Da Dog Show, Ralston Jover’s film about a struggling dog trainer living with his two children inside a mausoleum in a public cemetery in Manila, is cited by the Young Critics Circle as 2015’s Best Film, while its lead actor, Lou Veloso, bagged the Best Performance award. Jover also won for Best Screenplay.
Lou Veloso (right) plays Sergio, a struggling dog trainer, in Da Dog Show
The best film award is Jover’s second from the academe-based critics group (after he won for 2009’s Bakal Boys) while his best screenplay prize is his third (after 2007’s Foster Child and 2013’s Porno).
Da Dog Show first screened in last year’s World Premieres Film Festival, which ran in several Metro Manila cinemas from June 29 to July 7.
Kidlat Tahimik’s Balikbayan #1 garnered two awards: Best Cinematography and Visual Design and Best Sound and Aural Orchestration, while Sherad Anthony Sanchez’s Salvage won Best Editing.
Three films were cited as Best First Features: Ari: My Life with a King (by Carlo Enciso Catu), Dayang Asu (by Bor Ocampo), and Miss Bulalacao (by Ara Chawdhury).
The critics group considered 115 films released in 2015 and narrowed them to a long list of 26 films. After several hours of deliberations, the long list was further winnowed down to a shortlist of 12 films. Per the group’s rules, only shortlisted films are eligible for nomination.
The awards ceremony is set on the 15th of September (Thursday), 3:00 pm at the Vargas Museum (University of the Philippines Diliman).
Below is the list of winners and nominees:
BEST FILM
Winner: Da Dog Show, directed by Ralston Jover (Bessie Badilla, Jean Pierre Gimenez, Darlene Catly Malimas, Sven Schnell, producers)
Nominees:
Ari: My Life with a King, directed by Carlo Enciso Catu (Jocelyn Aniceto and Geromin Nepomuceno, Jr., executive producers; Ferdinand Lapuz, producer)
Balikbayan #1, directed by Kidlat Tahimik (Voyage Studios)
An Kubo sa Kawayanan, directed by Alvin Yapan (Alemberg Ang, Alvin Yapan, Ronald Rebutica, executive producers; Andrea Fe Quizon, line producer)
Mga Rebeldeng May Kaso, directed by Raymond Red (Daphne Chiu and Toni Vasquez, line producers)
Taklub, directed by Brillante Mendoza (Loreto Castillo, producer)
BEST SCREENPLAY
Winner: Da Dog Show (Ralston Jover)
Nominees:
Ari: My Life with a King (Robby Tantingco)
Balikbayan #1 (Kidlat Tahimik)
An Kubo sa Kawayanan (Alvin Yapan)
Mga Rebeldeng May Kaso (Raymond Red)
Salvage (Sherad Anthony Sanchez)
Taklub (Honeylyn Joy Alipio)
BEST PERFORMANCE
Winner: Lou Veloso, Da Dog Show
Nominees:
Nora Aunor, Taklub
Mercedes Cabral, Da Dog Show
Mercedes Cabral, An Kubo sa Kawayanan
Alessandra de Rossi, Bambanti
Ensemble cast (Epy Quizon, Felix Roco, Nicco Manalo, Earl Ignacio, Angela Cortez), Mga Rebeldeng May Kaso
Ensemble cast (Jessy Mendiola, JC de Vera, Barbie Capacio, Karl Medina, Joel Saracho), Salvage
Micko Laurente, Bambanti
Ronwaldo Martin, Ari: My Life with a King
Julia Montes, Halik sa Hangin
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY AND VISUAL DESIGN
Winner: Balikbayan #1, Boy Yñiguez, Lee Briones, Abi Lara, Santos Bayucca, Kidlat de Guia, Kawayan de Guia, and Kidlat Tahimik (cinematography); Kidlat Tahimik (production design)
Nominees:
Bambanti, Joseph Delos Reyes and Ma. Solita Garcia (cinematography), Aped Santos (production design)
Da Dog Show, Carlo Mendoza (cinematography), Deans Habal (production design)
Halik sa Hangin, Moises Zee (cinematography), Manny Morfe (production design)
An Kubo sa Kawayanan, Ronald Rebutica (cinematography), Paolo Rey Mendoza Piaña (production design)
Miss Bulalacao, Christian Linaban (cinematography), Ernest Diño and Philip Sinajonon (production design)
Mga Rebeldeng May Kaso, Raymond Red (cinematography), Danny Red (production design)
Salvage, Malay Javier (cinematography), Joel Geolamen (production design)
Taklub, Odyssey Flores (cinematography), Harley Alcasid and Brillante Mendoza (production design)
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING
Winner: Salvage (Lawrence Ang)
Nominees:
Balikbayan #1 (Charlie Fugunt, Abi Lara, Chuck Gutierrez, Clang Sison, Malaya Camporedondo)
Da Dog Show (Kats Serraon)
Halik sa Hangin (Beng Bandong)
An Kubo sa Kawayanan (Benjamin Tolentino)
Mga Rebeldeng May Kaso (Raymond Red and Erwin Toledo)
Shapes of Crimson (Emil James Mijares)
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND AND AURAL ORCHESTRATION
Winner: Balikbayan #1, Ed de Guia (sound), Los Indios de España and Shanto (music)
Nominees:
Ari: My Life with a King, Gilbert Obispo (sound), Jake Abella (music)
Halik sa Hangin, Addiss Tabong (sound engineer), Francis Concio (music)
BEST FIRST FEATURE
Winners:
Ari: My Life with a King (Carlo Enciso Catu)
Dayang Asu (Bor Ocampo)
Miss Bulalacao (Ara Chawdhury)
The YCC members who took part in the deliberations were Aristotle Atienza (Chair), Emerald Flaviano, Patrick Flores, Lisa Ito, J. Pilapil Jacobo, Skilty Labastilla, Jema Pamintuan, and Jaime Oscar Salazar.
Young Critics Circle Film Desk 