Honor Thy Father (film)

Honor Thy Father (originally titled as Con-Man) is a 2015 Filipino thriller crime drama film directed by Erik Matti and starring John Lloyd Cruz. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. It was an official entry to the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival.

Honor Thy Father
Theatrical release poster by Justin Besana
Directed byErik Matti
Screenplay byMichiko Yamamoto
Story by
  • Erik Matti
  • Michiko Yamamoto
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBer Cruz
Edited byJay Halili
Music byErwin Romulo
Production
company
Release dates
  • September 12, 2015 (2015-09-12) (TIFF)
  • December 25, 2015 (2015-12-25) (MMFF)
Running time
115 minutes
CountryPhilippines
Languages
  • Filipino
  • English

Plot

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The film is about a family who find themselves in a Ponzi scheme.[1] Edgar (John Lloyd Cruz) and Kaye (Meryll Soriano) seek to pay their family's debt to Kaye's co-parishioners. The couple fears that the parishioners may hurt their daughter.[2]

Cast

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Production

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Development

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The film was directed by Erik Matti. The film's lead actor, John Lloyd Cruz alongside Dondon Monteverde are producers of the film.[4][5] Agosto Dos Pictures, was originally planned to be co-producer of the film along with Reality Entertainment. The film was originally titled Ponzi.[6]

Casting

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John Lloyd Cruz was chosen to portray the lead character of the film. The actor shaved his head for the role despite warnings from his big studio handlers that he might lose endorsement contracts, especially for a certain shampoo product. The actor sought to break away from the leading man role that people are familiar with in his mainstream films and also explained that his acting work isn't confined to his home television network, ABS-CBN, stating that he "refuses to be typecast". He sought to project a different image from the one audiences have gotten accustomed to by playing a lead role in an indie film.[7]

Originally, Dingdong Dantes was also offered to portray John Lloyd's role but it was the latter that ultimately played the role.[6]

Filming

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The film was shot in Macabebe, Pampanga, Baguio and nearby towns. About 16 hours of shooting was spent inside the mines of Camp 6 along Kennon Road.[1]

Release

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Honor thy Father was first screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.[7][8] It was also screened in the Cinema One Originals Film Festival in November 2015.[4] The film was accepted as an official entrant to the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival after Hermano Puli, a historical biopic directed by Gil Portes, withdrew from the festival on October.[4]

Awards

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At the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival, the film was subsequently disqualified from the Best Picture category led to controversy, sued against the festival's officials by Lloyd Cruz and the film's crew.[9] One of the film's producers said: “We complied with all the MMFF’s requirements; we did not commit any non-disclosure of any kind; no MMFF rule was ever violated by Honor Thy Father.”[10]

Award Category Recipient Result
41st Metro Manila Film Festival[11] Best Director Erik Matti Won
Best Actor John Lloyd Cruz Nominated
Best Actress Meryll Soriano Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Tirso Cruz III Won
Best Child Performer Krystal Brimner Won
Best Cinematography Ber Cruz Nominated
Best Screenplay Michiko Yamamoto Nominated
Best Original Story Michiko Yamamoto and Erik Matti Nominated
Best Production Design Ericson Navarro Nominated
Best Make-up Artist Ryan Panaligan and Erika Racela Won
Best Original Theme Song Tao Won
Best Musical Score Erwin Romulo Nominated
Best Sound Engineering Mikko Quizon Nominated
32nd PMPC Star Awards for Movies[12]
Movie of the Year Honor Thy Father Nominated
Movie Director of the Year Erik Matti Nominated
Movie Actor of the Year John Lloyd Cruz Nominated
Movie Actress of the Year Meryll Soriano Nominated
Movie Supporting Actor of the Year Tirso Cruz III Won
Danilo Fernandez Nominated
Movie Child Performer of the Year Krystal Brimner Nominated
Movie Screenwriter of the Year Michiko Yamamoto Won
Movie Cinematographer of the Year Ber Cruz Won
Movie Production Designer of the Year Ericson Navarro Nominated
Movie Editor of the Year Jay Halili Nominated
Movie Musical Scorer of the Year Erwin Romulo Nominated
Movie Sound Engineer of the Year Mikko Quizon Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b "John Lloyd starrer 'Honor Thy Father' wraps up 'bloody Baguio shoot'". Star Cinema. March 18, 2015. Archived from the original on September 18, 2015. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  2. ^ "MMFF 2015 clarifies 'Honor Thy Father' disqualification". Rappler. December 27, 2015. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  3. ^ "John Lloyd Cruz wins acting trophy in NYC". SunStar. July 5, 2016. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c Sallan, Edwin (December 25, 2015). "'Honor Thy Father,' '#WalangForever' touted as favorites in MMFF awards race". InterAksyon.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2015. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  5. ^ Villano, Alexa (December 24, 2015). "MMFF 2015: 5 things to know about 'Honor Thy Father'". Rappler. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  6. ^ a b Llanera, Melba (May 23, 2015). "John Lloyd Cruz on replacing Dingdong Dantes in Honor Thy Father: "Naku, 'di ko alam na nai-offer din sa kanya." (John Lloyd Cruz on replacing Dingdong Dantes in Honor Thy Father: "Oh, I didn't know it was also offered to them.")". Philippine Entertainment Portal (in English and Tagalog). Philippine Entertainment Portal Inc. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Erik Matti's 'Honor Thy Father' premieres in Toronto". Inquirer. August 20, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  8. ^ "Sandra Bullock's 'Our Brand Is Crisis,' Robert Redford's 'Truth' to Premiere at Toronto". Variety. August 18, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  9. ^ Tantuco, Vernise (December 27, 2015). "MMFF 2015 clarifies 'Honor Thy Father' disqualification". RAPPLER. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  10. ^ Tantuco, Vernise (December 26, 2015). "'Honor Thy Father' disqualified from MMFF 2015 Awards Best Picture category". RAPPLER. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  11. ^ Smith, Chuck. "Winners: 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival awards night". Philippine Star. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  12. ^ "FULL LIST: Winners, PMPC Star Awards for Movies 2016". Rappler. March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
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