “Bound by the Same Umbilical Cord” by Jim Pascual Agustin. “Four Poems for 2024” by F. Jordan Carnice, who has won the Poet of the Year prize two years in a row. “Parallel Poems, Like Parallel Lines, Don’t Meet” by Cesar Ruiz Aquino. “Consequences, 3 Poems” by Karina Africa Bolasco. “Indignation as Elegy” by Ralph Semino Galán. “A Prayer for Leni Robredo” by Simeon Dumdum Jr. And finally,  “Arranging Furniture at Midnight” by Totel V. de Jesus—which we loved partly because it has cats in it. [Susan and I are cat lovers.]

We eventually chose Joel Toledo as Poet of the Year, with his poem, “Saint-Paul de Mausole Sonnet.” It is a brief but incandescent act of ekphrasis, a poem that remakes Van Gogh’s The Starry Night in language that is at once tender and restless. Beginning with “one crude sketch,” Toledo traces the painter’s fevered transformation of smudge into cosmos, of turbulence into brilliance. What emerges is not a fixed tribute but a moving meditation on the impossibility of stillness—skies become oceans, spires levitate, galaxies sear into being. Addressing the poem itself as “dear sonnet,” Toledo reminds us that art is both sanctuary and struggle, a fragile “nightlight forever” wrested from suffering. It is a plea against silence, a recognition of the unquiet labor that turns pain into radiance. With precision and lyric restraint, Toledo captures Van Gogh’s urgency: nowhere are the hands not moving, and nowhere is the world more alive than in their untethered strokes.

Encountering all these worlds and words in poetry and prose was such a heady experience for me as judge. I love that the NJLA opened my eyes to the kinds of poetry and fiction, at least in English, that is being produced and published these days. I love that in the final conclusion, Philippine literature feels very much alive—and the best of them are still being adequately rewarded, especially in a time when literary creativity is being challenged everywhere.

Labels: awards, fiction, life, philippine literature, philippines graphic, poetry, writers, writing

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Sunday, July 14, 2024

9:00 AM | Searching for Outstanding Dumagueteños

Twenty-five years ago, on 23 November 1998, sixteen individuals from all walks of life in Dumaguete City were recognized for their immense contributions to its history, culture, and heritage, in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the charter of Dumaguete. This was the first and [until this year] the only time such a recognition was undertaken by the LGU.

The programme for that recognition night at the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium noted that “a span of fifty years is an indelible mark in [Dumaguete’s] history… an event we cannot ignore as a city and as a people.” It spoke of those fifty years as a time when Dumagueteños, as a people, “metamorphosed into a community of diverse talents, people desirous to break free from the clutches of economic difficulties, hopeful, patient, prayerful, peaceful, and persistent.”

The sixteen awardees of that Golden Anniversary celebration were divided into two categories: the Outstanding Dumagueteño Awardees, who were living recipients, and the Heritage Awardees, who were posthumous recipients—and all were chosen by the Awards Committee, led by Prof. Carlos Magtolis Jr., based on the criteria of personal qualities and character; demonstrated competence in their field and impact on the community; and professional or community involvement outside of their area of responsibility.

The Heritage Awardees included Canuto “Cate” V. Villariza, “for [being] the composer of ‘Dumaguete [Do You Hear Me Calling?],’ adopted as the official Dumaguete City Song in a Sangguniang Panglungsod Resolution dated January 1993”; Jose “Tatang” Garcia, “for [being] the doctor who rendered the best service to his country and to his people, with numerous residents of the city [becoming] recipients of his healing touch as he endeavored to uplift the quality of life of the people and the health care in hospitals”; Ma. Concepcion M. Roble, “for [being] the Dean of the [Silliman University] College of Nursing and Hospital Nursing Director, [who] nurtured her students into understanding the more humane aspects of nursing care, leaving behind her a brand of professionalism and commitment to service”; Vicente G. Sinco, “for [being] the founder and first President of Foundation University, [recognized] for his consuming vision and undaunted determination to reach out and provide the widest possible choice of career opportunities for the citizens of Dumaguete City and Negros Oriental”; Dioscoro S. Rabor, “for [being] known as ‘the living museum’ and ‘the bird man of the Philippines,’ and is best remembered in Dumaguete for his pioneering work with birds and mammals, prompting Silliman University to confer on him an honorary doctorate degree in Science”; Martin “Ting” Matiao, “for [opening] trade opportunities through his copra trading, and [for putting] up a transport business which facilitated the mobility of Dumagueteños, thereby easing travel within the island, [thus] because of his dedication to community service, he helped many families' dreams come true, and touched countless lives”; and Ramon Fernandez Ponce de Leon, “for [founding] the Philippine Red Cross Dumaguete City Chapter, where he was chair for more than forty years, performing exemplary service as medical director of the then Mission Hospital during the war, unmindful of the threats on lives posed by the Japanese invaders.”

The Outstanding Dumagueteño Awardees included Mariant Escaño Villegas for her contribution to arts and culture “as founder of MEV Dance Studio, where she provided the standard of excellence in classical ballet, placing Dumaguete in the art and culture map of the country”; Obdulia S. Tangente, for her contribution to civic affairs and “for her deep commitment to uplift the status of the less privileged, [which] prompted her to actively get involved with more meaningful activities of various socio-civic organizations”; Agapito L. Cang, for his contribution to economic development and “for being a truly homegrown Christian businessman, who lived his faith in his dealings with family, customers, employees, and friends”; Caridad Aldecoa-Rodriguez, for her contribution to education and “for pioneering the writing of the history of Dumaguete City and Negros Oriental and [providing] the present and future generations a clearer understanding of our past as a people”; Justice Venancio D. Aldecoa Jr., for his contribution to government service and “for [bringing] pride and joy to the community by being the first Justice of the Appellate Court coming from Dumaguete City, and observing the highest essence of integrity and morality in public service”; Angel C. Alcala, for his contribution to science and technology and “for [bringing] prestige and honor to Dumaguete City by being recognized as an international expert in marine biology, earning him the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, and a seat in the cabinet of the President of the country”; Dionisio “Bob” R. Flores, for his contribution to sports and athletics and “for [making] an indelible contribution in the development of local athletes for them to reach national and international competitions, earning for them and for the city honor and glory for striving to reach the excellence in sports, particularly archery”; and Norma C. Ybañez, for her contribution to women and development and “for [helping] a great deal in stirring the consciousness of this community toward gender sensitivity, and the protection of women and children against domestic violence.”

Senator Lorenzo G. Teves was the recipient of a Special Golden Anniversary Award for “sponsoring the law which converted Dumaguete into a chartered city on 24 November 1948.”

The then living recipients and the families of the posthumous awardees were celebrated by then City Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo.

This year, in time for Dumaguete’s Diamond Jubilee celebration of its city charter, Mayor Remollo once again helms the awards ceremony, slated on 23 November 2024—this time widening the net for consideration, and honoring 75 individuals and institutions—the number taking note of the 75th anniversary—who have, over the years, contributed to the greatness and progress of Dumaguete City.

