AGE BRACKET QUOTAS FOR LUNA AWARDS CITERS

In an effort to involve a cross-section of film industry workers in the academy’s mandated task of selecting and honoring the year’s best performances and achievements, the Film Academy of the Philippines
will impose a three age-bracket system in selecting the 10 citers for each of the nine guilds involved in winnowing the best list for 2006.

FAP Director General Leo G. Martinez announced that the 10 citers for each of the eight professions in the making of a film must consist of members to represent the three age brackets: 21 to 35 years old; 36 to 50 years old; and 51 to 80 years old.

He explained that each bracket must have three or four citers for the following categories: direction, screenplay, performances, cinematography, production design, music, editing and sound. Ten citers will come from the non-category guild of assistant directors and production designers.

The citers are the first line of reviewers in the three-tier system of selecting the year’s best in films. They will be responsible for trimming into a manageable list of 10 to 15 performances, as well as creative and technical work, which the nominators will trim into the final five nominees.

The third group, the voters, will eventually select the winners among the five or less nominees that the nominators will submit for final viotation.

Martinez said that next year’s scheduled Luna awards will be celebrating its silver anniversary.

In effect, he added that the process for the selection of next year’s awardees has virtually started. The selection process begins with the ten citers for each profession will view all the films produced and shown in 2006 and cite through a ratings method the top award-worthy films in each category.

Citers from the directors’ guilds will choose the best director contenders while those from the screenwriters’ guild of the Philippines will narrow the field for screenplays. Etcetera down the line of other categories.

With the new system, it is assured that both veterans and new members of the film industry will be involved in the selection process.

In this connection, the office of the FAP director-general has released the list of films which had been rated A or B by the Cinema Evaluation Board of the FDCP. They might constitute the list of films for their consideration.
The A rated films include: MLR films’ Kubrador; Regal films-APT’s TXT; Philippine Convergence Enterprises’ Ang Pamana; Star Cinema’s Donsol and Unitel Pictures’ Inang Yaya.

The B rated films are the following: Star Cinema’s Don’t Give Up on Us; GMA Films/Regal Entertainment Inc.’s I Will Always Love You; Star Cinema’s Close to You; GMA Films’ Moments of Love; Regal Entertainment Inc.’s Pamahiin; Star Cinema’s All About Love; Imus Productions’ Kapag Tumibok ang Puso;

FLT Films/Star Cinema’s Pacquiao, the Movie; Seiko Films’ I Wanna Be Happy; Regal Entertainment Inc.’s White Lady; Star Cinema’s Sukob; Star Cinema’s You are the One; Regal Entertainment Inc.’s Eternity; Centerstage Productions’ Twilight Dancers; Star Cinema’s First Day High;
GMA Films/Viva Films’ Till I Met You.