Carving time out from his busy schedule on stage, television
and film, Aliw Awards' newest Hall of Fame member Ricky Davao will make a
special trip to New York City for a special screening of Boses to be held on May 1. This
indie film was one of the most popular and successful entries of the 2008
Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival.
Boses is about the redemption of the human spirit and the healing power of music. Onyok (Julian Duque), a child made mute by abuse at the hands of his own father, is sent to a shelter for abused children where he is cared for by social workers. Nothing seems to work for Onyok until he meets Ariel (Coke Bolipata), who is haunted by grief and guilt over the death of his girlfriend. The reclusive violin teacher 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.
The film stars Ricky Davao as the abusive father, Cherry Pie Picache as the nurturing head of the school where Onyok stays, and Meryll Soriano as the girlfriend of Ariel. It also introduces Julliard-trained violinist Coke Bolipata and his student, Julian Duque, a child violin prodigy. This film is sub-titled in English. Boses was granted an "A" rating by the Cinema Evaluation Board and rated PG 13 by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board.
A project of the Assumption Alumni Association, the four-hour event will
take place on Friday, May 1, 2009, 6 pm at Saint Paul the Apostle Church
Hall, Columbus Ave. & W. 60th Street (near Lincoln Center) in Manhattan.
Aside from the film screening, there will be a musical concert featuring Ricky
Davao and a chance to talk with the actor and Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil, director of
Boses and an alumna of Assumption.
For group and individual ticket sales, please contact Vina Francisco at vins_nyc@yahoo.com. Tickets are priced at
$25.
This film has been endorsed in the Philippines by the United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Catholic Education Board. Its first
international screening was conducted during the 2008 Louis Vuitton Hawaii
International Film Festival.
Proceeds of the film will benefit Daang-Sine, a creative group focused on
educating and creating awareness on social issues through film, and various
organizations in the Philippines working to stop violence against children.
Incidentally, the 6th Golden Screen Awards recently announced its nominations
for the best films of 2008. The awards night will be held on April 30 at Metro
Bar in West Avenue, Quezon City. 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