The Diamond Jubilee Awards Committee is led by Atty. Mikhail Lee L. Maxino, with Vice-Chairs Dr. Earl Jude Paul Cleope [Silliman University], Dr. Noel Marjon E. Yasi [Negros Oriental State University], Dr. Charlotte V. Cariño [Foundation University], Sr. Helen Malubay, SPC [St. Paul University Dumaguete], and Dr. Juditha O. Mapue [Department of Education Dumaguete City Division]. Diamond Jubilee Executive Chair Dr. Dinno T. Depositario and Executive Vice-Chairs Ms. Katherine Therese N. Aguilar and Asst. Prof. Ian Rosales Casocot are ex-officio members of the committee.

They will select fifteen individuals and/or institutions to fall under the following categories: LEADERS AND STATESPERSONS [which includes politicians, diplomats, revolutionaries, community leaders, and civic reform leaders]; ARTISTS AND ENTERTAINERS [which includes literary writers, translators, painters and sculptors, designers and illustrators, dancers and choreographers, musicians and composers, actors, directors, filmmakers, singers and other performers, architects, fashion designers, game designers, gallerists, culinary artists, librarians, and culture and heritage workers]; BUILDERS AND TITANS [which includes businessmen, moguls, founders and creators and innovators of industry, labor leaders, and sports leaders]; SCIENTISTS AND THINKERS [which includes pure scientists and researchers, environmentalists, mathematicians, medical technologists, inventors, philosophers, anthropologists, sociologists, and historians]; and HEROES AND ICONS [which includes war veterans, athletes and sports personalities, clergy and evangelists and missionaries, community reformers, human rights and other social advocates, educators, farmers, and people of singular and unclassifiable achievements and renown]. The categories is for the sake of balance in the fields of specialization or area of responsibility, but the Awards Committee is free to interpret and to designate what category a nominee will fall into.

The nominees for the award must have brought honor and prestige to the City of Dumaguete through outstanding performance in one’s field of specialization or area of responsibility; unquestioned integrity; and exemplary lifestyle and conduct as evidenced by the respect and high regard of family, friends, associates, and the general public. The nominees need not be born in Dumaguete City, but they must have spent a considerable number of years in residence in the city, or have spent a good portion of their professional lives in the city. Post-humous nominations are accepted.

The deadline for nominations is 31 July 2024.

The nomination portfolio can be obtained from the Dumaguete City Tourism Office at the City Hall Compound along Calle Sta. Catalina, or requested via email at visitdumaguetecity@gmail.com. Nomination portfolios may be submitted via email.

The nomination portfolio must also include a consent form to be accomplished by living nominees for their names to be considered for the nomination. [Post-humous nominations require a consent form from the family of the deceased.] If there is no consent, the nomination will be withdrawn. All parts of the nomination portfolio must be completed.

The Awards Committee reserves the right to refuse a nomination based on incomplete forms. It also retains the right to consider individuals not nominated in the public call. Individuals nominated by members of the committee need not have nomination forms, but the Secretariat will endeavor to complete the same requirement in behalf of the committee.

A shortlist of 150 potential awardees will be considered by August 2024. From that shortlist, the Awards Committee will make the final list of 75 awardees before 1 October 2024. The announcement of the 75 Outstanding Dumagueteño Awardees will be posted by LGU Dumaguete on 1 October 2024.

All living awardees must be present on the awarding day, set on 23 November 2024, to be able to receive their award, except for those with compelling reasons not to be present. They will be given a medallion, a plaque, and P10,000, plus other special awards to be determined by LGU Dumaguete. The decision of the Awards Committee will be final, and sent to the Dumaguete City Mayor for approval.

Who will join the sixteen individuals honored in 1998?

Send in your nominations now.

Labels: awards, diamond jubilee, dumaguete, people

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Monday, May 27, 2024

7:00 PM | Awards

I was once up for a literary award years and years ago. A major one. After the deliberations, one of the judges messaged me to congratulate me for winning the grand prize. But the letter that came said I only won an honorable mention and there was no grand prize winner, but all of us cited for honorable mention would get to share the grand prize moolah. So I went to Manila [which meant, I spent for air fare and hotel]. During awarding day, turns out there was no moolah at all, just the honorific of the honorable mention. Kapoy na. I just let it go. But a year ago, I went to the awards website. Guess what? I’m listed as the grand prize winner.

Labels: awards, life, philippine literature

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Friday, December 01, 2023

2:35 PM | Human Bones, Literary Awards, and Afterparties

Kate Torralba brought her father’s bones to Palanca night. It was the first thing she told me as we settled into our seats on Table 24, where the winners for the Short Story in English were assigned, which was very conveniently located near the buffet tables inside the Francisco Dagohoy Reception Hall at the Philippine International Convention Center. And true enough, I saw what looked like shards of bones sealed in a plastic bag, and deposited deep in Kate’s purse; she showed them to all of us at the table, announced its presence with that deeply excited voice she would display all throughout the ceremonies. Later I told her, “You are probably the most excited Palanca winner tonight.” Of course, she told me: she considered the night to be the equivalent of her wedding, and she even had two photographers in tow to record everything. “Oh wow, you may be the first one to bring along a photo crew for Palanca night!” I said to her. Exie Abola, first prize winner in our category, corrected me: “Last year, Atom Araullo brought along an entire camera crew.” Kate laughed at that. But she was indeed excited to win her first Palanca, for a short story she penned in four hours while cooking Binisaya pochero for her late father for a deadline in Jing Hidalgo’s fiction workshop. “This story has taken me places,” she said. “It brought me to the UP Workshop, and now it has won me a Palanca!” I was not immune to Kate’s excitement, and her overwhelming charm. But that excited spirit was also evident all throughout the 71st Palanca Awards: this was the most fun I’ve had since I’ve been privileged to attend the ceremony in the past two decades. You could see it on the faces of the winners, many of whom were first-timers, like Vince Agcaoili, John Dante, John Patrick Solano, Ross Manicad, and fellow Sillimanian Keisiah Dawn Tiaoson. You could feel it in the stride of writing veterans, who took the night as a chance to have a reunion with writer fiends they have not seen in ages, because of the pandemic. It was good to see good friends and mentors alike, like Edgar Calabaia Samar, Susan S. Lara, Krip Yuson, the National Artist for Literature Gemino Abad, Neni Sta. Romana Cruz, Rody Vera, Russell Molina, Joel Pablo Salud, Nicholas Pichay, Jose Y. Dalisay, Marne Kilates, Trish Shishikura, Mikael Co, Charles Lee, David Corpuz, Jeffrey Jeturian, Joshua Lim So, Russell Stanley Geronimo, CD Borden, and Luis Gatmaitan, who gave a fantastic keynote speech. But the epitome of that excited spirit was Peter Solis Nery, who came clad in a dress made entirely of feathers. The Hall of Famer won first prize once more, this time for the Short Story in Filipino — something he worked on for almost a decade, and considered the prize just rewards for that labor of many years. He looked gorgeous in his gown — and on the way to the afterparty later that night, he would proclaim: “Dugyot talaga ako for the rest of the 364 days in a given year. Pero sa Palanca, just for one night, dapat bongga!”Yes, there was an afterparty, hosted by Kate. Perhaps the first Palanca afterparty I’ve ever attended, this time in the intimate confines of an upstairs room in Rafael’s Tapas Bar in Resorts World — where I got to meet friends I have not seen since the pandemic, like Yvette Tan, Moira Lang, and Myrza Sison, and I got to meet for the first time Sherad Anthony Sanchez, BJ Crisostomo, and Ed Cruz! In all the excitement, I don’t even remember eating. I came home to my hotel tired and happy, and hungry, at 2 AM. Early the next day, Renz and I flew home to Dumaguete.

