The wife of the late Negrense director Peque Gallaga thanked the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) for the Special Jury Prize it awarded her husband for Magikland.
The action-adventure movie also won the FPJ Memorial Award, and awards for best visual effects, production design, musical score, and virtual float at the 46th MMFF Gabi ng Parangal Sunday night, December 27.
Madie Gallaga, in a statement today, December 29, said she would like to clarify her stand regarding the MMFF awarding ceremony, stressing that she is grateful to the jurors for awarding her husband the Special Jury Prize.
“I am humbled by the outpouring of support and recognition that he is getting by such an august body. I am also thankful to the MMFF for giving us a medium to be able to share Peque’s last work,” she said.
However, Mrs. Gallaga said she is saddened that she was not able to properly give her thanks.
“Peque would be the first to say that with all his achievements, he did not do it alone. He was a champion for collaborative work, and had he been able to accept that award, he would have been happy to use this opportunity to highlight the work of people, without whom Magikland would not have been possible,” she said.
“I am sincerely sorry that in my distress not be able to acknowledge the contributions of Peque’s coworkers, that I may have given the impression that I was dissatisfied with the MMFF as a whole,” she added.
Mrs. Gallaga was earlier quoted by the Manila media as having said “I am very upset because we were not given the opportunity to express our gratitude and appreciation. No one gave us the courtesy to inform us about the award.”
Peque Gallaga, who passed away on May 7, 2020, had said that the Magikland theme park in Silay City, Negros Occidental, was the inspiration for the film of the same name.
The fantasy adventure film, which is rooted in age-old Negros myths, is a Brightlight Productions film with former Negros Occidental representative Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez, Aton Land and Leisure Inc. president Rey Bantug, Peque Gallaga, and Lore Reyes as executive producers.
Benitez, founder and owner of Brightlight Productions, said he left it to Gallaga to decide the story, the cast as well as the filming of this movie.
Benitez said Magikland is probably the first Filipino film that is heavy on computer graphics compared to any other film ever made in the Philippines.
Magikland was initially targeted to cost less than P100 million but they exceeded the budget, Benitez said.
Making money was secondary, it was more about producing a film that highlights the talent of Filipinos, particularly Negrenses.
It is a family-oriented movie with very nice computer animation, Benitez said.*