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 | |
|---|---|
 One of the theatrical poster of Honor Thy Father | |
| Directed by | Erik Matti |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by | Michiko Yamamoto |
| Story by |
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| Starring |
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| Music by | Erwin Romulo |
| Cinematography | Ber Cruz |
| Edited by | Jay Halili |
Production company | |
Release date | |
Running time | 115 minutes |
| Country | Philippines |
| Language |
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Plot
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 fear that the parishioners may hurt their daughter.[2]
Cast
- John Lloyd Cruz as Edgar[3]
- Meryll Soriano as Kaye
- Dan Fernandez as Manny
- Tirso Cruz III as Bishop Tony
- Perla Bautista as Nanang
- Yayo Aguila as Jessica
- Khalil Ramos as Emil
- William Martinez as Pastor Obet
- Lander Vera Perez as Cedric
- Boom Labrusca as Erwin
Production
Development
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
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
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
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
| Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41st Metro Manila Film Festival[9] | 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[10] | |||
| 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
- "John Lloyd starrer 'Honor Thy Father' wraps up 'bloody Baguio shoot'". Star Cinema. 18 March 2015. Archived from the original on 18 September 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- "MMFF 2015 clarifies 'Honor Thy Father' disqualification". Rappler. 27 December 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- "John Lloyd Cruz wins acting trophy in NYC". 5 July 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- Sallan, Edwin (25 December 2015). "'Honor Thy Father,' '#WalangForever' touted as favorites in MMFF awards race". InterAksyon.com. Archived from the original on 27 December 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- Villano, Alexa (24 December 2015). "MMFF 2015: 5 things to know about 'Honor Thy Father'". Rappler. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- Llanera, Melba (23 May 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 27 December 2015.
- "Erik Matti's 'Honor Thy Father' premieres in Toronto". Inquirer. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- "Sandra Bullock's 'Our Brand Is Crisis,' Robert Redford's 'Truth' to Premiere at Toronto". Variety. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- Smith, Chuck. "Winners: 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival awards night". Philippine Star. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- "FULL LIST: Winners, PMPC Star Awards for Movies 2016". Rappler. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
