Allen set for a busier 2019

Did you know that Allen Dizon was one of the most awarded Filipino actors last year?

Consider these:

• Best Actor for his performance as an ill-fated deaf mute in the Ralston Jover-directed Bomba at the Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) in Bangladesh; at the 4th Sinag Maynila International Film Festival (SMIFF); at the 16th Gawad Tanglaw; FAMAS Awards; at the 25Facine Awards in San Francisco, USA; and at the 5th Urduja Heritage Awards.

• Best Actor at the International Film Festival Manhattan in New York (IFFMNY) for Sekyu, directed by Joel Lamangan.

“Aside from those awards,” Allen’s manager Dennis Evangelista told Funfare, “2018 was memorable to Allen because he attended and represented two films in two international film festivals accredited by IFFPA (International Federation of Film Producers Association).”

The first film was Alpha: The Right to Kill by Brillante Mendoza who won a Special Jury Prize at the 66th San Sebastian Film Festival (SSFF) in Spain, and the second, Ralston Jover’s PersonS of Interest which competed in the Main Section of 24th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) in India. Allen is also one of the main characters in AMO, also by Mendoza, which is the first-ever 12-part Filipino TV series showing on Netflix, with Derek Ramsay and newcomer Vince Rillon as co-stars.

“Allen got rave reviews for his performance in Duyan, an episode in Charo Santos-Concio’s Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK) with Meryl Soriano, directed by Nuel Naval,” added Dennis. “He was nominated for Best Actor (in a Single Performance) from the academes GEMS (Hiyas Ng Sining).”

Allen has just finished shooting Mindanao, his third film with Mendoza, with Judy Ann Santos as leading lady.

Allen’s two other unreleased films: PersonS of Interest (left), directed by Ralston Jover; and Mindanao (right), also by Mendoza, with Judy Ann Santos as Allen’s wife.

“I’m privileged and honored to be directed by no less than the Cannes Best Director,” said Allen. “I admit that I was nervous at first because I pressured myself into doing my best. I challenged myself, ‘Kailangan pag-husayan mo.’ But direk Brillante advised me just to relax. ‘Don’t perform,’ he told me. He wanted a ‘raw’ kind of acting, as natural as possible daw and to show true emotions. Soon, I was relaxed na. It helps that we are both Kapampangan so we talked in Kapampangan.”

For some (unexplained) reason, Alpha was bypassed as official entry in the just-concluded Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) and was replaced by Otlum which finished last among the eight entries during the two-week MMFF.

“I really enjoyed doing Alpha because it’s an action movie,” said Allen. “It has a lot of takbuhan and barilan. For a change, hindi ako mabait dito. I play a policeman who is amoral, mukhang ordinaryong tao who attends Mass every Sunday with his family, attends PTA meetings for his twin kids but who kills without mercy and who lets himself be used by higher-ups para mabigyan ng disenteng buhay ang kanyang pamilya.”

Allen looks forward to an even busier 2019. He is set to promote several starrers, namely…

• PersonS of Interest (shown only abroad and still circulating in international film festivals) in which he plays a dual role: A blind who is the prime suspect in the poisoning of his much older common-law wife and an “imaginary friend” of his only daughter;

• Latay, as the battered husband of a violent wife, co-starring Lovi Poe, Snooky Serna and Mariel de Leon;

• Mindanao, as a Muslim soldier who fights for the life of his cancer-stricken child even as he is engaged in a war in Mindanao, with Judy Ann as his wife; and

• Alpha, rated R-16 by the MTRCB, showing in selected theaters nationwide starting on Wednesday, Jan. 16.

Allen still has a “dream” role.

“I want to play a mentally-ill person na hindi obvious na may deperensya sa utak,” said Allen. “Medyo internal ang pagka-baliw niya. The script has to be well-written. May niluluto daw na project for me about this ang manager ko.”

2018 Miss Intercontinental bets; Philippine beauty wins abroad

The 64 (out of 86) official candidates of the 2018 Miss Intercontinental Pageant were formally presented to media and sponsors on Thursday, Jan. 10, at the Visayas Ballroom of Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila.

The beauties wearing cocktail dresses sashayed on the ramp by continents: Africa (Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Seychelles and South Africa); North and Central America (Antigua & Barbuda, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama and USA); South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Paraguay); Asia and Oceania (Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam) and Europe (Belarus, Crimea, Czech Republic, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Slovak Republic, Sweden, Ukraine and Wales).

Philippine bet Karen Gallman (photo front row, fourth from left) bagged two special awards ­— Media Favorite and H&H Makeover Salon’s Standout Beauty.

Gracing the affair were the officers of the 47th Miss Intercontinental pageant, including CEO Miss Intercontinental Japan Org. Joanna Leonisa Gimena Miyamae, CEO Miss Intercontinental Org. Detlef Tursies and COO Miss Intercontinental Japan Org. Kumi Miyamae.

More delegates including twin sisters Arvanita Peci representing Albania and Arjanita Peci of Kosovo were expected to arrive over the weekend.

Reigning Miss Intercontinental Veronica Salas of Mexico will crown her successor on Jan. 26 at the Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay City.

Meanwhile, Maria Francesca Taruc (photo center) was crowned Miss Tourism World 2019 Intercontinental in Nanjing, China on Jan. 8, besting 40 other aspirants. She was also named Best Body during the preliminaries.

Francesca, 20, was born in San Luis, Pampanga and raised in Angeles City. She’s an AB Communication Arts graduate at Holy Angel University and currently a model and vlogger. Francesca was crowned as 2017 Mutya ning Angeles Youth Ambassadress and 2018 Miss Freedom of the World Philippines. She competed in the 2014 Miss Teen Earth Philippines. Rodgil Flores and KF Team trained Francesca for the pageant.

She’s the granddaughter of the late Luis Taruc, leader of Hukbalahap (or Hukbong Bayan Laban sa Hapon) during the World War II.— Text & photos by Celso de Guzman Caparas

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)