Labels: awards, palanca, philippine literature, writers

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Friday, May 05, 2023

6:21 PM | At the 2023 Nick Joaquin Literary Awards

I’m back in Dumaguete after a brief visit to Manila, and everything still feels surreal. And wonderful. All at the same time. I know why. Please permit me in this space to celebrate a win. Because there are four reasons why winning the Nick Joaquin Literary Award means so much to me. 

First: When I was in freshman year high school and barely knew anything about writing [or Philippine literature for that matter], I discovered Nick Joaquin’s iconic short story “May Day Eve” bundled in one of those mimeographed handouts my older brothers who were in college would regularly bring home and scatter around the house. [That’s also how I discovered Edilberto Tiempo and Edith Tiempo — and I read and loved their works without quite knowing who they were.] Joaquin’s style in “May Day Eve” astonished me, and made me see the possibilities of a simple story made more astonishing because of the underlying craft involved. I remember telling myself, “So, you can actually write a story like this...,” and I remember attempting to write a story exactly like it, with all the twists and turns of time and the human heart. In retrospect, that attempt to copy Joaquin was a foolhardy idea — my juvenile story was predictably bad — but if beginning to write is all about mimicking your idols until you find your own voice, then with my choice of Nick Joaquin, I was certainly off to a good start.

Second: When I began writing and publishing my stories for real in the early 2000s, Nick Joaquin was still literary editor of Philippines Graphic — and I was loath to actually send in stories to this magazine because I was afraid I would not pass muster. [Philippines Free Press published my first short story instead, not counting all the early attempts in Silliman periodicals.] But after a while, I gained enough courage to send in something, and I submitted “Cruising,” a story about a Shakespeare-spouting rent boy in Dumaguete. And then later the news came: Nick Joaquin had died. I thought I lost my chance at being edited [and selected for publication] by the master. It turned out he had accepted it indeed for publication weeks before he died, and I was glad to know that the writer that made me want to write in the first place had a chance to read my fiction and deemed it worthy enough for publication. Winning the NJLA thus feels for me like a kind of coming full circle. Nick Joaquin has always been the supreme inspiration for my writing — and my Philippine Literature students also know that I teach “May Day Eve” with such gusto, endlessly marveling at its inventiveness.

Third: When I continued to read more Filipino works over the years to augment what I taught, to understand where I come from, and to gain more insight to help my own attempts at the craft, there were particular stories that I resonated with, which informed my style and what I wanted to say in my work. Jose Y. Dalisay Jr.’s “In the Garden” was instructive for its magnificent handling of horror, as we witness a teacher in a mountain school struggle to protect his students from the incursions of malevolent soldiers. Susan S. Lara’s “The Reprieve” is a masterclass of emotional restraint even if the story plumbs the chaos in the mind of an old patriarch whose infirmities has brought new indignities. These stories, among a few others, became my paragon. But I also read poetry to better my own fiction, so there’s Marra PL. Lanot, whose poems about women defining and defying their circumstances were instructive in their cutting insights and tantalizing because they were always unafraid to explore all manners of questions and provocations. [Her essays are also wonderful.] I have devoured all their collections, and have been mentored by them in real life, which is a privilege. That they would turn out to be the judges for this year's NJLA feels humbling; I will always be their student.



And fourth: When I began teaching creative writing for real at Silliman University, one of my greatest joys was founding a writing club in Dumaguete in the late 2000s called LitCritters Dumaguete. A bunch of former students came up to me and asked to be mentored in story writing, so I created the group for them. We met every Saturday, reading and discussing at least three stories to see how they work [or not work], and for every fourth Saturday, we wrote our own stories to be workshopped by all. We were very serious, and those kids competed with each other so hard to come up with fantastic stories. [As a moderator, I was not exempt from also writing my own stuff, to be workshopped by everyone. Those years truly were some of the most productive years in my life as a fictionist.] One of these kids was F Jordan Carnice. And this year, he wins the Poet of the Year Award at the NJLA. So winning with him feels just right for his former teacher!



There are so many people to thank—foremost of all, Philippines Graphic Magazine for continuing this tradition of honoring literature, especially in a time when magazines like it are becoming rarities. So many people also sent me their greetings in the past few days, and I appreciate every word. At this stage of my life, I recognize the importance of gratitude above all. And then there’s Renz, for always knowing what’s best for me and for making me go to Manila [despite my initial plans not to attend the awards program]. 

Congratulations to the other winners, Criselda Yabes and Richard Giye! Congratulations to all the other finalists!

And thank you to my mother Ceferina, whose life I love to set to fiction. She was the inspiration for this winning work, and deserves all the attention.

Labels: awards, friends, nick joaquin, philippine literature, philippines graphic, writers

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Tuesday, November 15, 2022

1:20 PM | Thank You, Dumaguete City

So, this just happened. The Dumaguete City Council passed a resolution today commending me for my contributions to local literature and cultural work, and for winning my sixth Palanca Award. Brought my family along to witness it, but I didn’t expect the proceedings to be emotional — and I didn’t expect all the Councilors and Vice Mayor Maisa Sagarbarria to say something in tribute to my work. In my speech I dedicated the award to all the Dumaguete writers that came before me — the Tiempos, Bobby Villasis, Myrna Peña-Reyes, and many others — and reminded the City Council that there still remains that dream to proclaim Dumaguete as a UNESCO City of Literature. Thank you to Renz Macion for authoring the resolution, and thank you to the Dumaguete City Council for this honor. And thank you to my city for always being an inspiration, and a cradle to artistic endeavors.

Labels: art and culture, awards, dumaguete, life, literature

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Monday, August 30, 2021

7:30 AM | My KSSLAP Awards Acceptance Speech

Thank you to the Cultural Center of the Philippines, especially to its Cultural Exchange Department headed by Chinggay Bernardo, for this honor of being one of the first recipients of the KSSLAP Award for art and cultural work in the Visayas.

