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BY PETER SOLIS NERY
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Monday, January 23, 2017
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I CAME home in August for the Palanca Awards (and that’s the main reason why I regularly visit the Philippines in August and September). I’m staying until February for my mother’s 70th birthday. I’m not going to win some Best Son award, that’s for sure, but I just wanna make sure I cover all the bases.
Between August and February, I have made a short film and campaigned for it. And although Ikapito nga Adlaw – a film by Peter Solis Nery was totally snubbed by the jury at a local festival, I have profited a lot from the making of the film. I mean, sure, I spent some P100,000 to make the movie (I bought some equipment to beat deadlines and so on), and only raised some P25,000 in sponsorship; but still, I ended up gaining a lot from the experience.
The movie sealed my reputation as “the” filmmaker in my town of Dumangas. Look, we have some really well-known Dumangasanon filmmakers in the national scene, but I will not name them here because you should already be familiar with them.
In my town, when you ask about local filmmakers, they’ll probably point to the one and only Peter Solis Nery — actor, director, producer, screenwriter, indie filmmaker.
My greatest gain in the filmmaking project was discovering, or at least putting the spotlight, on emerging filmmakers from my hometown. I’ve helped several people discover that they can be excellent cinematographers, more than just funeral and wedding videographers; or great editors, with a strong sense of storytelling; or actors, who can be fearless, bold, and daring; and makeup artists and stylists, who can play with their imagination using my body. I’ve also taught this group of talented young Dumangasanons to own the moment at red carpet events.
In the past five months, I’ve also given seven or so workshops: four Creative Writing and Filmmaking workshops, and three purely Creative Writing workshops. The most important thing about these touring workshops is that I am now able to sell my name as a brand. The workshop is called “The Peter Solis Nery Approach to 21st Century Writing and Filmmaking Skills for the Schools and Beyond.” The Peter Solis Nery approach. Take that, Tiger Lily!
I had writing and filmmaking workshops in Murcia, Negros Island; two in Koronadal, South Cotabato (student and professionals batches); and in Kalibo, Aklan. The purely writing workshops were for Word Craft 2016 (of ProEvents in Iloilo City); the local Catholic school in Dumangas; and the four-session course on Flash Fiction with The Stage Institute of Communications at the Robinson’s Jaro. So yeah, I’m still the workshop king in these parts of the Pacific.
I also traveled to award the 2016 Peter’s Prize. Peter’s Prize medalist (for flash fiction for children, 1st prize) Marco Antonio Limson, a Riyadh-based OFW, received his award in his hometown of Murcia, where he sponsored my writing and filmmaking workshop.
Another Peter’s Prize medalist (for flash fiction for adults, 1st prize), and 3rd prize winner (for flash fiction for children) was awarded her prizes in Koronadal City during my workshop organized by Janeth Deza-Demegillo.
Special Peter’s Prize awardee for Literary Studies, Dr. Ma. Cecilia Locsin-Nava; together with 3rd prize winner (for flash fiction for adults) Ismael Java, were awarded their prizes over Radyo Veritas’ Tatak Negrense, a cultural radio program hosted by Chona Villaluna-Gosiaoco in Bacolod City.
The 2nd prize winner (for flash fiction for children) Melchor Cichon from Lezo, Aklan was awarded his prize in Kalibo during my workshop organized by Jun Aguirre, while 2nd prize winner (for flash fiction for adults) Michael de la Peña was awarded his prize in his hometown of Dumangas.
This has been the craziest year in the awarding of Peter’s Prize as we have come very international. In our first two years, the awards ceremony was held in Iloilo City, and winners from Manila or Mindanao used to miss them. This year, I’ve personally met all the winners; and in their locales, too!
During this stay, I also attended my hometown’s Haw-as Festival and Kalibo’s Ati-atihan, but sorely missed Iloilo’s Dinagyang. I also missed the launching of my foundation’s literature rack project, “Manggad: West Visayan Literature” at Esplanade Uno Café. But I did two wonderful appearances for the Iloilo culturati and literati, not counting my outrageous appearances at Cinakasimanwa 4: The Film Festival of Western Visayas. I was part of the October Poetika poetry reading at the Esplanade Uno Café; and Project Iloilo’s Urban Baylehan Spoken Word event at The Atria in mid-January.
I did tons of interviews, and still have some scheduled ones before I fly home to the US next month. I had live and phone patched radio interviews; interviews for online and print magazines, student publications, undergrad and master’s degree theses, not counting the constant online questionnaires for student school reports.
I had several portraits made during this visit, especially from emerging Ilonggo artists Kat Malazarte (pastel), Kinno Florentino (oil), Jeanroll Ejar (wood), Marvin Dalisay (reverse painting), Aaron Vladimir Lasam (watercolor; and another one in pencil and ink).
I made a quick trip to Saigon in November, commissioned two more oil portraits of enormous sizes (4 ft x 4 ft). The vanity doesn’t stop there. There’s a literary biography in the works (what better portrait than that); and I had a crazy fashion and costume shoot to celebrate my 48th birthday.
I’ve not checked my list of expenses and accounting book yet, but judging from my bank account for this trip, I think I’ve already spent close to P800,000, not counting stuff charged to my Visa and American Express credit cards. But hey, that’s just money!
The best things in life are free, like butterflies and flowers and sunsets. But the best experiences, like food, travel, tourist attractions, sex, and sheer power display, they cost a little bit more. I mean, if you think a Swarovski-encrusted suit for the Palanca Awards costs less than P25,000, you must be kidding me!/PN
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