The cast and crew of Katips were on cloud nine upon hearing the news their movie earned 13 nominations at the Philippine Movie Press Club’s 38th Star Awards for Movies to be held in 2023.
Produced by PhilStagers Film, the movie is a musical approach to the martial law years in the Philippines from 1972 to the early ’80s.
Theater artist-lawyer Vince Tañada did a yeoman’s job as writer, director, producer, and lead actor in Katips. He’s used to multitasking — having done it for the past 20 years as head of Philippine Stagers Foundation.
OF FB/VINCE TAñADA
VINCE Tañada is a
lawyer, theater artist,
and award-winning writer.
The group performs in school auditoriums and SM cinemas nationwide. It temporarily stopped in 2020.
At the PMPC Star Awards, Tañada is nominated for Director, Screenwriter, and Actor of the Year. Katips is in the running for Movie of the Year.
Cast member Johnrey Rivas is a contender for Movie Supporting Actor, and Nicole Laurel Asensio for New Movie Actress.
The entire cast is nominated for Indie Movie Ensemble Acting.
Other nominations for Katips: Cinematography (Manuel Abanto), Editing (Mark Jason Sugcang), Production Design (Roland Rubenecia), Sound (Dondon Mendoza), Musical Score (Pipo Cifra), and Theme Song (“Sa Gitna Ng Gulo” performed by Tañada, Jerome Ponce, Asensio, Rivas, Adelle Ibarrientos, Joshua Bulot, Vean Olmedo, and Carla Lim, lyrics by Tañada).
Tañada is preparing to shoot a new movie, even while directing short plays in his little PSF Blackbox theater in Balic-Balic in Sampaloc, Manila on weekends.
He’s a single parent to a pre-teen son. He is busier as an artist than as lawyer, though he has also begun to do TikTok videos about legal issues.
He has another movie in the can, Ang Bangkay, from his three-act play of the same title — which won first prize in the Palanca Awards more than a decade ago. He stars with Mercedes Cabral in a major role.
Tañada attended San Beda College for pre-law and law proper, passing the bar in a single take. He was active in the theater guild at San Beda, did some law practice and teaching for a few years, and then put up PSF in 2002 mostly with fellow Bedans who were into theater.
The statesman Lorenzo Tañada is his granduncle.