I am being honored for my work in the literary arts, particularly in Dumaguete—but I think of it more as a recognition of what my community can do to forge forward a tradition of excellence in culture and the arts, of which I am only a part of the fabric. That I stand here with three other honorees from Dumaguete and Negros Oriental is proof of that. We have with us Dessa Quesada-Palm and YATTA, who exemplify Dumaguete theater. We have with us Elizabeth Susan Vista-Suarez who exemplifies Dumaguete music. And we have with us Diomar Abrio and the Silliman University Culture and Arts Council who exemplify Dumaguete cultural work in general.

The truth is, these people who I call my friends and my cultural family—and many others like them in the fields of Dumaguete visual arts, dance, and film—have been a huge part of my life as a writer and as a cultural worker, and I hope that I have also been a huge part in theirs. Our efforts, both as groups and as individuals, have been largely successful because of the collaborative spirit we often take to pursue excellence in what we do in the name of culture and the arts.

In recognizing me and them for this award then, you are also recognizing that bond, that fabric, that inter-connectedness we all have with each other—and I am grateful for getting that chance to share this stage with them right now. This award is a vital reminder of two things for me: first, that while cultural work might often feel lonely, I am truly not alone because of these people, and because there are institutions like the Cultural Center of the Philippines ready to recognize the work of local artists. And second, this is an incentive for us to try to even reach higher ground in the development of culture in our community.

Dumaguete is a legendary city of literature—but we still have a lot of work to accomplish to really make miracles in the name of literary writing. This award is an encouragement to reach for that.

I dedicate this award to the literary giants from Dumaguete that came before me: Edilberto Tiempo, Edith Tiempo, Myrna Pena-Reyes, Bobby Flores Villasis, Ernesto Superal Yee, Rowena Tiempo Torrevillas, Elsa Martinez Coscolluela, Grace Monte de Ramos, and so many others. When I was young and needed mentorship, they showed me the path to attain literary and cultural excellence, for which I am grateful. This award is also for them.

POSTSCRIPT: I didn't get to mention him, but through all this, Renz Torres has been both the wind to my sail and my north star—my energy and my direction in this journey to becoming. Thank you, my love.

Labels: art and culture, awards, cultural affairs committee, dumaguete, life, writing

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Friday, July 30, 2021

1:36 PM | The CCP Kaisa Sa Sining Visayas Network Announces the Recipients of the 1st KSSLAP Awards

They finally released the news! I’m honored to be one of the first recipients of the Cultural Center of the Philippines [CCP] Kaisa sa Sining Visayas Network’s KSSLAP Awards, a recognition for artists, cultural workers, and cultural organizations in the Visayas. It’s humbling to be part of this roster, especially since many of them have been people I've looked up to in the cultural work that I do. Thank you, CCP, for the recognition!



The Cultural Center of the Philippines [CCP] Kaisa Sa Sining [KSS] Visayas Network announces the recipients of the 1st KSSLAP [Kaisa Ini sa Sining, Lunsay nga Artistang Pilipino] Awards. Due to the present quarantine and travel restrictions, the KSSLAP Awards Ceremonies will be held virtually this 24-27 August 2021 and will be aired via the CCP FB page in September.

The awardees are Lutgardo Labad (Bohol / theater and cultural administration), Alphonsus Tesoro (Capiz / cultural administration), Marilyn Gamboa (Negros Occidental / cultural administration), Ian Rosales Casocot (Dumaguete / literature), Peque Gallaga (Bacolod / film and theater), Jess de Paz (Tacloban / dance), Dr. Jesus C. Insilada (Calinog-Iloilo / literature and cultural education), Dr. Elizabeth Susan Vista-Suarez (Dumaguete / music), Dennis Sugarol (Cebu / music), Negros Cultural Foundation, Silliman University Culture and Arts Council, Calbayog City Arts and Culture Office, and the Youth Advocates Through Theater Arts (Dumaguete).

The Kaisa sa Sining Regional Arts Centers is a partnership program of the CCP thru its Cultural Exchange Department (CED) that was launched in 2014 and is aimed at strengthening further the CCP’s linkages and cooperation with regional educational institutions, non-government organizations and local government units in order to broaden public participation in the arts, promote and showcase artistic excellence and facilitate a vibrant collaboration between and among communities. In the past seven years, the cooperation and exchanges between and among CCP and the KSS network have become more dynamic. To date, the KSS network has already grown to a total of 56 organizations in 46 areas/communities in the regions: 21 in Luzon, 17 in Visayas and 18 in Mindanao.

The KSSLAP Awards is a recognition for outstanding artists, cultural workers and organizations, was one of the action plans and projects that the KSS Visayas agreed to implement during a KSS regional forum held in Roxas City last 2018. In fulfillment of this plan, the CCP CED facilitated the conceptualization and planning of the project. In the last quarter of 2019, a five-member technical working committee (TWC) was formed composed of key representatives from four KSS Visayas organizations with CED as the lead facilitator. The program guidelines were made and disseminated to all the KSS Visayas network in February 2021. The nomination period was from February-May 2021. The Selection Committee (SC) was formed in May 2021 composed of prominent leaders/artists/practitioners from various communities and sectors in Visayas. The final evaluation and selection were held online on 8-9 July 2021.

The KSSLAP Awards aim to give recognition to deserving Visayan individuals and/or organizations who have exemplified commendable work and services in cultural and artistic endeavors, and have been in the forefront of the research, development, preservation, education and promotion of arts and culture in Mindanao for at least ten (10) years or more. The general criteria indicates that an awardee must have made exceptional accomplishments in creative work, leadership, resource management, education, artist support, audience development, community service, solidarity, and partnership.









Why is it important to recognize the achievements of the artists, cultural workers and organizations in Visayas?

Dr. Anita Illenberger [Former Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Central Philippine University Iloilo City, former Director of the CPU Cultural Affairs Office, and former President of the Iloilo Arts Council]: “The Ksslap Award serves as an inspiration to fellow Visayans as it becomes a proof of the value of work, gives approval/gratitude for excellent work, embodies a sense of ownership that makes the community become aware of the shared outstanding accomplishments. In time, significant work of art becomes part of the cultural heritage of the region which gives the people sense of unity, sense of belonging, and personal identity to help every generation understand the region's cultural life, values and traditions.”

Rene G. Hinojales [Professor at the University of St. La Salle Bacolod City, former Chair, USLS Performing Arts Department, and Artistic Director-Jean Baptist Dance Co.]: “KSSLAP Awards go out on a limb to acknowledge valuable and commendable contributions of artists, cultural workers and organizations to the research, development, preservation, education and promotions of Philippine art and culture, specifically in the Visayas. Of course, recognition is not going to be perfect, especially when it comes from your peers. It may not always reinforce all the behaviors we are hoping to foster. But it sets a model! It creates that potential — and it fuels the idea that every person plays a role in building a positive world. And that is a powerful thing to recognize! On this first year of KSSLAP Awards Visayas, I trust and expect that this biennial act of recognition has and will continue to help everyone else understand what being exceptional looks like, sounds like and feels like!”

