GAWAD URIAN- BEST PICTURES/ FROM 1976- 2018/ UPDATED

"Buy Bust" (2018)




"Balangiga: Howling Wilderness" (2017)



"Women of the Weeping River" (2016)

"Mula sa Kung Ano ang Noon" (2016)

2018 Buy Bust
2017 Balangiga: Howling Wilderness
2016 Women of the Weeping River (Southern Lantern Studios, TBA Productions & QCinema)
2015 Taklub (Centerstage Productions)
2014 Mula sa Kung Ano ang Noon (Sine Olivia Pilipinas)
2013 Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan (Wacky O Productions, Kayan Productions & Origin8 Media)
2012 Ang Paglalakbay ng mga Bituin sa Gabing Madilim (Cinema One, Skyweaver Productions, Red Motion Media, HYDEntertainment, Alchemy of Vision and Light & Conrad Cejoco)
2011 Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa  (Vim Yapan/Alem Chua Productions, Big Top Media Productions, SQ Film Laboratories, Optima Digital & Far Eastern University)
2010 Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures)
2009 Kinatay (Swift Productions and Centerstage Productions)
2008 Serbis (Centerstage Productions)
2007 Tirador (Centerstage Productions)
2006 Kubrador (MLR Productions)
2005 Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (UFO Films)
2004 Ebolusyon ng Isang Pamilyang Pilipino (Sine Olivia Pilipinas & Paul Tanedo)/ Panaghoy sa Suba (Cesar Montano)
2003 Magnifico (Star Cinema) / Babae sa Breakwater (Entertainment Warehouse)
2002 Dekada '70 (Star Cinema))/ Ang Munting Tinig (College Assurance Plan & Teamwork Productions)
2001 Batang West Side (JMCN Productions & Hinabing Pangarap)
2000 Tuhog (Regal Films)
1999 Bayaning 3rd World (Cinema Artist)
1998 Bata, Bata Paano Ka Ginawa? (Star Cinema)
1997 Milagros (Merdeka Film Productions)
1996 Segurista (Neo Films)
1995 Sana Maulit Muli (Star Cinema)
1994 The Fatima Buen Story (Regal Films)
1993 Makati Ave. Office Girls (Regal Films)
1992 Ikaw Pa Lang ang Minahal (Reyna Films)
1991 Ipagpatawad Mo (Viva Films)
1990 Gumapang Ka sa Lusak (Viva Films)
1989 Pahiram ng Isang Umaga (Regal Films)
1988 Itanong Mo sa Buwan (Double M Productions)
1987 (Walang Gawad Urian sa taong ito)
1986 Takaw Tukso (Ultravision Films)
1985 Kapit sa Patalim (Bayan Ko) (Malaya Films)
1984 Sister Stella L (Regal Films)
1983 Broken Marriage (Regal Films)
1982 Oro Plata Mata (Experimental Cinema of the Philippines)
1981 Salome (Bancom Audiovision)
1980 City After Dark (Manila By Night) (Regal Films)
1979 Jaguar (Bancom Audiovision)
1978 Pagputi ag Uwak, Pag-itim ng Tagak (VS Production
1977 Hubad na Bayani (Rainbow)
1976 Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon? (Hemisphere)

37th GAWAD URIAN WINNERS (2014): JOEL TORRE, ANGELI BAYANI AND LAV DIAZ'S "NORTE, HANGGANAN NG KASAYSAYAN" TOP WINNERS

MANILA, Philippines – Theater and indie film star Angeli Bayani bested Superstar Nora Aunor and Star for all Seasons Vilma Santos for the Best Actress award in the 37th Gawad Urian Awards June 17, Tuesday night. Bayani won for “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan”.

Complete list of winners of the 2014 Gawad Urian:

Best Actor: Joel Torre, “On the Job”

Best Actress: Angeli Bayani, “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan”

Best Supporting Actor: Jun-Jun Quintana, “A Philippino Story”

Best Supporting Actress: Angel Aquino, “Ang Huling Chacha ni Anita”

Best Picture: Lav Diaz’s “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan”

Best Screenplay: Lav Diaz and Rody Vera, “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan”

Best Cinematography: Lauro Rene Manda, “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan”

Best Sound: Corinne de San Jose, “On the Job”

Best Music: Emerson Tecson, “Sonata”

Best Director: Hannah Espia, “Transit”

Best Production Design: Adolf Alix Jr., “Porno”

Best Editing: Chuck Gutierrez, “Riddles of My Homecoming”

Best Documentary: Directed by Adjani Arumpac, “Nanay Mameng” (Nanay Mameng accepts trophy)

Best Short Film: Directed by Zig Dulay, “Missing”

(As tweeted live Tuesday night (June 17) on INQUIRER.net by Marinel Cruz, Inquirer) 

36th GAWAD URIAN WINNERS (2013): NORA AUNOR, JERICHO ROSALES, ADOLF ALIX,JR. LEAD 36th GAWAD URIAN AWARDS

June 18--- The best films of 2012 were honored at the 36th Gawad Urian Awards held at NBC Tent in Taguig City.

