Bits & pieces, beginnings & endings

Vicki Belo is just about the most written, gossiped, talked about, not to mention maligned personality this side of the cosmetic industry. Every step she takes has to have a sexual cougar connotation as part of the package. Sometimes, we wonder how she manages it without having nightmares.

Having met her personally not so long ago, we thought it amazing that such a giddily painted sex object could carry on such a responsible career that made her tops in her field. It was at the Belo Medical Group’s launch of her Belofied campaign where she gave away promotional Belofied fans that we saw her in action as business icon. The product is the first free cosmetic surgery simulation mobile app for iPhone and iPad that provides those intending to undergo cosmetic surgery an idea of how they would look with a smaller nose, fuller lips, more prominent cheekbones, slimmer waist, or bigger breasts.

Soon enough, Belofied posters hang on every mall; the feature became No. 1 free iPhone app ranking under Medical Category in the country; entered Top 20 Free Apps Overall category; and 59th on the list of free iPhone Apps Medical Category worldwide. At the launch, Vicki stated confidently, “We hope to become No. 1 worldwide!”

After the Belo Skincare was opened in California, her mom was having such a difficult time shuttling back and forth, says Cristalle Belo Henares, Vicki’s daughter in charge of Belo Essentials. A welcome solution came from the Belofied application where the client could choose her own service on the Internet and Vicki consequently closed her California branch.

MMFF strengthens New Wave indie category

In 2010, the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) broke tradition by hosting a non-competitive event dubbed as Tribute to Independent Cinema, later called the New Wave. In 2011, a short film category was added, as well as cash awards. This year, answering calls to widen MMFF’s scope, chairman Francis Tolentino added to the prizes and introduced the Cine-Phone competition using cellphones alone for high school and college students.

Digna Santiago comes in as head of the Feature Film section with director Mel Chionglo in the committee, and director Paul Soriano as head of the Student Section. There is no doubt that the indie film has already come of age, especially at the MMFF traditionally considered the most commercial of film festivals. The indie feature Best Picture will win P300,000, a post-production package, and a guaranteed run after the festival. Special Jury prize is P200,000; Best Director, Actor and Actress winners get P50,000 each. Tolentino is also hopeful for the Best Picture to be included in Asean filmfests.

Sine Panitik: Student Literary Film

Finally, Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) director general Leo Martinez can heave a sigh of relief that things are beginning to move with his proposals. A MOA has been signed between the FAP and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts where the NCCA committed P460,000 for winning scripts from a competition adapting short story masterpieces of Filipino authors into screenplays. The PAGCOR has been approached for the actual production budget of the films.

Dubbed Sine Panitik, the FAP film project is intended to showcase published literary works by Filipino authors — legend, children’s stories, poetry, short stories, novels, plays — literature that are being taught in elementary, high school and college levels. In the project, selected Filipino literary works will be interpreted in digital format as full-length features and short films, by selected filmmakers. The finished films will be shown next year in scheduled exhibitions in Metro Manila theaters, initially as entries in the 2013 MMFF Indie Component.  

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