Marianito J. Luspo [Consultant of the Center for Culture and Arts Development, Province of Bohol and Director of the Cultural Affairs and Development Office, Holy Name University, Tagbilaran City]: “Artists and cultural workers are like stars in the night sky. They not only lighten up our otherwise dreary existence, they capture our attention and inspire us to look up to realities higher, more transcendent dimension of human life. Moreover, when we recognize each star, each cluster – Sirius, Betelguese or the Southern Cross – lone artist, independent cultural worker or group, we humanize them, making them easier for us, yet earth-bound fellow travelers, to emulate and aspire for. We therefore congratulate the CCP Kaisa sa Sining Visayas for giving recognition to our outstanding artists and cultural workers in the Visayas. The award will surely go a long way in encouraging our people in dedicating their lives in the pursuit of creative endeavors.”

Chinggay J. Bernardo [CCP CED Department Manager]: “In our four decades of community cultural outreach work, we have experienced the unique and exceptional artistry, dedication and perseverance of many Visayan artists and cultural workers. It is indeed high time to institutionalize an awards program that will give recognition to outstanding achievements of Visayan artists, cultural workers and organizations. The KSSLAP Awards, an initiative of the CCP KSS Visayas network and facilitated by the CCP Cultural Exchange, will serve as an inspiration for the artistic and cultural communities in the Visayas to aim for excellence and do public/community service.“

The 17 members of CCP KSS Visayas network are: Province of Capiz, University of Antique, Central Philippines University [Iloilo City], Municipality of Sta. Barbara-Iloilo, University of St. La Salle [Bacolod City], Negros Cultural Foundation, City of Bago, City of Himamaylan, Municipality of Murcia, Silliman University [Dumaguete City], Holy Name University [Tagbilaran City], Arts Council of Cebu, Calbayog City Arts and Culture Office, University of Eastern Philippines [Catarman, Samar], Leyte Normal University [Tacloban City], City of Ormoc, and St. Joseph College [Maasin, Leyte].

For more information, contact the CCP CED at ccp.ced2014@gmail.com

Labels: art and culture, artists, awards, life, philippine culture

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Thursday, November 26, 2015

9:00 PM | Maria Taniguchi and the 2015 Hugo Boss Asia Art Award

Congratulations to Dumaguete artist Maria Taniguchi for winning the 2015 Hugo Boss Asia Art Award!

She won the award for emerging Asian artists, beating two other artists from China and three from Taiwan, Myanmar, and Cambodia. Starting in 2013, the award is given out every two years to contemporary artists in the early stages of their artistic creation and exhibition practices.

The 34-year-old Sillimanian alumna, who is known for her large-scale monochromatic brick paintings (all referred to as Untitled), was singled out by the jury for her "very singular, humble, but extremely focused practice of painting and video." The art of Taniguchi, explains Silverlens Gallery which represents her, is highly concerned with structure, history, and artistic strategies. Apart from paintings, Taniguchi also makes videos and sculptures. Her works, said Larys Frogier, chair of the Hugo Boss Asia Art jury, "enriched the realm of media and raised a unique sensitivity of making the picture with infinite possibilities of meaning." Taniguchi's Untitled paintings, two video works, I See, It Feels and Figure Study, and a sculptural work, Untitled (ram dram sram), are on show at the Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai, China, until January 3.

[Text modified from Coconuts Manila]

Labels: art and culture, artists, awards

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Sunday, August 19, 2012

3:32 PM | The Fiction in English Finalists for the 31st National Book Award for the Novel and for the Short Story

  
  
  

The Manila Critics Circle and the Nartional Book Development Board just announced the finalists for the 31st National Book Award. The above are the fiction in English finalists for the shorty story collection and the novel. Get the rest of the finalists here.

Labels: awards, books, philippine literature, writers, writing

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Thursday, April 08, 2010

1:18 AM | The 60th Palanca Awards Now Accepting Entries

The Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature (more popularly known as the Palanca Awards) continues to live up to its reputation as the country’s most prestigious and longest-running literary contest as it officially opens its 60th year.

This year, the Carlos Palanca Foundation looks forward to more brilliant works to add to its trove of 1,954 winning literary gems it has gathered since it first handed out an award in 1951.

The regular categories under which participants can submit their entries are: English Division [Short Story, Short Story for Children, Essay, Poetry, One-act Play, and Full-length Play]; Filipino Division [Maikling Kuwento, Maikling Kuwentong Pambata, Sanaysay, Tula, Dulang May Isang Yugto, Dulang Ganap ang Haba, and Dulang Pampelikula]; Regional Languages Division [Short Story-Cebuano, Short Story-Hiligaynon, and Short Story-Iluko]. Each contestant may submit only one entry per category.

Much anticipated as well are entries to the competition’s relatively new categories: Poetry Written for Children in the English Division and Tulang Isinulat Para sa mga Bata in the Filipino division. The categories were launched last year to encourage the development of a body of poetry for young children ages 6-12.

Meanwhile, in the Kabataan Division, Palanca Awards’ special division for young writers below 18 years old, the Kabataan Essay theme in the English category is "What is it in the environment that I can protect?", and in the Filipino category, “Ano sa kalikasan ang aking kayang pangalagaan?”.

The literary contest is open to all Filipino (or former Filipino) citizens, except current officers and employees of its organizing body, the Carlos Palanca Foundation, Inc. Contest rules and official entry forms are available at Palanca Awards’ official website, www.palancaawards.com.ph.

Entries with complete requirements may be submitted to the Foundation’s office at the 6th Floor, One World Square Bldg., 10 Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Hill Town Center, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City or may also be entered online through the Palanca Awards website or sent through email at cpawards@palancaawards.com.ph.

Deadline of submission of entries for this year’s awards is midnight of 30 April 2010. Winners will be announced on September 1, 2010.

For further information, you may call telephone number 856-0808.

Labels: awards, call for submissions, palanca, philippine literature, writing

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Friday, September 25, 2009

9:14 PM | Palanca! (Or is It Too Late?)

For many years since 2003, I usually made an issue of Literatura (now defunct) devoted to the winning works of the annual Palanca Awards.

This year, I missed out on that for some reason. (Okay, okay... I was too busy partying. Or perhaps becoming a Palanca judge this year kinda made me want to remove myself from the whole hoopla? I'm not sure. Perhaps it's also due to the fact that a writer kinda admonished me about my efforts, citing "the dangers of online plagiarism," and what not. That bummed me out for a while. Anyway, let's blame partying instead.)

Still, that did not stop many people from asking me when they could read the stuff. I told most of them I had no plans to put out a Palanca issue, much to their dismay. Besides, the Palanca already boasts of a website, and I was sure they would be putting out the works online soon.

But perhaps it's not too late to put out a version of that, eh? Let me see if I can get the winning writers to submit their stuff.

In the meantime, here's Sigfredo R. Inigo's "Home of the Sierra Madre", the first prize winner for the short story in English.

Labels: awards, fiction, palanca, philippine literature, writers

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Friday, August 14, 2009

8:31 AM | Delusions

By Conrado de Quiros

This one got swept aside by events this last couple of weeks but is too important to let pass. That is the elevation of Carlo Caparas and Cecile Guidote to national artists, a thing that has the other national artists up in arms.

