For your film viewing consideration, below is a synopsis of a digital film directed by our alumnus, Benjamin "Benji" C. Garcia II (ADDU GS'71, ADDU HS'75, AdMU-AB ComArts'79). The film is "Batad: Sa Paang Palay" which will be shown at the SM Digital Theaters (including SM Davao) from March 14-20, 2007. In addition to winning the Best Screenplay and Best Actor awards, the film won Best Production Design and the Special Jury Prize in the Full Length Feature category in the 2006 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and Competition.
In a filmaker profile at http://www.culturalcenter.gov.ph/cinemalaya/synopsis/Batad.pdf
BENJI GARCIA is a freelance producer of TV commercials. For the past 10 years, he has produced and directed numerous radio and TV commercials and many corporate films and documentaries. He has acted, written, produced and directed for theater and television. He has also done production design for films. He was art director for the TV historical drama Alab ng Lahi, the La Aunor TV series and for Ishmael Bernal's acclaimed film Himala. He was production designer for Mel Chionglo's Teenage Marriage, Edgardo Reyes' Bulaklak ng Apoy and J. Erastheo Navoa's Manoy, Di Ka Na Makaka-isa. He is a graduate of Ateneo de Manila University where he earned an AB Communication Arts Degree, with honorable mention. He took courses at the London International Film School.
I hope many of our students, alumni and friends will watch this film at the SM theaters during its theater run. Mr. Garcia believes the film has a lot to tell Ateneans, and Filipinos for that matter, about the struggle between tradition and Western modernization.
