JERRY OLEA
Ang pelikulang Muro-Ami ay idinirek ni National Artist Marilou Diaz-Abaya, mula sa screenplay nina National Artist Ricky Lee at Jun Robles Lana.
Humakot ito ng 13 tropeyo sa MMFF 1999, kabilang ang best picture, best director, best supporting actor (Pen Medina), best child performer (Rebecca Lusterio), best screenplay, Gatpuno Antonio J. Villegas Cultural Award, best cinematography, best production design, at best editing.
Ang digitally restored and remastered na Muro-Ami (R-13) ay ipinalabas ng GMA Pictures noong Hunyo 3, 2026 exclusively sa SM Cinemas. PHP250 ang ticket price ng Muro-Ami.
Paulit-ulit na ipinalabas ang trailer nito sa GMA-7.
DISAPPOINTING BOX-OFFICE RESULTS
Pagsisiwalat ng Kapuso producer na si Miss Nessa Valdellon sa mediacon ng Biyaheng Oscars: The Pinoy Oscars Pursuit noong Hunyo 18, Huwebes, sa Seda Vertis North, Quezon City, nag-open ang remastered Muro-Ami sa 35 sinehan.
“On the second day, we had 19. The third day we had eight. And by the weekend, we had three,” pagtatapat ni Miss Nessa.
“And then sa weekend pa lang lumabas yung mga tao but it just wasn’t enough. So, it’s a very sad situation.
“Our host for this afternoon, si Jasmine [Curtis-Smith] was just talking about Open Endings, a movie that I love. The number of cinemas has dropped dramatically as well.
“So, what we’re planning to do with our upcoming film, 58th, is that I already spoke with Cinema ‘76 that has been so generous to indie filmmakers, and they agreed to run us for seven days already.
“Nagkataon lang that the owners of the cinema, the people who run it, were in Rotterdam and they attended the screening of 58th and they liked it so much.”
Read: Remember when 1999 movie Muro-Ami cost P30M to make?
58TH
Ang 58th ay isang documentary kung saan pinagsama ang animation at archival footage upang ilahad ang Maguindanao Massacre aka Ampatuan Massacre na naganap noong Nobyembre 23, 2009.
Ang orig na plano ng GMA-7ay ipalabas ang 58th bilang TV special sa ikalimang anibersaryo ng masaker.
Recipient ang 58th ng Pinoy Oscars Pursuit (POP) grant ng Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) matapos itong makapasok sa Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Doc Edge, an Academy Award-qualifying festival for documentaries.
GORGY RULA
Na-dishearten ba ang Kapuso producer na si Nessa Valdellon sa box-office performance ng remastered Muro-Ami?
“No, it’s just a lesson to learn that audiences are not ready yet,” malumanay na tugon ni Miss Nessa.
“But it’s not disheartening. Parang we realized na OK, at least it will save us from wasting money moving down the line, sa susunod na medyo art film nang konti, or hindi na siya masyadong uso sa mga bata — we won’t spend a lot on promotion.
“And we didn’t naman for Muro-Ami.”
Ire-remaster pa rin nila ang ibang mga lumang pelikula ng GMA Pictures?
Mabilis na sagot ni Miss Nessa, “Yes, yes! Lahat ng mga film. We have Moments of Love [2006] upcoming, and then Sa Pusod ng Dagat [1998].”
Sabi pa ni Miss Nessa, “Ang pag-asa na lang siguro ng Muro-Ami ay streaming.”
Marami sa Filipino movies ay online na lang ipinapalabas ang trailer. At least, may power ang GMA Pictures na ipalabas sa TV ang trailer ng Muro-Ami at iba pa nilang mga pelikula.
“It’s too expensive [to show trailers on TV]… I think, in film, wala kaming power,” sabi ni Miss Nessa.
“Nakita namin yun noong Firefly pa lang na, di ba, ang konti-konti ng cinemas. Tapos noong nag-Green Bones, ang konti-konti din ng cinemas!”
Read: WHAT PEP KNOWS: Bea Alonzo and Vincent Co break up for good — sources
GMA PICTURES AT MMFF
Ang Firefly ay official entry sa MMFF 2023, samantalang ang Green Bones ay kalahok sa MMFF 2024.
Umarangkada nang lubos sa MMFF 2023 ang Rewind nina Dingdong Dantes at Marian Rivera.
Nang humakot ng awards ang Green Bones sa MMFF 2024 ay nadagdagan nang nadagdagan ang mga sinehan nito, at lumampas sa PHP100M ang kinita nito kaya pinarangalan ang mga bida na sina Dennis Trillo at Ruru Madrid bilang Box Office Heroes sa 8th Eddys (Entertainment Editors’ Choice) ng SPEEd (Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors).
“Pero kumbaga, wala kaming power in the world of film,” pakli ni Miss Nessa.
“And in the world of film festivals, sobra kaming newbies. Wala kaming kaalam-alam.
“If I had not met with DG Paolo [Villaluna], I would not have known na may mga ganito palang pangalan na film festival na dapat pala naming salihan.
“Hindi pala namin dapat ipalabas sa TV, at hindi kami dapat mag-Metro Manila Film Festivals.
“Because the big film festivals, they want your world premiere. ‘Kung ibibigay mo yung world premiere sa MMFF, hindi ka namin mapapansin.’
“At yun pala ang nangyayari sa amin all these past years.”
NOEL FERRER
Meron ba silang balak ilahok sa MMFF 2026?
“Yes! This is a Zig Dulay film. It’s very beautiful, and it also stars Dennis Trillo,” sagot ni Nessa Valdellon, producer ng GMA Pictures.
“So we’re praying very hard. Nasa gitna kami ng pagsu-shoot at naka-11 days na kami of 22.
“It’s beautifully written by Sir Ricky Lee again, and Anj Atienza. Ang ganda-ganda ng script.”
Ang Firefly at Green Bones ay parehong idinirek ni Zig.
Ang Firefly ay sinulat ni Anj, samantalang ang Green Bones ay magkatuwang na sinulat nina Anj at Sir Ricky.
Co-producer sa Green Bones ang Brightburn Entertainment nina Dennis at Jennylyn Mercado.
Sa Beautederm mediacon ni Jennylyn noong nakaraang Mayo 6 sa Solaire North, Quezon City, ay ibinalita niyang may aspiring entry muli si Dennis sa MMFF, at co-producer na naman sila roon ng GMA Pictures.
At kahit sinasabi ni Nessa na walang power ang GMA Pictures, ang power ng film company ay nakasalalay sa patuloy na paggawa ng magagandang pelikula.
Dahil lumipas man ang panahon, makakahanap at mahahanap ng magandang pelikula ang kanyang audience.
Read: Rene Baterbonia, Divine Adili deaths not an accident — CIDG