MANILA, Philippines—True to its tradition of awarding maverick indie productions, “Ang Paglalakbay ng mga Bituin sa Gabing Madilim” by Davao-based director-screenwriter Arnel Mardoquio was awarded “Best Film” in the 36th Gawad Urian Awards held Tuesday night at the NBC Tent in Taguig City.
Mardoquio though failed to bring home the best director trophy.

Much-awarded indie director Adolfo Alix Jr. was awarded best director for his work, “Mater Dolorosa.”

“This is for my Mom who always supported me and allowed me to nurture my love for cinema,” said Alix in his recent status on Facebook.

Nora Aunor, as expected, won the best actress trophy for Brillante Mendoza’s “Thy Womb.” Mendoza on the other hand won best production design for the same film.

The best actor went to Jericho Rosales for his work in “Alagwa,” a film by writer-director Ian Lorenons on human trafficking.

Best Documentary award, to the delight of many, went to the enigmatic “Harana” by Benito Bautista. “Harana” tackles the nearly lost Filipino tradition of serenading ones’ love at night.
Gawad Urian is given by the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (MPP), a group of film critics and academicians.

Its active members for the past couple of years are Rolando B. Tolentino, Grace Javier Alfonso, Butch Francisco, Mario A. Hernando, Bienvenido Lumbera, Miguel Q. Rapatan, Benilda S. Santos, Dr. Nicanor G. Tiongson, Tito Genova Valiente and Lito B. Zulueta.

The awarding was hosted by Richard Gomez, Xian Lim, Cherie Gil, Butch Francisco and Iza Calzado.

The complete list of this year’s winners:

Natatanging Gawad Urian: Mila del Sol
Best Picture:  “Ang Paglalakbay ng mga Bituin sa Gabing Madilim”
Best Actress: Nora Aunor for “Thy Womb”
Best Actor: Jericho Rosales for “Alagwa”
Best Director: Adolf Alix, Jr. “Mater Dolorosa”
Best Supporting Actress: Alessandra de Rossi for “Sta Nina”
Best Supporting Actor: Art Acuna for “Posas”
Best Documentary:  “Harana” by Benito Bautista
Best Short Film: “Ritmo” by Remton Siega Zuasola
Best Sound: Willy Fernandez, Bong Sungcang, Ferdinand Marcos Sabarongis for Lav Diaz’s “Florentina Hubaldo”
Best Music: Diwa de Leon, “Baybayin”
Best Editing: Aleks Castaneda, “Kalayaan”
Best Production Design: Brillante Mendoza, “Thy Womb”
Best Cinematography: Whammy Alcazaren for “Colossal”
Best Screenplay: Mes de Guzman for “Diablo”

by Totel V. de Jesus, Inquirer.net
http://entertainment.inquirer.net/99305/jericho-rosales-nora-aunor-brillante-mendoza-lead-36th-gawad-urian-awards

35th GAWAD URIAN WINNERS (2012): MAJA SALVADOR, PAULO AVELINO AND "ANG SAYAW NG DALAWANG KALIWANG PAA" TOP WINNERS

June 13--- The best films of 2011 were honored at the 35th Gawad Urian Awards held at AFP theater in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. Independent films, once again ruled this year's annual awards.

“Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa” was adjudged the biggest winner with seven awards --- Best Picture, Best Director & Screenplay (Alvin Yapan), Best Actor (Paulo Avelino), Best Supporting Actress (Jean Garcia), Best Cinematography and Best Music.

Maja Salvador, on the other hand, won the Best Actress trophy for “Thelma.”

Complete list of winners:

Best Picture – Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa
Best Actress – Maja Salvador (Thelma)
Best Actor – Paulo Avelino (Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa)
Best Director – Alvin Yapan (Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa)
Best Supporting Actress – Jean Garcia (Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa)
Best Supporting Actor – Art Acuña (Niño)
Best Screenplay – Alvin Yapan (Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa)
Best Cinematography – Arvin Viola (Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa)
Best Production Design – Maulen Fadul (The Natural Phenomenon of Madness)
Best Editing – Lawrence Fajardo (Amok)
Best Music – Christine Muyco and Jema Pamintuan (Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa)
Best Sound – Albert Michael Idioma and Addiss Tabong (Amok)
Best Documentary – Tundong Magiliw
Best Short Film – Sirip

MPP URIAN'S BEST FILMS OF THE 70s

In 1981, the twelve members of the MPP (Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino) decided to honor the best films of 1970-79. As an initial step, each member listed down the ten films he considered as the top of the decade, using as basis the criteria formulated by the founding members in 1976. The individual lists were tallied, and the first ten films with the highest number of votes isolated. As a second step, and in order to insure the quality of the films that would be selected, a minimum of seven votes was required for any film to make it to the roll of honor, regardless of how many would get to the final list. A second ballot was taken, and seven films emerged as the critic’s choice for the Best Films of 1970-79.

