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Lav Diaz’ Historya ni Ha wins Best Film at the Young Critics Circle Film Desk’s 32nd Annual Circle Citations. Set during the sudden closing of the Magsaysay presidency, the film follows Hernando Alamada, a vaudeville puppeteer and a former socialist cadre, as he journeys towards a gold-laden island and crosses paths with multiple characters of interest.
Following its world premiere at the prestigious 65th BFI London Film Festival, Historya ni Ha had its Philippine premiere at the 2021 QCinema International Film Festival in November. The film was also screened at the following international film festivals: Vienna International Film Festival, Singapore International Film Festival, Hong Kong Asian Film Festival, Jeonju International Film Festival, and Melbourne International Film Festival.
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Diaz’s script, which engages with the surroundings and denizens of Palawan, is also awarded Best Screenplay, as well as earning Best Performance for John Lloyd Cruz’s riveting take on a Filipino bodabil great, who is rounding out a series of performances on a cruise ship.
Gensan Punch by Brillante Mendoza, a Filipino-Japanese co-production sports drama that centers on a differently-abled boxer, takes the prize for Best Cinematography and Visual Design for Joshua Reyles’ well-ordered camerawork and Mendoza’s production design.
On the Job 2: The Missing 8, Erik Matti’s sequel to the 2013 crime thriller featuring a journalist on the move and a prisoner hired for assassination is awarded Best Editing for Jay Halili’s fluid collation of sequences as well as Best Sound and Aural Orchestration, designed by Corrine de San Jose with music composed by Malek Lopez, Arvin Nogueras, and Erwin Romulo.
Below is the complete list of winners and nominees.
BEST FILM
Winner: Historya ni Ha, directed by Lav Diaz
Nominee: On the Job 2: The Missing 8, directed by Erik Matti
BEST PERFORMANCE
Winner: John Lloyd Cruz, Historya ni Ha
Nominees:
John Arcilla, On the Job 2: The Missing 8
Ronnie Lazaro & Shogen (duo), Gensan Punch
Mae Paner, Tao Po
Dennis Trillo, On the Job 2: The Missing 8
John Arcilla, Dennis Trillo, Lotlot de Leon, Dante Rivero, Dolly de Leon (ensemble), On the Job 2: The Missing 8
BEST SCREENPLAY
Winner: Historya ni Ha, Lav Diaz
Nominees:
On the Job 2: The Missing 8, Erik Matti & Michiko Yamamoto
Tao Po, Maynard Manansala
BEST EDITING
Winner: On the Job 2: The Missing 8, Jay Halili
Nominees:
Gensan Punch, Ysabel Denoga, Armando Lao, Peter Arian Vito
Last Days at Sea, Anna Silva & Katrin Maria Escay
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY AND VISUAL DESIGN
Winner: Gensan Punch, cinematography: Joshua Reyles; production design: Brillante Mendoza
Nominees:
Historya ni Ha, cinematography & production design: Lav Diaz
Last Days at Sea, cinematography: Venice Atienza & Moshe Ladanga
On the Job 2: The Missing 8, cinematography: Neil Derrick Bion; production design: Roma Regala
BEST SOUND AND AURAL ORCHESTRATION
Winner: On the Job 2: The Missing 8, sound design: Corrine de San Jose; music: Malek Lopez, Arvin Nogueras, Erwin Romulo
Nominee: Gensan Punch, sound design: Albert Michael Idioma, Alex Tomboc, Deo van Fidelson; music: Diwa de Leon
BEST FIRST FEATURE
No winner
Nominees:
Tao Po, directed by Mae Paner
Kun Maupay Man It Panahon, directed by Carlo Francisco Manatad
Last Days at Sea, directed by Venice Atienza
The awarding ceremony will take place later this year. Reviews for shortlisted films, as well as citations for nominated and winning films, will be posted weeks before the ceremony. Further updates will be announced through the YCC Facebook page and Twitter account.
The Young Critics Circle Film Desk, established in 1990, is an academe-based group of interdisciplinary film critics. The members who took part in this year’s deliberations are Aristotle Atienza, John Bengan, Christian Jil Benitez, Emerald Flaviano Manlapaz, Skilty Labastilla, Tito Quiling Jr. (Chair), Cristian Tablazon, and Andrea Anne Trinidad.