My take on it is this: I don’t buy the distinction between “artist” and “entertainer.” Nothing prevents the artist from being an entertainer and nothing prevents the entertainer from being an artist. Preferably, the two should go together. Art that is disdainful of audience ends up being more hoity-toity than artistic, or ends up being more a pain in the ass than a joy to the soul.

I myself have never thought of entertainment as something that “whiles the time away” or “diverts.” I’ve always thought of entertainment as something that uses time well or gets to the point. Or gets the point. From an artistic point of view, that’s entertainment.

I do buy however the distinction between commercial and artistic. The artistic adds to the sum of human wisdom, or our understanding of the human predicament. The commercial panders to the lowest common denominator, and adds nothing to, or even subtracts from, the sum of human knowledge. That is my answer to Caparas’s supporters’ charge that his detractors are merely being elitist. I myself have no problems with Caparas being an entertainer. But I have problems with him being a commercial entertainer and not an artistic one.

As accomplishment goes, he will have to fall in line behind Mars Ravelo, Nestor Redondo and the other komiks greats. And their own claims to being national artists will be in serious dispute.

The distinction between an artistic entertainer and a commercial one is easily seen by comparing Lino Brocka and Carlo Caparas. I still remember something Brocka told a group of us sometime before he died. His first line of defense, he said, were his maids. If his maids didn’t like what he did, he would change it. Only when they were satisfied would he be satisfied. You can’t get more masa than that.

But he didn’t stop there. He made sure too that his maids got something they hadn’t seen before. Something new, something different, something better. He made sure his maids went away not just delighted about what they saw but asking questions about what they saw.

Brocka did melodramas, but he sculpted full-blooded characters out of them. Caparas did komiks, and made komiks out of characters. Artistry has nothing to do with whether your material is “hi-class” or “wa-class.” It has everything to do with what you do with it.

Guidote’s case is easier. Of course she helped build the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), of course she, in the words of her defenders, “showed lifetime dedication . . . in leading the movement for national theater and its development to forge our cultural identity and preserve our heritage.” That is a reason only for theater to be grateful to her, that is not a reason for her to become a national artist. The National Artist Award is given to artistry, not to patronage. If it weren’t so, then Imelda Marcos should be proclaimed National Artist, having built the CCP and been a great benefactor to Cecile Licad. Organizing, however it is done indefatigably, resolutely and even heroically as in times of death and fascist rule, is admirable and deserving of honor. That honor is not the National Artist Award.

Now, for the more extrinsic issues, which are in fact the more important issues here.

At the very least, the way Caparas and Guidote have been named national artists is tasteless. Guidote says that though she is the executive director of the National Council on Culture and the Arts, the body that oversees the grant of the award, she had nothing to do with the selection process. What can one say? The GMA virus must be more contagious than A-(H1N1). Guidote’s patron has nothing to do with the Ombudsman either, or shouldn’t, but see if Merceditas Gutierrez will not nominate her saint. As to Caparas, his legend lies only in the way he helped GMA pull down the house Ang Panday built during the last elections.

That brings us to the heart of the matter, which is Malacañang fiddling with art. I have a special fondness for art and artists, and that I truly mind. If there’s an urgent and compelling need for Malacañang to have nothing to do with the appointment of the justices of the Supreme Court, there’s an even more urgent and compelling need for Malacañang to have nothing to do with the appointment of national artists. I don’t know that the appointment of justices should be left to lawyers alone. But I do know that the appointment of national artists should be left to artists alone.

Malacañang has no business decreeing artists. The spectacle I see is that of Josef Stalin and Nikita Khrushchev visiting art museums in the former Soviet Union and proclaiming which things there are art and which are not, a presumption as vast as the Urals. Given in particular that they were as much a gift to art as FDR was to the marathon. The notion of Arroyo doing the same, when her palate is limited only to wine and caviar and steak costing $20,000, leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Expense is not a sign of art, or of taste.

I don’t know which is worse, Imelda explicitly claiming to be the handmaiden of the true, good and beautiful, which are the hallmarks of art, or Arroyo implicitly doing so. Imelda at least had the external trappings of beauty, even if her and her husband’s rule was uglier than the portrait of Dorian Gray. Arroyo doesn’t even have that. Her own rule has become only, well, the artistic representation of all that is not true, good and beautiful. For her to decree who should be national artists is for her to decree who should be national heroes.

That’s not just a Carlo Caparas fantasy, that’s a delusion.

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer

Labels: awards, directors, film, issues, politics, theater, writers

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Monday, May 25, 2009

4:53 AM | Dante Wins Best Director in Cannes!

Wow. Now look what we've got here. Despite mixed reviews that went from scathing and spiteful to spirited, Brillante Mendoza made Philippine cinema history by winning the Best Director prize for Kinatay in the 2009 Cannes Film Festival! He has bested other legendary directors including Pedro Almodovar, Quentin Tarantino, Jane Campion, and Alan Resnais!



His acceptance speech goes: "First of all I would like to thank the selection committee, who are responsible for bringing my films here for the past three years. And now with an award for Best Director, I would like to thank the Jury. And of course I’d like to thank my producer; thank you for the trust and faith in my films. I’d like to thank also a very committed staff and crew. I’d like to share this award with my daughter, Angelica, who has always been my number one critic and to an actor I really respect, Coco Martin. Thank you all for embracing my kind of cinema."

The awards were presented Sunday, chosen by a jury headed by French Actress Isabelle Huppert. The Palme d'Or went to The White Ribbon, directed by Austria's Michael Haneke, the Grand Prize to A Prophet, directed by France's Jacques Audiard, the Jury Prize to Fish Tank, directed by Britain's Andrea Arnold and Thirst, directed by South Korea's Park Chan-wook. Christoph Waltz won Best Actor for Inglourious Basterds, from the United States, and Charlotte Gainsbourg was Best Actress for the Danish film Antichrist. Best Screenplay went to China's Feng Mei for Spring Fever, and the Camera d'Or (which is given to a first-time director) went to Australia's Warwick Thornton for Samson and Delilah, while Best Short Film went to Portugal's Arena, directed by Joao Salaviza. A Special Prize, meanwhile, went to cinema legend Alain Resnais.

Full story here. Richard Corliss, for Time, gives a roundup.

This has been a good year for Filipino film, Cannes-wise, what with three films in three separate competitions and screenings (aside from Kinatay, we had Raya Martin's Independencia in Un Certain Regard, and Adolfo Alix Jr. and Raya Martin's Manila had a Special Screening!

Congratulations, Dante! Pero, after Serbis and Kinatay, maiba naman next time, please?

[UPDATE]

Watch the entire awards telecast here. Follow the comments thread in AwardsDaily here. Read one of the positive notices for the film from Screen Daily's Mike Goodridge. Watch a clip from Kinatay below:



A longer excerpt can be found here.