1.Pagdating sa Dulo (1971)

A taxi dancer and taxi driver are fished out of poverty and anonymity by a commercial film director. The obsession with success forces them to affect images as movie stars, which suppress and eventually destroy them as persons and lovers.

2. Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag (1975)

Manila is portrayed as a web of exploitation and poverty that traps and devours a naïve probinsiyano, Julio Madiaga, who journeys into the city in search of a better life and a beloved who has become a Chinaman’s common-law wife. When they try to escape from the oppressive city, Julio and his beloved are destroyed.

3. Ganito Kami Noon… Paano Kayo Ngayon? (1976)

A picturesque character named Kulas wanders through the Philippine Revolution against Spain and the Philippine-American War, and wonders about the meaning of being Filipino in those critical decades of national self-definition.

4. Insiang (1976)

This crime of passion revolves around an innocent slum girl, Insiang, who, after being raped by her mother’s live-in lover, makes the lover fall in love with her, so that the mother would be forced to butcher the man in a gruesome fit of jealousy.

5. Itim (1976)

Using exquisite cinematography, this film depicts the mystery and horror of a dead woman’s possession of her younger sister, in order to reveal the circumstances of her death and avenge herself on her lover.

6. Nunal sa Tubig (1976)

Employing an experimental cinematic style, Bernal’s opus recreates the quality and pace of life of a village surrounded by sea, as it is caught in the eternal cycle of love and hate, of fertility and pollution, of birth and death.

7. Jaguar (1979)

A lowly security guard becomes a new personal bodyguard of his boss, and wants to think he is accepted by the latter as a friend. Later, however, he finds himself alone and abandoned, after he kills for his employer.

(Source: The Urian Anthology 1970-79)

GAWAD URIAN 1979: "JAGUAR" (BEST PICTURE)

"Jaguar" (1979)


Phillip Salvador in "Jaguar"


(L-R)- Charito Solis, Dindo Fernando, Amy Austria

1979: A Year of lnvectives:

The anniversary dinner of May 1979 saw the election of Doy del Mundo as Chairman and Mario Bautista as Secretary. No new members were taken in, and Cristina Pantoja- Hidalgo went on an extended leave. The year 1979 saw several attacks on the Manunuris. The first pointed out that less and less Manunuris were reviewing films, so that only the more active ones got the brunt of the industry’s attack, and people mistook their opinions as opinions of the group.

Most of the Manunuris pleaded guilty to this accusation, and an attempt was made to “force” Manunuris to write reviews or articles, for a column in a weekly magazine. The attempt eventually failed: first, because Manunuris had other full-time jobs and reviewed only on the side, so that as the economic situation tightened, most of them had to devote more time to “making ends meet.” Second, there were less and less movies worth reviewing, and it seemed redundant and useless to keep hammering on the same faults in formula films whose producers really couldn’t care less about quality. Thirdly, many of the newspaper outlets no longer welcomed negative reviews of the films, which they advertised in their movie-ad sections.

The most severe attack on the Manunuris, however, came at the 1979 Awards night when Lino Brocka ascended the stage not to receive the directorial award for Jaguar, but to reject it. Reading from a prepared speech, he accused the group of prejudice, saying that “under the guise of impartiality they practice their prejudices anyway.” It is more difficult, he said, to combat prejudice than corruption. You can fight money with more money, but how can you, he asked, fight prejudice? He then refused all further awards and nominations from the Manunuris.

The magazine and newspaper articles that came out on Lino Brocka’s rejection of the Urian Awards for the next so many months did the Manunuri a lot of good. First, it made the MPP realize that the attack was partly due to the fact that most Manunuris were no longer writing, so that the opinions of the few Manunuris were taken to be the group stand on films reviewed. Second, far from degrading the group, Lino Brocka made the Manunuri a household word. The reviewers and their awards became the common topic of the man on the street, the housewives, the market vendors. Those who had never heard of the Manunuri before became acquainted with it, and public awareness and interest grew, not only among teachers and students seriously concerned about the art of filmmaking, but among the so-called “bakya” crowd.

