Amable "Tikoy" Aguiluz VI
one of the leading figures in the alternative cinema movement in the Philippines. A product of the University of the Philippines (Comparative Literature and Fine Arts), he is acknowledged as the co-founder in 1976 of UP Film Center where he served until 1990 as its Assistant Director and also spearheaded the association called Chamber Film Group. He was a recipient of a John D. Rockefeller III Grant to study filmmaking at the New York University and film archiving at the Library of Congress Film Archives in Washington, DC and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. A British Council Grant led to further film studies and training in film archiving at the British Film Institute.
He had worked in various capacities in film projects with other important Filipino directors his senior, including National Artist Lino Brocka. He first made his mark with the 15-minute documentary, Mt. Banahaw, Holy Mountain. The film won Silver Trophy at the prestigious Young Filmmakers of Asia Festival in Iran.
Tikoy plunged into full-length feature in 1984 with the acclaimed Boatman. It was exhibited at the 1985 London Film Festival where it was cited as the outstanding film of the year. It was followed up several years later in 1995 with his own version of the story of the ill-fated household helper Flor Contemplacion in the equally acclaimed docu-drama entitled Bagong Bayani, OCW.
In 1996, his film Segurista (Dead Sure) was picked as the official Philippine entry to Oscars for the Best Foreign-Language Film category. It placed 12th in the list of thirty-nine titles. The same film bagged for Tikoy the Gawad Urian (the local film critics award) for best director as well as for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Production Design and Best Supporting Actor for Albert Martinez. Segurista toured international film festivals in Toronto, Singapore and others.
Tikoy's next venture, Rizal sa Dapitan (1997) - the historical film on the national hero's poignant exile - altogether swept the Manila Film Festival. It also captured the lion's share at the Philippine Movie Press Club's Star Awards and the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Annual Awards. The film was also shown at the First Philippine International Film Festival, at the Toronto International Film Festival, in Mar del Plata, Argentina and in Singapore. It continues its tour of world film capitals under the auspices of the Culture Committee of the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines. When it competed last November in Brussels International Film Festival (Festival International du Film Independant), it was conferred the Grand Jury Prize in addition to the best actor award for lead star Albert Martinez who essayed the title role.
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The multi-awarded filmmaker will soon wrap up his latest production entitled Abel. The single work he finished last year, Tatsulok, premiered in Hong Kong International Film Festival as well as Kerala International Film Festival in India. |
(UPshots 4: Film Artists From Diliman, February 1999)
FILMOGRAPHY
Mt. Banahaw, Holy Mountain (documentary, 1976)
Yo-yo Man (documentary, 1977)
Boatman (1984)
Father Balweg, Rebel Priest (documentary)
Kagubatan, Kaligtasan (documentary)
The July 1990 Earthquake (documentary)
The Volcano (documentary, 1991)
Marcos Years (unfinished documentary)
Bagong Bayani, OCW (1995)
Segurista (Dead Sure, 1996)
Rizal sa Dapitan (Rizal in Dapitan, 1997)
Tatsulok (Triangle, 1998)
Biyaheng Langit (2000)
