Inamin ni Boots Anson Roa-Rodrigo na ini-offer sa kanya ng Cineko Productions ang role na napunta kay Liza Lorena sa Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2022 entry na Family Matters.
“Gusto kong magpasalamat sa Cineko, kay Direk Nuel Naval saka kay Mel del Rosario for inviting me to be part of the cast,” sabi ni Tita Boots sa mediacon at Christmas party for the press ng MMFF 2022 noong Disyembre 14, Miyerkules, sa Novotel Hotel, Quezon City.
“Dalawa ang naging predicament ko dun kaya I could not accept it.
"One, kung tinanggap ko yun, I would have had to go on leave from the Metro Manila filmfest before the duration of the festival.
“Kasi nga nasa Screening Committee ako. So kung tinanggap ko yun, aalis ako sa Screening Committee, kasi I’ll be conflicted.
“But maybe, nature took its course. Ahhm, the other reason and the more urgent reason why I could not accept it, nagka-shingles ako.
“Nagka-shingles ako so I had to beg off. Kasi, I didn’t want to delay. It took me like, what, a month to recuperate.
“Dito sa ulo saka dito, so talagang hindi pwede. Force majeure talaga. So parang naging simple.”
BOOTS IS HAPPY FOR LIZA
Si Tita Boots ang chairperson ng MMFF Screening Committee sa pangalawang pagkakataon. Napanood na niya syempre ang Family Matters.
“It was a good movie, and it was a good role,” malumanay na saad ni Tita Boots.
“I’m just so happy si Liza ang kinuha nila. Ang galing-galing naman ni Liza!”
Kumusta na ang kalusugan niya? Bumalik na ba sa dating sigla at lakas ang kanyang katawan? Super-ingat pa rin dapat?
Mabilis na sagot ni Tita Boots, “Yeah, yeah. Well siyempre at my age of 77, I’ll be 78 next month, kailangan super-ingat talaga.
“But God has been good. I’ve been pretty healthy. Wala akong maintenance pills. Wala akong major sakit.
“Meron lang little… ahh, yun bang kung minsan sumasakit ang tuhod, ganyan. But actually wala.
“I’m so thankful I can still do my work. I’m doing an advocacy film now on the Law of Economics for Communication Foundation for Asia.
“And then I have three film offers so kung matutuloy yun, I’ll be starting January. And I have a teleserye offer that we’re discussing now for GMA. So I’ll be very active.”
Hindi siya nauubusan ng offers!
“Mabait ang Diyos,” sambit ni Tita Boots, na huling napanood sa Kapuso primetime series na Mano Po Legacy: The Family Fortune.
48TH MMFF ENTRIES, CHOSEN ACCORDING TO CRITERIA
Nang mai-announce ang Final 4 official entries ng 48th MMFF noong Oktubre 20, may movie producer na nagparinig. Merong nagkairingan.
“Sa ngayon, mga bulung-bulungan, pero wala namang pumuputok pa.
"So, hopefully yung mga producers naman who have been informed beforehand of the rules and regulations to include the criteria for the selection of the eight entries, alam naman nila yun,” pahayag ni Tita Boots.
“Hopefully maintindihan nila na the entries were considered and adjudged according to the criteria. Wala namang personal na influences diyan.”
Ang criteria na pinagbatayan sa pagpili ng entries ay Artistic Excellence (40%), Commercial Appeal (40%), Filipino Cultural Values (10%),. at Global Appeal (10%).
Ang apat na pelikulang napili base sa script ay Labyu With An Accent, Nanahimik Ang Gabi, My Teacher, at Partners in Crime.
Ang mga lumusot na finished film formats ay Deleter, Family Matters, Mamasapano: Now It Can Be Told, at My Father, Myself.
Bilang Chairperson ng MMFF 2022 Selection Committee, confident ba niyang masasabi na the best sa mga nagsumite ang mga napili?
“As closely as the selection committee members follow the criteria, OK, ahhm... in our deliberations, never… never nagkonsulta sa isa’t isa ang members, e,” pagtatapat ni Tita Boots.
“Hindi namin alam yung preferences. We discussed the merits of the film as objectively as we can, pero yung score, hindi namin pinag-usapan kung, ‘Ano ba yung score mo?’ ganun.
“Deliberation only on the merits of the film artistically and creatively, and according to the criteria.
“But yung preferences, yung opinions, ‘Ahh, mas magaling ito! Magaling iyan,’ wala. Hindi kami nag-discuss niyan, pati yung mga scores namin.
“Towards the end, it was only the tabulators and the secretariat na talagang nag-tabulate.
“And it was only in the final move that they asked me to sign the accrued scores of the selection committee members.”
SUPPORT FROM QC
Hinaing ng ibang movie producers, kapag mahina ang entry nila sa MMFF ay natatanggalan agad sila ng mga sinehan.
“If I remember correctly, unless nabago ngayon na hindi ko alam, if I remember correctly… last year, merong agreement ang mga producers at saka ang cinema owners na hindi magpi-first day, last day,” lahad ni Tita Boots.
“Yun ang pagkaalam ko, ha? Well, I was away for a while. I went abroad. Hindi ko alam itong latest kung may changes, but that was an agreement.”
Habang ongoing ang filmfest ay dapat yung MMFF entries lang ang palabas sa mga sinehan ng Metro Manila, maliban sa specialty cinemas gaya ng IMAX. Wala pa kasing Pinoy film na nasa IMAX format.
Ang host city ng MMFF 2022 ay ang Quezon City. Ayon kay Tita Boots, nangako ng full support si Mayor Joy Belmonte sa filmfest.
“Mayor Joy has always been very supportive. Sana, panindigan nila yung reputasyon ng Quezon City as the City of the Stars,” pakli ni Tota Boots.
MMFF 2022 PARADE OF STARS ROUTE
Ang Parada ng mga Bituin ay gaganapin sa Disyembre 21, Miyerkules nang hapon mula Welcome Rotonda, babagtas ng Quezon Avenue patungo sa Quezon Memorial Circle.
Bale 7.36 kilometro ang parada, kaya inaasahan na tatagal ito ng mahigit dalawa’t kalahating oras.
Sa Disyembre 20, Martes ng gabi, makabubuting iwasan ng mga motorista ang E. Rodriguez Avenue mula Banawe hanggang Mabuhay Rotonda dahil pupuwesto na roon ang mga karosa.
Ookupahin ng mga float ang isang lane sa westbound direction, samantalang mananatiling open sa trapiko ang eastbound direction.
Sa Disyembre 21, Miyerkules ng 3:30 pm, isasara sa vehicular traffic ang westbound direction ng E. Rodriguez Avenue mula D. Tuazon Street hanggang Mabuhay Rotonda. Bubuksan uli iyon pag nakalagpas na roon ang lahat ng mga karosa.
Ang awards night ay sa Disyembre 27, Martes, sa New Frontier Theatre ng Cubao, Quezon City.
Meron kayang paandar o payanig sa gabi ng parangal?
“I’m not with the Board of Jurors, e. Hindi ko nga alam kung sinu-sino ang members ng Board of Jurors,” tugon ni Tita Boots.
“So again meron namang criteria rin na susundan ang Board of Jurors. But you can expect, as always and it’s very part of our culture, na siyempre you cannot please everybody. Hindi maaalis yung emotional outbursts ng mga hindi mapipili.
“Let’s hope that the movie producers would be understanding and that the public will be diligent in supporting the industry, kasi kailangang-kailangan.”