Benildean Multimedia Arts alumni and Animation faculty professors Ms. Christela Marquez and Ms. Eru Petrasanta won “Best Original Song” for their entry “Paglisan” at the 67th Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) Awards at the Meralco Theater last April 28.
Inspired by Director Carl Papa’s grandmother, “Paglisan” tackles the lives of a married couple, Crisanto and Dolores, as they encounter different challenges as memories, as well their identities, start to fade. Crisanto, voice-overed by Filipino actor Ian Veneracion, was diagnosed with an early onset of Alzheimer’s disease while Dolores, voice-overed by Filipino actress Eula Valdez, struggles with depression.
Buhay Teatro bested entries namely “Mula sa Ilalim ng Lupa,” Ang Panahon ng Halimaw, (Music and lyrics by Lav Diaz),” “Akala,” The Day After Valentine’s, (Music and lyrics by Marion Aunor),” “Isa pang Araw,” Miss Granny, (Music and lyrics by Miguel Mendoza),” “Ikaw,” Paglisan, (Music and lyrics by Lloyd Oliver and Tiny Corpuz),” “Sa’yo Na,” Rainbow’s Sunset, (Music and lyrics by Emerzon Texon),” and “Heartbeats,” Sid & Aya: Not a Love Story (Music and lyrics by Chris Valera and Alessandra De Rossi) to bring home the top award for Best Original Song.
This animated musical dramedy brings awareness about Alzheimer’s disease through its visual storytelling. Aside from them partaking in the process of the animated film, a number of students and alumni participated as well.
In an interview with The Benildean, songwriter and body actress Ms. Marquez elaborated on aiming to emphasize on visual storytelling as well as coordinating in creating their songs for the film.
“We made sure we know the story by heart and understand what the characters are going through. So many tears have been shed in the process because that’s how honest we wanted it to be because [of] the story’s raw[ness] and [sincerity],” she said.
Aside from bagging the FAMAS award, “Paglisan” also won several awards from last year’s CINEMAONE ORIGINALS festival such as “Champion Bughaw” Award, “Best Sound,” “Best Music,” “Best Screenplay,” and “Best Picture.” They also had another nomination under “Best Original Song” for FAMAS awards titled “Ikaw.”
In addition to Paglisan, Digital Filmmaking alumni Selene Almeron and Klarisse Purugganan also brought home the grand jury prize for short film with their work “Balai” in the 67th FAMAS Awards.
