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Group 5 Contemporary Philippine Arts From The Regions Report
Group 5 Contemporary Philippine Arts From The Regions Report
While artists may create work independently, artistic collaborations help develop projects involving
elaborate production work, as in the case of film or theater. The actor, filmmaker, and producer Manuel
Conde (awarded 2009) worked with Carlos V. Francisco (awarded 1973) in many of his films. One of
these films was the acclaimed Genghis Khan,1950, which told the epic adventure of a Mongolian
conqueror. This was filmed in Francisco’s native Angono. Although more known for his magisterial
murals, Francisco’s imaginative production design likewise enriched Conde’s cinematic vision. The film
was screened in many film festivals abroad and translated into 16 languages for international distribution,
the most recent of which was at the 2015 Venice Biennale. On the other hand, the pop-rock opera Tales of
the Manuvu performed at the CCP in 1985 also benefitted from the efforts of several National Artists.
Recounting the origins of the Manobo people, the scholar, poet, and teacher Bienvenido Lumbera,
National Artist for Literature (awarded 2006) wrote the libretto, while National Artist for Dance Alice
Reyes (awarded 2014), founder of Ballet Philippines, choreographed the performance. National Artist for
Theater Salvador Bernal (awarded 2003) took charge of the costume and set design. It reflected a
confluence of genres normally perceived as belonging to different realms: ballet and opera on the one
hand, popular music, and folk culture, on the other. One of the songs popularized by this production is
Noong Unang Panahon, a melancholic reminiscence of ecological transformation, still compelling in
today’s context. You may view the lyrics of the song through this website:
http://www.opmtunes.com/songs/l/leah-navarro-noong-unangpanahon.html.
Narratives in existing literary works sometimes become the basis of moving images and the performing
arts. The combined drawings and stories popularized by the prolific Francisco V. Coching (awarded 2014)
in comics, have inspired filmmakers to create adaptations on the big screen. Before the emergence of the
so-called fantaserye (fantasy series) on national television in the late nineties for example, the young
superhero Pedro Penduko first appeared in Coching’s work in Liwayway comics, and animated into film
by Gerardo de Leon, National Artist for Film (awarded 1982) in 1954. In the same decade, the poet,
novelist, and playwright National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin (awarded 1976) wrote A Portrait of
the Artist as Filipino, 1950. The story revolves around a painting of the same title, dedicated by a crippled
artist to his two unmarried daughters, Candida, and Paula. The said painting calls the attention of
characters that take interest in the work of the once famous artist, and who give their varied appraisals of
the work. Set in prewar Intramuros, the play forwards concerns about the value of art and the plight of
artists and the nostalgia for “peace” and glory days in Manila. This was adapted for film in 1965 by
Lamberto Avellana, National Artist for Film (awarded 1976). His wife and collaborator, the actress,
director, and writer Daisy Hontiveros Avellana, National Artist for Theater (awarded 1999) played the
lead character (Candida Marasigan) in both film and theater.