(Source: The Urian Anthology 1970-79)

List of Winners:

Best Picture- Jaguar
Best Director- Lino Brocka/ Jaguar
Best Actor- Dindo Fernando/ Ikaw at ang Gabi
Best Actress- Charito Solis/ Ina, Kapatid, Anak
Best Supporting Actor- Menggie Cobarrubias/ Jaguar
Best Supporting Actress- Amy Austria/ Jaguar
Best Screenplay- Jose F. Lacaba, Ricardo Lee/ Jaguar
Best Cinematography- Conrado Baltazar/ Jaguar
Best Production Design- Fiel Zabat/ High School Circa ‘65
Best Editing- Edgardo Vinarao/ High School Circa ‘65
Best Sound- Vic Macamay, Teddy Ramos, Rolly Ruta/ Bakit may Pag-ibig Pa? (Bernal episode)
Best Music- Ernani Cuenco/ Aliw-iw

Outstanding Achievement- Manuel Silos

"Ina, Kapatid, Anak" (1979)


"Ikaw at ang Gabi" (1979)


"High School, Circa 65" (1979)


Aliw-iw" (1979)

GAWAD URIAN 1978: "PAGPUTI NG UWAK, PAG-ITIM NG TAGAK" (BEST PICTURE)

"Pagputi ng Uwak, Pag-itim ng Tagak" (1978)

Vilma Santos in "Pagputi ng Uwak, Pag-itim ng Tagak"

Nora Aunor and Christopher de Leon in ""Ikaw ay Akin."


(L-R)- Beth Bautista, Christopher de Leon, Conrado Baltazar, Gaudencio Barredo, Chanda Romero, Mel Chionglo

1978: Outwards and lnwards:

May 1, 1978 saw the election of Pio de Castro lll as Chairman and Mario Hernando as Secretary, and the entrance of U.P. English teacher Isagani Cruz, and film and theater reviewer Mario Bautista into the group. Isagani was recommended by Bien Lumbera who was the former’s professor when he was taking his master’s degree in the Ateneo. Mario Bautista was the “orphan” of "the group for he was the only one with no personal link with any other member prior to his entry. His reviews had been read by Bien Lumbera, Manny Pichel and Behn Cervantes.

It was in 1978 when the MPP reached out towards a larger audience. For one, that year’s Urian awards was televised, giving the Gawad Urian a greater impact on the public and introducing the Manunuris to a bigger audience. For another, it was the year when the Manunuris launched the Urian Film Festival. Co-sponsored by the Cultural Research Association of the Philippines, a group of teachers and scholars of Philippine culture, the festival aimed to show the possibilities of the Filipino film to students of the U.P. and the Ateneo (most of whom ignored the “bakya” Filipino film), and to convince them to support it. Before each screening of the eight Urian-Award-winning films, a Manunuri read a critique of the film explaining to the audience the merits of the film which made it win an Urian award. Eight award-winning films of the first two Urian years composed the line-up of the first Urian Film Festival, while the second film festival held in 1980 included some films nominated that year.

Aside from reaching out to a wider audience, the year saw the Manunuris deepening their film interest. .First, the group clarified that the reviews of each member depend chiefly on his background. One with a literary-philosophical approach would usually gloss over the technical aspects of a film to concentrate on its content and the performance of its cast, while one who is more technically-oriented would pay as much attention to the cinematography, editing, and sound mixing.

Nevertheless, the group became more and more conscious of the technical aspects of music and sound, because these two are traditionally the most ignored and therefore, the most backward, aspects in Filipino filmmaking. Second, to understand the philosophy and techniques of filmmaking in the country, the group instituted a series of lecture-discussions among its members. This enabled the more theoretically-based to have a greater knowledge of the technology of film, and the technically-oriented to think about the perspectives of film in this country. As an outcome of the discussions, the group saw the need to come out with “think” articles that would deal on the different aspects of filmmaking, especially since MPP film reviews already tended to attack the same faults of Filipino films over and over again.
(Source: The Urian Anthology 1970-79)

List of Winners:

Best Picture- Pagputi ng Uwak, Pag-itim ng Tagak
Best Director- Celso Ad. Castillo/ Pagputi ng Uwak…
Best Actor- Christopher de Leon/ Ikaw ay Akin
Best Actress- Beth Bautista/ Hindi sa Iyo ang Mundo, Baby Porcuna
Best Supporting Actor- Joonee Gamboa/ Pagputi ng Uwak…
Best Supporting Actress- Chanda Romero/ Boy Pana
Best Screenplay- Celso Ad. Castillo, Lando Jacob, Ishko Lopez, Ruben Nicdao/Pagputi na Uwak…
Best Cinematography- Conrado Baltazar/ Gumising Ka, Maruja
Best Production Design- Mel Chionglo/ Ikaw ay Akin
Best Editing- Albert Joseph/ Hindi sa Iyo ang Mundo, Baby Porcuna
Best Sound- Gaudencio Barredo/ Pagputi ng Uwak…
Best Music- The Vanishing Tribe/ Ikaw ay Akin

Outstanding Achievement- Manuel Conde

"Hindi sa Iyo ang Mundo, Baby Porcuna" (1978)

"Ikaw ay Akin" (1978)

"Boy Pana" (1978)