INQUIRER ENTERTAINMENT
“BOSES”
Ellen
Ongkeko-Marfil
E
LLEN ONGKEKO-MARFIL
says films that have a “really
positive impact on people”
should be allowed to proliferate.
“As big an impact on people, for exam-
ple, as Hollywood movies that make Fil-
ipinos believe white is more beautiful; or
maybe as big an impact as Korean films and
telenovelas,” Ellen points out. “The power
of film is underrated in this country.”
Ellen, who recently founded the movie
production outfit Erasto Films, continues
to make movies “because I love watching
films—in the dark, on a big screen, with
other people.” She adds, “I love other forms
of art but [film’s] potential to reach a wide
audience is a big turn-on.”
Her most recent work, “Boses,” was one
of the top-grossers at Cinemalaya 2008. It
won six major Golden Screen Awards from
the Entertainment Press Society and won
the Gawad Tanglaw (given by local aca-
demicians) for Best Script, Best Direction,
Best Film. It was also nominated for the
Urian in all major categories that year.
“Boses,” about the friendship between an
abused child and a reclusive violinist, repre-
sented the country in festivals in New York,
Los Angeles, Chicago in the United States;
Geneva, Switzerland; Spain; Korea; Hong
Kong; and is currently touring schools and
communities around the country.
“Mga Pusang Gala,” Ellen’s first full-
length digital feature transferred to film,
won the Docker’s First Feature Award at the
San Francisco (California) LGBT (gay pride)
Film Festival in June 2006. It was screened
in festivals in Fribourg, Switzerland; New
York, Dallas, Chicago, United States; Mon-
treal, Quebec, Canada; Melbourne, Sydney,
Australia; and Berlin, Germany.
A documentary-drama on Filipino desa-
ELLEN ONGKEKO-MARFIL:
“Cinema artists just ask
to be heard.”
5
parecidos “Walang Bakas,” which Ellen did
for GMA-7, won the 2004 Catholic Mass
Media Awards for Best Drama Program. It
was also a finalist at the Asian TV Awards,
as two of her teleplays had been in previ-
ous years—“Rattle” for “Maalaala Mo
Kaya” and “Rosaryo” for GMA Telesine.
Ellen’s first full-length digital feature is
the critically acclaimed “Angels,” a Star
Cinema production which tackles the true
story of a blind couple’s struggles to raise a
family. Made available in VCD format, it is
still being shown on cable TV.
Her documentaries “Is Your Gender an Is-
sue?” and “Luha, Pawis at Tuwa:
Kasaysayan ng mga Babaeng Maralita” won
Gawad CCP (Cultural Center of the Philip-
pines) for Alternative Film and Video.
Ellen graduated cum laude in broadcast
communication from the University of the
Philippines. She was an artist-teacher from
1979 to 1988 at the Philippine Educational
Theater Association (Peta) and a training
officer from 1988 to 1991.
She studied at the Mowelfund Film Insti-
tute, with short visitor programs in Paris
and London. She is a founding member
and current chair of the Independent Film-
makers Cooperative.
Marfil is a veteran writer-director-pro-
ducer for both alternative and mainstream
circuits, once a supervising producer for
ABS-CBN’s Star Cinema (1994-1997) and a
public affairs program manager for GMA
Network (2000-2003).
“In both the mainstream and indie
scenes, we have genuine artists who need
greater support to be able to really do good
films,” she points out. “Not that they expect
to be served on a silver platter, everybody
needs help in this country. They are orga-
nizing themselves to have a stronger voice;
they just ask to be heard.” Marinel R. Cruz
ANDREW TADALAN