PISAY Bags Cinemalaya Awards

Congratulations Aureaus! See, I told you so.

"PISAY", a coming-of age story about eight students at the premiere science high school - Philippine Science H.S. (PSHS) bagged the Audience Choice award, the best production design award and Best Director award at the Cinemalaya awarding ceremonies last Sunday, July 29 as reported in the PDI online edition this evening.


The night before, H and I were at an appreciation dinner given by the PSHS Foundation for Aureaus and some select donors who had thrown their full support to the foundation. The movie is one that opens your eyes to what life is like at PISAY. I had always been curious about how it was to be a student at the top high school in Manila. Hindi dahil sa inambisyon ko ever na makapasok dito sa high school na ito but more because my life has been touched very deeply by two very special people who went to this high school. One of whom I am married to and the other... Well, you will have to know my romantic history to understand what I am talking about:) At the end of the party that evening, I took Aureaus aside and requested a trustee from the foundation to take a picture of us. A huge fan of the movie, I had told him, "Kailangan may picture tayo para pag nanalo ka sa Sunday, maibo-blog ko na kaagad." So Direk A, this one is for you!

The film had me in tears - thrice. It made me understand better the pressures that very bright students go through. It's very hard to be bright and to compete against the very best. Ibang klase ang pressure. The movie is a true to life account of eight high school students coming from various backgrounds. Solito, whose story is one of the eight, culled the material from the lives of seven other classmates who graduated from PISAY in 1986. In fact, the ill-fated young lovers in the story were at the movie premiere. I wonder how that feels like - to watch your teen-age life unfold on the big screen? I could fully relate to the period of the movie that covers the years 1982 - 1986. Those were the exact years that I was in college at the Ateneo - an exciting period in Philippine history that began with the death of Ninoy Aquino and culiminated with the EDSA revolution.

PISAY is an excellent example of ensemble acting where the actors completely inhibited their characters. Solito has a gift for drawing out the best from his performers who are mostly newcomers. I loved the character of Mateo. His story really stood out. The production design was excellent! I couldn't help but reminisce when there were scenes showing the students dancing at a party, garbed in, of course, very 80s clothes. In fact, I had an outfit that was very similar to what one of the leads was wearing! P, who was with H and I at the premiere was cringing at the clothes. Sabi ko, "Hoy, yan ang uso noon!" Admittedly though, PISAY-ers apparently have their own "language" - most of which I could not relate to. The dialogue though was exacellent and there are many touching scenes that will tug at your heart. Kuwento ng mga matatalino pero punong-puno ng puso.

PISAY is an example of a youth oriented film with heart and substance. Hindi yung puro lang kalokohan or kababawan ang mapapanood mo. It's a film that should be viewed by both parents, teachers and students - irregardless of whether you have a PISAY connection in your life or not.
Try to catch this wonderful, well-crafted, heartwarming film (see, and I'm not even from PISAY!) when it shows again at The Block on August 24 and 25. Call the Philippine Science High School Foundation for more information.