100 Years After the First Film on Rizal Comes “A mi Patria”

  

 

by Mirana Medina

The first film on Rizal was made in 1912. According to Vicente Salumbides’ Motion Pictures in the Philippines,  (c. 1952), a certain Mr. Yearsley who owned the Majestic Theater on Azcarrage St. near Bilibid, produced the silent movie, “Life of Dr. Jose Rizal / La Vida de Rizal.” Another American, E.M. Gross who operated the Zorilla Theater at Azcarraga [now Rizal Avenue] and Evangelista in Sta. Cruz, Manila also produced a film on Dr. Rizal’s life. Both films were simultaneously shown in Manila theaters.

One hundred (100 )years later, or this year [2012], A mi Patria [Inang-Bayan / To My Motherland] – a collection of selected Rizal’s poetry in film in four languages is  soon to be released. The Filipino Sign Language [FSL] version with a 10-min short biography of Rizal was finished last December 2011 while the spoken language versions: Spanish, English and Filipino – all with FSL interpretations — though all shot in 2011 were finished only in February 2012. Honorio Lopez acted as 1912; our versions have Aldrin Gabriel, Mark Steven Gaspar and Romalito Mallari as Rizal. All three of them are Deaf.

 

On June 19, 2012 in celebration of Dr. Jose Rizal’s 151th birthday, A mi Patria will launched at 3pm at the SDA Theater, DLS-CSB SDA Campus, P. Ocampo St., Manila.   Included in the launched will be an FSL version   and   all  the  versions.   

·        Sa Filipinas [Read in Filipino by Apolonio Chua, Interpreted in FSL by Aldrin Gabriel, Captioned in English]; 

 

·         To the Philippine Youth [Read in English by Roselle Pineda, Interpreted in FSL by Mark Gaspar, Captioned in Spanish]; 

·        Awit ni Maria Clara [Read in Filipino by Janette Pinzon, Interpreted in FSL by Jorelle Faytaren, Captioned in English]; 

·        A las Flores de Heidelberg [Read in Spanish by Beatriz Tardio-Alvarez, Interpreted in FSL, Captioned in English] and

·        Mi Ultimo Adios [Read in Filipino by Vim Nadera, Interpreted in FSL, Captioned in Spanish].

All poems were written by Dr. Jose Rizal.  

Originally entitled “Mga Natatanging Tula ni Rizal sa Wikang Senyas,” A mi Patria was produced by Miryad Visyon in collaboration with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the DLS-CSB School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies. Direction and editing by Miranamedina.

A mi Patria will be launched on June 19, 2012, 3 pm at the SDA Theater,  5th floor DLS-CSB SDA Campus, P. Ocampo St, Manila. Tickets are priced at P150 and P100 for students with ID. For more inquiries, call: 5267441 loc 239, text: 0917-8698231 or email deaf.benildeans@benilde.edu.ph.

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