Felix Manalo (film)


Felix Manalo is a 2015 Philippine film about the life of Felix Ysagun Manalo, the first Executive Minister of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, and the church he preached. Manalo is regarded by the members of the Iglesia ni Cristo as the last messenger of God and the restorer of the true Church of Christ, whom the INC gives the title Sugò. The story and screenplay were written by INC evangelism head Bienvenido Santiago. The film was directed by Joel Lamangan. All content of the film was screened and approved by the INC.

Synopsis

Felix Manalo studies, joins, doubts, and eventually leaves both Catholicism and Protestantism before starting a church he believes to be a restoration of the Biblical church founded by Jesus.

Cast

Main cast

served as the overall director of the film with Armando Reyes as the assistant director, and Glicerio Santos III as the creative producer. The production design was done by Edgar Martin Littaua, Joel Marcelo Bilbao and Daniel Red. Other members of the production team were Bienvenido Santiago, Rody Lacap, Albert Michael Idioma, Von de Guzman, John Wong, and Juvan Bermil. The script was written by the head of evangelism of the INC, and the church approved of all content in the film.
About one hundred actors were included in the cast, while 8,000 people were hired as extras. Scenes were shot in Metro Manila, Laguna, Subic, and Bataan. This includes the INC Chapel F. Manalo in San Juan, and the chapel in San Francisco del Monte, Quezon City, which was used in the funeral. The Laguna de Bay stood in for Pasig River in the baptism scenes. The whole film was about 6 hours or 360 minutes in length, but a shorter version was used for its theatrical release.

Casting

Initially, Richard Gomez, Albert Martinez and Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. were tapped to play Felix Manalo, Eraño Manalo and Eduardo Manalo, respectively. However, Gomez and Revilla woudd later drop out of the project.
Martinez would then be cast in the role of Felix Manalo, with Dennis Trillo playing a younger Felix Manalo. Martinez would also exit the project following the death of his wife, Liezl Martinez. Trillo would go on to play the old and the young Felix Manalo.

Soundtrack

The theme song and music video of the film entitled "Ang Sugo ng Diyos sa mga Huling Araw" was released on October 4, 2015 at the Philippine Arena. The song was performed by Sarah Geronimo, composed by Joan and Ryan Solitario, and arranged by Louie Ocampo.

Release

On October 4, 2015, its premiere broke three Guinness world records for the largest audience in a film premiere, the largest audience in a film screening and the largest paying audience for a film premiere, with 43,624 attendees. VIVA Films set up a five-story, 22 by 40 meters high definition screen for the premiere at the Philippine Arena.
The film's cinematic release is 175 minutes in length while the 6-hour version will be included in the DVD release.
Felix Manalo was released in Philippine cinemas on October 7, 2015.

Reception

Evaluation

The Cinema Evaluation Board of the Philippines, the governing council for Filipino films, gave the film an "A". The film was graded based on its direction, screenplay, cinematography, editing, production design, music scoring, sound, and acting performances.

Critical reception

Reviewers have noted the makeup team's work on Trillo, which during the course of the film ages him from a young man through to age 76, and the nearly three-hour running time. The PhilStar commended the film's recreation of multiple historical time periods. The Manila Bulletin states the film "makes no qualms in its aim to preach" and that a lot of money was spent on the film because it will be "screened in several INC gatherings for many years to come."
Philbert Ortiz Dy of ClickTheCity was also critical, giving it 2 out of 5 stars and wrote, "It is slow, ponderous, and focuses on things that aren’t very interesting at all." While Michael Alegre of the Philippine Online Chronicles did not give a rating, he said in his review that it suffers from "a lack of focus, excessive content, an uneven pace, some jerky editing, and a noticeable partiality towards Felix Manalo".
Fred Hawson of ABS-CBN gave the film 7 out of 10 stars, praising the film's production, cinematography, and acting, and noted the film's educational value "to know our INC brothers better."

Awards

YearAward-giving bodyCategoryRecipientResult
201632nd Philippine Movie Press Club Star Awards for MoviesMovie of the YearFelix Manalo
201632nd Philippine Movie Press Club Star Awards for MoviesMovie Director of the YearJoel Lamangan
201632nd Philippine Movie Press Club Star Awards for MoviesMovie Actor of the YearDennis Trillo
201632nd Philippine Movie Press Club Star Awards for MoviesMovie Supporting Actress of the YearBela Padilla
201632nd Philippine Movie Press Club Star Awards for MoviesMovie Screenwriter of the YearBienvenido Santiago
201632nd Philippine Movie Press Club Star Awards for MoviesMovie Cinematographer of the YearRody Lacap
201632nd Philippine Movie Press Club Star Awards for MoviesMovie Production Designer of the YearEdgar Martin Littaua, Joel Bilbao, and Danny Red
201632nd Philippine Movie Press Club Star Awards for MoviesMovie Editor of the YearJohn Anthony Wong
201632nd Philippine Movie Press Club Star Awards for MoviesMovie Musical Scorer of the YearVon de Guzman
201632nd Philippine Movie Press Club Star Awards for MoviesMovie Sound Engineer of the YearAlbert Michael Idioma
201632nd Philippine Movie Press Club Star Awards for MoviesMovie Original Theme Song of the Year“Ang Sugo Ng Diyos Sa Mga Huling Araw” – composed by Joan Solitario and Ryan Solitario; arranged by Louie Ocampo; interpreted by Sarah Geronimo
201634th Luna AwardsBest PictureFelix Manalo
201634th Luna AwardsBest DirectorJoel Lamangan
201634th Luna AwardsBest ActorDennis Trillo
201634th Luna AwardsBest ScreenplayBienvenido Santiago
201634th Luna AwardsBest CinematographyRody Lacap
201634th Luna AwardsBest Production DesignEdgar Martin Littaua
201634th Luna AwardsBest Musical ScoringVon de Guzman
201634th Luna AwardsBest SoundAlbert Michael Idioma and Lamberto Casas Jr.
20162016 FAMAS AwardsBest PictureFelix Manalo
20162016 FAMAS AwardsBest DirectorJoel Lamangan
20162016 FAMAS AwardsBest ActorDennis Trillo
20162016 FAMAS AwardsBest ActressBela Padilla
20162016 FAMAS AwardsBest Child PerformerCarl Acosta
20162016 FAMAS AwardsBest StoryBienvenido Santiago
20162016 FAMAS AwardsBest ScreenplayBienvenido Santiago
20162016 FAMAS AwardsBest CinematographyRody Lacap
20162016 FAMAS AwardsBest EditingJohn Anthony Wong
20162016 FAMAS AwardsBest SoundAlbert Michael Idioma
20162016 FAMAS AwardsBest Musical ScoreVon de Guzman
20162016 FAMAS AwardsBest Theme Song“Ang Sugo Ng Diyos Sa Mga Huling Araw” – composed by Joan Solitario and Ryan Solitario; arranged by Louie Ocampo; interpreted by Sarah Geronimo
20162016 FAMAS AwardsBest Production DesignJoel Bilbao, Edgar Martin Littaua and Daniel Red
20162016 FAMAS AwardsBest Visual EffectsAdrian Arcega
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