Ilonggo director among NCCA ‘Ani ng Dangal’ awardees

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By John Noel E. Herrera

Ilonggo director Elvert Bañares is one of the 33 recipients of the 2023 Ani ng Dangal Award given by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) for his film “Sa Paglupad Ka Banog” (The Flight of Banog).

Banares said that he bagged the award after his film, which was inspired by stories of the Panay Bukidnon community in Cabatuan, Iloilo, won Best Indigenous Film during the 13th Kota Kinabalu International Film Festival (KKIFF) in Malaysia.

In an interview with Radyo Pilipinas Iloilo, Bañares said he did not expect to be one of the awardees, but noted that the recognition was for all the Ilonggos, especially the Panay Bukidnon community, who are the main subjects of his film.

“Ini nga kadalag-an para ni sa mga Ilonggo, so daog kamo, upod sa akon. Ini siya kadalag-an sang Panay Bukidnon indigenious people kay ila ini istorya ang akon gin-himo,” he said.

Bañares added that more than the recognitions, he wanted to make good stories to show the culture of other communities to the world through his film.

“Ang imo nga gin-himo, tapos na na ‘ya once na release mo na, hindi mo dun na maislan, pero kung tagaan kang sang award or hindi, the film itself is the achievement. It’s good to have an award pero manami gid nga tahumon ang pag-himo sang istorya,” he stressed.

The award-winning director also advised young and aspiring filmmakers to focus on the technicalities of film, such as the story, cinematography, and sound, when making a movie.

“Ang una gid is that, let’s not count the eggs before they are hatched. So, hindi kita anay magpanumdom sang awards kung nagahimo kita istorya, ang importane anay kay-uhon naton ang pag-istorya, nami-on ang paghimo and also look into the technicalities of film, nami nga sound, nga cinematography, acting and pag-deliver sang mensahe,” he said.

Aside from this recognition, Bañares was a three-time Cultural Center of the Philippines winner for independent film, while his masterpiece, Paglupad Ka Baog, has already been selected in 15 film festivals so far.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. personally gave the awards to Bañares and 32 other Filipino talents who earned the highest international awards and accolades in the field of cinema, dance, dramatic arts, literary arts, music, visual arts, folk arts, broadcast arts and architecture during the awards night on Feb 22, 2023 at the Ceremonial Hall, Malacañang Palace.

All awardees were given stylized Sarimanok trophies sculpted by National Artist for Visual Arts, Abdulmari Imao.