Her most recent work is “Boses” (Voices), screened at the recent Cinemalaya film festival July 2008 (Manila),about the friendship between an abused child and a reclusive violinist. It is presently going around international festivals, as well as local schools and communities sponsored by various organizations with advocacies for child rights to gender issues, human rights and peace initiatives, as well as music and film appreciation.
Her first full-length digital feature transferred to film, Mga Pusang Gala (Stray Cats), which she both directed and produced, won the Docker’s first feature award at the San Francisco LGBT Film Festival in June 2006 and was invited to various festivals abroad (Fribourg, Switzerland; New York, Dallas, Chicago, USA; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Melbourne, Sydney, Australia, Berlin). Its dvd was released internationally last August 2007 and pending technical clearance, has been sold to the American TV network “Here”.
In the Philippines, the film was screened on the mainstream theater circuit and received awards and nominations from almost all awards-giving bodies, including teachers’ organizations.
Her documentary-drama on Filipino desaparecidos, “Walang Bakas” (Without a Trace) which she did for GMA Network was chosen best drama program by the Catholic Mass Media Awards in 2004. It was also a finalist at the Asian TV awards, as two of her teleplays were in previous years: Rattle for Maalaala Mo Kaya; Rosaryo (The Rosary)for GMA telesine.
Her first full-length digital feature is the critically-acclaimed “Angels”, a Star Cinema production which tackles the true-to-life story of a blind couple’s struggles to raise a family amidst an uncaring society. It was made available in vcd format and it is still being shown on cable TV.
Her documentaries “Is Your Gender An Issue?” and “Luha, Pawis at Tuwa: Kasaysayan Ng Mga Babaeng Maralita” (Tears, Sweat and Laughter: A Story of Urban Poor Women) won at the GAWAD CCP awards.
Schooled at the Assumption College, San Lorenzo, University of the Philippines, Diliman (a cum laude graduate in A.B.Broadcast Communication), Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA artist-teacher 1979-1988 PETA Broadcast and Film Inc. training officer,1988-1991), Mowelfund Film Institute, with short visitorship programs in Paris and London, a veteran writer-director-producer for both alternative and mainstream circuits, once a supervising producer for Star Cinema (1994-1997)and recently a public affairs progam manager for GMA Network (I-Witness, Debate,Unang Hirit 2000-2003).
Ellen recently founded “ERASTO FILMS, Inc.” named after her father, which means “man of peace”. Its objective is to help push alternative filmmaking to the forefront of Philippine Cinema, and create mainstream impact. By alternative, she means new insights and new ways of experiencing life more meaningfully, new technology –digital, which is cheaper, and which thus allows greater room for experimentation and finally, new ways of organizing business relationships, where everyone shares both risks and profits and leads towards a ‘”solidarity” type of economy. Erasto Films’ first project is Mga Pusang Gala, which was made possible through equity sharing of almost the whole cast and staff.
She is a founding member of the Independent Filmmakers Cooperative.
Her first full-length digital feature transferred to film, Mga Pusang Gala (Stray Cats), which she both directed and produced, won the Docker’s first feature award at the San Francisco LGBT Film Festival in June 2006 and was invited to various festivals abroad (Fribourg, Switzerland; New York, Dallas, Chicago, USA; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Melbourne, Sydney, Australia, Berlin). Its dvd was released internationally last August 2007 and pending technical clearance, has been sold to the American TV network “Here”.
In the Philippines, the film was screened on the mainstream theater circuit and received awards and nominations from almost all awards-giving bodies, including teachers’ organizations.
Her documentary-drama on Filipino desaparecidos, “Walang Bakas” (Without a Trace) which she did for GMA Network was chosen best drama program by the Catholic Mass Media Awards in 2004. It was also a finalist at the Asian TV awards, as two of her teleplays were in previous years: Rattle for Maalaala Mo Kaya; Rosaryo (The Rosary)for GMA telesine.
Her first full-length digital feature is the critically-acclaimed “Angels”, a Star Cinema production which tackles the true-to-life story of a blind couple’s struggles to raise a family amidst an uncaring society. It was made available in vcd format and it is still being shown on cable TV.
Her documentaries “Is Your Gender An Issue?” and “Luha, Pawis at Tuwa: Kasaysayan Ng Mga Babaeng Maralita” (Tears, Sweat and Laughter: A Story of Urban Poor Women) won at the GAWAD CCP awards.
Schooled at the Assumption College, San Lorenzo, University of the Philippines, Diliman (a cum laude graduate in A.B.Broadcast Communication), Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA artist-teacher 1979-1988 PETA Broadcast and Film Inc. training officer,1988-1991), Mowelfund Film Institute, with short visitorship programs in Paris and London, a veteran writer-director-producer for both alternative and mainstream circuits, once a supervising producer for Star Cinema (1994-1997)and recently a public affairs progam manager for GMA Network (I-Witness, Debate,Unang Hirit 2000-2003).
Ellen recently founded “ERASTO FILMS, Inc.” named after her father, which means “man of peace”. Its objective is to help push alternative filmmaking to the forefront of Philippine Cinema, and create mainstream impact. By alternative, she means new insights and new ways of experiencing life more meaningfully, new technology –digital, which is cheaper, and which thus allows greater room for experimentation and finally, new ways of organizing business relationships, where everyone shares both risks and profits and leads towards a ‘”solidarity” type of economy. Erasto Films’ first project is Mga Pusang Gala, which was made possible through equity sharing of almost the whole cast and staff.
She is a founding member of the Independent Filmmakers Cooperative.
For older postings, see the archives on the right side of the screen
No comments:
Post a Comment