Videos - Opening Program and Q&A

Opening Remarks - Linden Martinez

Q & A - Part 1

Q & A - Part 2

Tertulia - April 29, 2009

Tertulia on Philippine Cinema

Sponsored by the Philippine Consulate General and the Assumption Alumnae Association

Guest Speakers: Director Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil and

Multi-awarded Artist Ricky Davao

click on the brochure to read more about Tertulias and Ellen and Ricky

Vivian Cruz, Ellen Ongeko-Marfil and Ricky Davao

Setting Up - April 30, 2009

Creative Director, Bridget Jacinto-Jones, the real Bridget Jones!

Lilibeth Zandueta, the real Bridget Jones, Ching Legarda,

Linden Martinez

Lilibeth, Bridget,

Marissa Villarama

Lilibeth, Bridget, Vina Francisco

Mon Legarda

Vina

Rissa Hidalgo

Linden

We did it!

It's showtime!

Rehearsals - April 28 and April 30, 2009

Our Artists

Ricky Davao

Assumption Alumna , Director Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil

Maestro Michael Dadap

The New Tandem

"Dadap and Davao"

With Vina Francisco

Vocalizing while jetlagging!

Ed Tuason still wondering if Ricky can really sing!

The PRO is jetlagging too!

Rose Tuason, the critic!

The PRO and the Critic need some sleep!

Together at last!

Gawad Tanglaw Awards, Boses Event and Video

Boses - Winner of 2009 Gawad Tanglaw Award for Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay.

Note: Gawad Tanglaw is a film award-giving body composed of critics, scholars, historians and professors of humanities


Ricky Davao will be staging a musical concert with a special performance by Michael Dadap, Children's Orchestra Society artistic director and conductor,composer and classical guitarist. Meet Ricky and Director, Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil, at the reception.

Press Release: Boses Garners 12 Nominations!

March 9, 2009 - The 6th Golden Screen Awards (Philippine version of the Golden Globes) recently announced its nominations for the best films of 2008. BOSES leads the pack with 12 nominations:

· Best Motion Picture
· Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Cherry Pie Picache
· Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role - Ricky Davao
· Best Breakthrough Performance - Coke Bolipata and Julian Duque
· Best Director - Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil
· Best Original Screenplay- Froilan Medina, Rody Vera
· Best Cinematography- Nap Jamir
· Best Editing - Orlean Joseph Tan
· Best Production Design - Bianca Gonzales
· Best Sound - Allan Marcelo Hidalgo, Orlean Joseph Tan
· Best Musical Score - Jourdan Petalver


Boses is about the healing power of music and the redemption of the human spirit. Onyok, a child made mute at the hands of his own father is sent to a shelter for abused children where he is cared for by social workers. Nobody can get through to Onyok until he meets Ariel a reclusive violin teacher. Although reluctantly at first as he himself is haunted by guilt and the memory of his dead girlfriend, Ariel discovers that Onyok is a gifted child. Together they battle their demons until they regain their voice, rediscover their spirit and realize that forgiveness is within their reach.

Boses will premiere in New York City on Friday, May 1, 2009. Sponsored by the Assumption Alumnae organization, the 4-hour event will include a reception with Ricky Davao and Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil, Boses Director, a film screening and a musical concert by Ricky Davao. Also gracing the event is renowned Filipino musician Michael Dadap, the Artistic Director of the New York based Children's Society Orchestra.

DETAILS:

· TICKETS - $25.00

· Contact Vina Francisco at 646 203-1611, vins_nyc@yahoo.com

· Boses blog: http://boses-premieres-nyc-may1-2009.blogspot.com/

· Boses official trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfvmRXLsEm8

· Date: Friday, May 1, 2009

· Time: 6-10pm (Film Screening to begin at 7pm)

· Place: Saint Paul the Apostle Church , 60th and Columbus

· Light refreshments will be served during the reception and a food concession (Cornucopia Gourmet) will also be available throughout the evening

BOSES is coming to NEW YORK!

