Teri accepts her Best Actress award which, she confessed, she prayed hard for. (Paul Mata/InterAksyon)
Yes, people are talking about the big upset of young newcomer Teri Malvar over superstar Nora Aunor in the CineFilipino film festival awards night last Sunday.
The 13-year-old newcomer won Best Actress honors for her affecting portrayal of a 12-year-old girl who develops a crush on the new woman in her small town in Sigrid Andrea Bernardo’s “Ang Huling Cha-Cha ni Anita”.
Bernardo’s feature film debut received favorable reviews and was actually expected to win some awards. Still, young Teri’s triumph came as a shock given that Ate Guy was considered the odds-on favorite to win Best Actress for her portrayal of faith healer who suddenly finds a stash of money in “Ang Kuwento ni Mabuti”.
Teri with Angel Aquino in a scene from 'Ang Huling Cha-cha ni Anita'.
Naturally, everyone now wants to know who Teri Malvar is. In an interview with InterAksyon shortly after her big win, Teri revealed that she is currently a grade seven student at the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Parañaque who has not appeared in any school plays to date.
In fact, she wasn’t even supposed to be in “Huling Cha-cha” to begin with.
“I wasn’t supposed to audition for this film. I just wanted to come with my mom because she was the one who was supposed to audition,” she revealed. Mom is character actress Cherry Malvar, who only has two film credits to her name: Ralston Jover’s award-winning 2009 Cinemalaya entry “Bakal Boys” and Chris Martinez’s “I Do Bidoo Bidoo: Heto nAPO Sila” where she had a small role.
Since she was already there, Teri decided to audition as well and impressed Bernardo, who decided to cast her in the lead role.
“During the first day of auditions in Cinefilipino when Teri walked in together with her mother, she was the only youngster who auditioned for the role. She had no acting background and the only experience she had was joining declamation contests in schools,” Direk Sig recalled in an earlier interview.
“But I never gave up on her. I saw in her the character and sincerity of young Anita. We did a lot of workshops and in every workshop she surprised me with improvements on her character. I am very proud on what she has become now.”
Teri Malvar beams while holding her CineFilipino Best Actress trophy. (Teddy Pelaez/InterAksyon)
In her acceptance speech, Teri credited her director for all the workshops that went a long way in developing her characterization of Anita. Her mom was also cast in the film as, in Teri’s words, “an extra who got mad at Tita Angel”.
Tita Angel is of course, Angel Aquino, who also won Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Pilar, the unwitting object of Anita’s affection in the film.
“It felt so nice to act with an actress like Angel Aquino in my first film. She’s very, very kind,” Teri said of her seasoned co-star.
Teri said she very much enjoyed her first acting experience in “Huling Cha-cha” that immediately after filming wrapped up, she prayed every night that she would win the CineFilipino Best Actress award for this film, totally oblvious of who she was going up against.
“I prayed very hard for this every night after shooting. This is the award that I really wanted,” she said of her Best Actress win.
Technically, Teri won two acting honors for “Huling Cha-cha” as she is also part of the entire cast that won Best Acting Ensemble. Aside from Angel Aquino, the film’s remarkable ensemble cast includes Marcus Madrigal, Star Orjaliza, Gigi Columna, Sarah Pagcaliwagan, Lui Manansala, Jay Bordon and the two other scene-stealing kids, Lenlen Frial and Solomon de Guzman.
“I met Lenlen in the GMA teleserye ‘Bantatay’ when I was assistant director for the show. Solomon auditioned for the role that really fits his personality. Both of these kids are just as talented as Teri,” Direk Sig enthused.
As for Teri, the girl admits that she still has no follow-up project as of the moment but would like to do more films and would be more than happy with the work with the cast and crew of “Huling Cha-cha” again. Asked if she has similarities with her character Anita and has had girl crushes herself, Teri smiled and replied in the negative.
“No, I’m really girlie in real life,” she replied.
“Ang Huling Cha-cha ni Anita” is still showing at the CineFilipino Film Festival at the Newport Cinemas in Lucky Chinatown Mall and Gateway Cineplex. For screening schedules, visit www.facebook.com/CineFilipino.
WHO’S THAT GIRL? | Meet Teri Malvar, CineFilipino Best Actress
Source: InterAksyon.com (September 23, 2013 at 04:14PM)
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