Wouldn't it be great if we could actually see the film soon, and judge for ourselves? That is, if the censors will even let us.

Labels: awards, cannes, directors, festivals, film

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Tuesday, May 20, 2008

11:42 AM | Standing Ovation

Sometimes, reading the PR on some local films that make it to international film festivals, we get breathless accounts of how this film or that got a 5-minute applause, or better still, a standing ovation. Lest they spin this and tell you later on that despite all the negative criticism, Serbis got an S.O. in Cannes, here's Roger Ebert giving us the inside deal:

[A]ny Cannes veteran would tell you [that a standing ovation means] nothing. Every film gets a standing ovation at the black-tie evening premiere at Cannes, unless it is so bad it transcends awfulness.

There are really two premieres at Cannes: The press screening at 8:30 a.m., and the black-tie, or "official," screening in the evening. Both fill the vast, 3,500-seat Lumiere auditorium. The morning offers a tough audience: Critics, festival programmers, people who have may have seen hundreds of other movies in this room. They are free with their boos, and if a movie doesn't work for them have been known to shout at the screen on their way out.

The black-tie screening, on the other hand, includes many people who have a financial motive for wanting a film to succeed: The worldwide distributors and exhibitors, their guests, and lots of Riviera locals. Or they may have been given tickets and are thrilled to be there. ("I recognized the woman sitting next to me from my hotel," Rex Red told me one year. "It was my maid.") In some cases, they may simply think it's good manners to cheer movie stars who flew all the way to Cannes. Then too, the stars are seated in the front row of the balcony. Everybody below stands up after the movie, turns around, and sees them bathed in spotlights. The Standing O creates itself.

Yes, dear. It is unfortunate, but Brillante Mendoza's Serbis, our first film since Lino Brocka's Kapit sa Patalim to compete in the festival, got slaughtered. I hope that when Dante comes home, he will have learned from the experience, and make a great movie.

Labels: awards, festivals, film, issues

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Tuesday, April 01, 2008

1:44 PM | Palanca 2008 Forms Out

People have been emailing and texting everybody else where exactly to download the Palanca Awards forms, and for good reason: they usually come out around January every year, enough to push everyone to meet the April 30 deadline. But February came and went, and it's already March, and people began wondering whether there was going to be a Palanca contest this year. (See the old comments in my cBox.) Don't fret. The forms are finally out. You can download them from the left-side bar of this blog. Take note that I've reformatted the forms into PDF format because of inconsistencies in the files. (The original page 1 of the rules form was in .jpeg, and page 2 was in .doc.) If you don't have an Adobe Reader, download it here. Here's wishing good luck to everyone.

[thanks to butch dalisay for the forms!]

Labels: awards, palanca, philippine literature

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Wednesday, February 13, 2008

12:25 AM | Best Filipino Stories: The NVM Gonzalez Awards, 2000-2005

This was one book I'd been looking forward to getting ever since the idea was broached that all the winning stories of the annual NVM Gonzalez Awards would be compiled together in one volume. I did not realize that the book had been out in the market for some time now, until I received news of its launching only a few days back. Dear Janet sent me a copy, which I just got today (thanks, Janet!). This is what its says from the back cover: "Here are seventeen of the best short stories in English over the first six years of the NVM Gonzalez Awards... All of these stories are, says Gregorio C. Brillantes in his splendid Preface, 'astonishingly varied in vision, voice, mode, manner and consummation, ... each a vivid dream sustained by language; every one a shining performance." All are eminently worthy of NVM Gonzalez whom the Awards honor and memorialize because all [stories] 'display,' as Brillantes sas, 'the munificent range of the Filipino imagnation, its manifold secrets, discoveries and conglomeration." The book, edited by Brillantes and Gemino H. Abad, include stories by Menchu Aquino Sarmiento, Alfred Yuson, Charlson Ong, Socorro Villanueva, Rosario Cruz Lucero, Ma. L.M. Fres-Felix, April Timbol Yap, Antonio Hidalgo, H.O. Santos, Janet Baclayon Villa, Ian Rosales Casocot, Angelo Rodriguez Lacuesta, Arvin Mangohig, and Alexis Abola. The anthology is published by the University of the Philippines Press, and should be available in bookstores everywhere.

Labels: awards, books, philippine literature, writers

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Thursday, January 31, 2008

11:08 AM | Invitation to Best Filipino Stories

Labels: awards, books, philippine literature

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Tuesday, January 22, 2008

11:05 PM | There Will Be Atonement

And here we go again, into the Oscar circus that paints our Januarys and Februarys in cinematic sheen. For the most part, the list handed to us by the Academy is a taunt to play catch-up in our backwaters of the Philippines. (Thank God for the pirates, they who know how to slake our thirst.)

When I saw Joel Wright's film adaption of Atonement a few weeks ago, I felt it had Oscars written all over it -- it was a beautifully made film that was surprisingly faithful to Ian McEwan's very internal novel, which most McEwan fans felt to be virtually unfilmmable. I liked it very much (take note I didn't say "love") -- and honestly felt that Saoirse Ronan's take on Briony to be deliciously villainous, it deserved a supporting actress nomination (and eventually did). Still, I felt it was an Oscar-worthy film, in the vein of The English Patient -- that single take in the beach alone is worth any award, equal in power and precision to the cinematographic magic of last year's Children of Men. And yet, most people were writing Atonement off as a possible Oscar nominee ("Keira Knightley," says one blogger, "is reduced to saying 'Come back, come back to me' in the second half of the film," which is actually true -- but they make it sound soooo bad), and most Oscar watchers diluted the film to a mere admiration over Keira's gorgeous green gown. There were no awards precursors over it, save for the nod from the Golden Globes; the guilds virtually ignored it, going instead for Sean Penn's Into the Wild.

But now, it is a Best Picture nominee, alongside Jason Riteman's Juno, Tony Gilroy's Michael Clayton, Joel and Ethan Coen's No Country for Old Men, and Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood. And Into the Wild is nowhere in sight.

Being a bibliophile who happen to love movies with wild abandon, what I love most about this batch of Oscar contenders is that three of them are adaptations of literary tomes from heavy-weight writers: Ian McEwan, of course, and Cormac McCarthy (for No Country for Old Men) and Upton Sinclair (for There Will Be Blood from the novel Oil!). And it helps that Juno, from the original screenplay by ex-stripper and blogger Diablo Cody, has the preciousness of a Tom Perrotta. This writerly love in the current Oscar stretch is quite ironic, given the current screenwriters strike that threaten to overwhelm the current awards season.

I've been an Oscar watcher for many years now, ever since I was a high school kid and stumbled onto the front page of the Inquirer many years ago which carried a story that proclaimed Kathy Bates as Best Actress for Misery and Jeremy Irons as Best Actor for Reversal of Fortune. I thought: what the heck are the Oscars? Then I watched Rob Reiner's Misery and was frightened by the perverted perfection of Bates' Annie Wilkes, and then I watched Barbet Schroeder's Reversal of Fortune, and I was flummoxed by the cool (and possibly murderous) high society fox of Irons' Claus von Bülow. I thought: if this was the Oscars, I'm looking forward to it every year. And I have.