L-R: vivian talambiras-cruz, lilibeth zandueta, linden martinez, annabel guevara, zelda tangonan, gigi jacinto-jones, vina francisco, grace tumang, ninez arreglado, rissa hidalgo. not in photo: ching ojeda legarda, ariane recto and gina boncan


Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil, Director of BOSES


During our board meeting in September, we came up with ideas for projects we wanted to work on this year. One of these ideas was to create an event that would engage you and encourage your participation. We felt we could accomplish this by creating an event that is new and different yet fun and exciting, entertaining, meets our goals and thus meaningful too. Another idea was to find a medium in which we could highlight alumnae members who were doing something interesting in their respective fields as our way of increasing our network, learning from each other, supporting their work and expressing our pride in our own. The first idea to gain momentum was to sponsor a Filipino film event/reception in New York.

To give you some background...In the last four years, the independent film industry in the Philippines has come into its own. This was driven by two things: the rising cost of producing main stream Filipino movies, and the rising crop of new film makers who were willing to take risks, willing to explore other venues and options for film making, and willing to accept that profit margins were going to be small, if there was even money to be made at all.

So what makes a film an independent film? Independent films are not produced by the large movie production houses in the Philippines, they usually do not have mainstream actors in them, (although that is quickly changing), they are shot on digital film which is the more cost effective method, do not have large promotional and marketing budgets, and do not have long commercial runs in the Philippines precisely because of the costs involved in doing that. These films, however, tend to do very well in international film festivals as their subject matter and film making approach appeal to a global audience. I discovered these Filipino independent films as they started to screen and win in film festivals in the US and abroad. I found the films to be more interesting, insightful, intelligent. I gravitated towards those that show the Philippines and the Filipino in real light and deal with the social issues that are important to me. However viewing them from here is a challenge unless they are circulated on DVD.

As we began to explore the possibilities of bringing a film to New York, we heard and read about the film BOSES ...and then we learned about the genius behind BOSES...

To get us started we got in touch with Ricky Davao, the lead actor of the film, who put us in touch with the Director, Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil.

This is how our initial conversation went:

Vina: Ellen we heard about your film BOSES and we would like to bring the film to New York. How do we go about doing that?

Ellen: What are you trying to achieve? Why do you want to do this?

Vina: My alumnae group is trying to create an event that is both fun and meaningful and can raise some money to support our projects. Very few groups venture into a project like this but we want to explore it.

Ellen: What group are you with?

Vina: I'm the Public Relations Officer for the Assumption Alumnae in New York.

Ellen: Assumption? Really? I'm also from Assumption.

Vina: WHAT? Are you kidding me??!! Why didn't Ricky tell me that? Are you sure?

Ellen: Of course I'm sure! I'm batch '77 high school!

Vina: Oh my God...Oh my God!!!! I can't believe it! waaaaaaaaah! That's great!!!!


Little did we know that the opportunity to address both goals would come so soon! It was starting to have that "it is meant to be" feeling. Today BOSES in New York is a reality!

So here we are...novices all in this type of event planning..but we are working it! Under the leadership of Linden, the event and production expertise of Ching, the creative genius who is Bridget Jones, the logical mathematical mind of Rissa,the connections of Vivian, the budgeting skills of Zelda, the marketing ideas of Grace, Ninez, and Arianne, the sales skills of Lilibeth and Anabelle and the detailed notes of our ex-Secretary Gina, we are making progress and promise to give you THE Assumption event of the year!

You'll be able to read more about the film, Ellen, the cast, the reviews and watch a trailer video in our future blog postings. For now, please see the "Press Release" posting. It is featured in the latest issue of the Filipino Times and will be featured in other publications as well.

So as you read our blog, we hope that you will be part of this event, get excited with us, post your comments, and help us in whatever way you can. Proceeds from our event will be shared with various advocacies in the Philippines working to stop violence againt children, Daang-Sine--the creative group behind BOSES whose mission is to educate and create awareness of social issues through their films and our Assumption Alumnae NY chapter.

If I was asked to describe the essence of this film, there is only thought that comes to mind for me..."...to allow the good in every person to break through the rock that imprisons it and bring it to the light where it can blossom and shed its radiance" because that is BOSES.

(quote is from Saint Marie Eugenie)