There were years of utter jubilation... Steven Spielberg winning Best Director (finally) for Schindler's List, and Martin Scorsese winning the same (finally) for The Departed... the break-the-racial-glass-ceiling wins of Denzel Washington for Training Day and Halle Berry for Monsters Ball (although both movies have since lost their critical sheen)... Lea Salonga singing "A Whole New World" from Aladdin... And there were years of terrible upsest... Crash winning over Brokeback Mountain remains anathema for many critics after all these years. Sometimes I kid myself over the silly elevations of our hopes and hysteria over what is mostly a PR stunt from Hollywood, but I guess only a film lover can understand the passion for this silly horse race. It means both nothing and everything, and for a couple of months at least we get to debate over cinematic aesthetics for better or for worse.

Today, my immediate reasons for my inexplicable (though momentary) joy, when the nominees were announced only hours ago, were: Juno's eventual Oscar finish ... the actress Sarah Polley getting nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for Away From Her... Persepolis nominated for Best Animated Feature (after having been snubbed from the Foreign Language Film category) ... Laura Linney getting recognized for The Savages, and the formidable Tilda Swinton (she was scintillating in Orlando many years ago, in a role that called for her to change from woman to man in the span of a century) finally getting her due for Michael Clayton ... Viggo Mortensen finally an Oscar nominee for Eastern Promises after the inexplicable shut-outs from the three-year Oscar run of The Lord of the Rings trilogy ... and Cate Blanchett's double-whammy, including her surprising nomination for Elizabeth: The Golden Age. She joins Bing Crosby and Paul Newman as the only actors to be nominated twice for the same role. (Correct me if there are others.) And if she wins Best Supporting Actress for I'm Not There, she will be the only second actress after Linda Hunt (The Year of Living Dangerously) to have won Oscars for playing a man.

Get this though: Casey Affleck, that kid, is now an Oscar nominee. Then again, so is Norbit, for Achievement in Make-Up, which makes a historical first: a film that gets nominated for both the Razzies and the Oscars within 24-hours.

There are the eventual snubs, which create better copies for the news. Someone cried, "Where's Hairspray?" Well, I liked Adam Shankman's singable adaptation of John Waters' Hairspray, but I somehow hated, hated, hated John Travolta's uninspired interpretation of the Mrs. Turnblad character, which I think was utterly diluted by his Scientology-bred homophobia. (How do you get from Divine to Travolta?) Thank God that got snubbed.

But here are my list of regrets. The Philippines gets shut-out again, with Donsol disappearing into the doldrums. (Whatever can we do to improve our Oscar chances? It's quite strange that one of the world's oldest national cinemas has yet to crack into the graces of the Golden Guy.) There are no Best Original Screenplay nods for Superbad and Knocked Up, the funniest movies of the year. There are no Best Actor nominations for veteran character actor Frank Langella for his forgotten novelist in Starting Out in the Evening (adapted from one of my favorite novels by Brian Morton) and Gordon Pinsent for his long-suffering husband in Away From Her (adapted from one of my favorite short stories, "The Bear Came Over the Mountain," by Alice Munro). Pinsent, for me, actually carried the emotional core of the film more than the beautiful Julie Christie did. (The famously reclusive actress, who won an Oscar for Darling in 1965, gets nominated for Best Actress for her turn as an Alzheimer's patient.)

There are no acting nods either for Vanessa Redgrave's pivotal elderly Briony in Atonement, Allison Janney's formidable stepmom in Juno, Helena Bonham Carter's malevolent pie-maker in Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Keri Russell's lovelorn waitress in Waitress, Angelina Jolie's powerful turn as Marianne Pearl in A Mighty Heart, Jodie Foster's vigilante in The Brave One, Mathieu Amalric's left-eye bravura in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Ryan Gosling's doll-loving lonely guy in Lars and the Real Girl, Brad Pitt's world-weary outlaw in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Imelda Staunton's evil giggly school headmistress in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Richard Gere's literary conman in Hoax, Emile Hirsch's tragic idealistic adventurer in Into the Wild, Robert Downey Jr.'s depressive detective in Zodiac, and Amy Adams' frilly cartoon character in Enchanted. (Adams? Well, think about this: she took a very, very tricky role of a Disney princess, and made it a wonderful ride for all of us -- lesser actors would have made the entire thing unbearably cheesy.) I was secretly wishing for a Staunton nod, but no go.

The Simpsons Movie gets inexplicably shafted for Surf's Up. (Whaaa...?) And there are no Best Picture nominations for John Carney's tender musical Once, Julie Taymor's Beatles love fest Across the Universe, Ang Lee's sexy thriller Lust, Caution, Cristian Mungiu's abortion drama 4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days, David Fincher's serial killer epic Zodiac, Brad Bird's French gourmet Ratatouille, and Marc Forster's Afghan tearjerker The Kite Runner. And there is a virtual zero take for Sidney Lumet's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.

And as far as the Oscars are concerned, there is still no love for maverick filmmakers Fincher, Taymor, Tim Burton, and David Cronenberg.

But in a year full of wonderful movies, you really can't have everything, something's gotta give, and there indeed promised to be blood in the nominations.

The full list of nominees is here.

UPDATE: The popular aftermath is discussed here. Film critics Roger Ebert and Richard Corliss discuss the nominees. And YouTube has the nominations telecast.

Labels: awards, film, oscar

[0] This is Where You Bite the Sandwich

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Friday, January 18, 2008

10:55 PM | Get That Asian Booker

Peter Gordon, Executive Director of the Man Asian Literary Prize, will be in Manila on Thursday, January 24, to promote the prize among Filipino writers and to speak on “International Opportunities for Filipino Writers.” The UP Institute of Creative Writing is hosting his talk, which will be held that day at 2:30 pm at the AVR Room, 2nd floor Rizal Hall Faculty Center, UP Diliman.

The Man Asian—informally known as the “Asian Booker”—was established in 2006 and made its first award in 2007 for the best unpublished novel in English or English translation by an Asian. Filipino fictionist and UP professor Jose Dalisay Jr.’s novel Soledad’s Sister made the shortlist of the inaugural prize, which drew 243 entries from all over Asia. The deadline for the 2008 Man Asian is March 31.

Gordon will speak about the prize and on literary publishing in Asia in general. The UPICW is inviting all interested writers, translators, publishers, teachers, and students to attend the lecture-discussion, which will also feature Dr. Dalisay and fellow novelist and columnist Alfred “Krip” Yuson.

Peter Gordon is also a founder and former Director of the Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival (held each March in Hong Kong), founder and editor of the Asian Review of Books, and publisher at Chameleon Press. He writes a weekly op-ed column in the Hong Kong daily The Standard and is chairman of the Russian Interest Group at the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce.

Labels: awards, literature, philippine literature, writers, writing

[0] This is Where You Bite the Sandwich

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