Slumdog's Child Actor is Homeless

Slumdog's child actor is struggling in the movie and in real life?

I just read this news article over Yahoo this morning and it really kept me puzzled for minutes. According to the article, Azharuddin Ismail, the child actor was sleeping when the demolition happened.

"When they came I was sleeping, they shook me awake and one policeman even threatened me," Ismail, surrounded by half-broken suitcases filled with clothes and utensils, told Reuters.

"What can I do if they have demolished my house? I will sleep out in the open."

I pity the child for experiencing such trauma. I mean, he worked for something so big, he helped India be recognized for the movie that was worth his time and talent, and now this is all happening to him?

What happened to the money he earned from it? Who is responsible for keeping his earnings?

In February, the housing authority of Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, said they would give Ismail and fellow child star Rubina Ali new houses. But Ismail's mother, Shameem, said the family is now at the mercy of the rains.

"We also heard that the government had promised us houses, but what happened? We are still homeless," she said. "My son has brought glory to the country, shouldn't he get some credit?"

I hope that Azharuddin Ismail will get some help from the government if there was really a promise of extending assistance to him and his family. Otherwise, this was just part of a large scale publicity and lip service to Azharuddin Ismail's family.

Ploning did not Make it to the Oscars

I'm watching the news tonight and one of the news items that struck me was that Ploning did not make it to the Oscars.

Ploning is the Official Philippine Entry to the Best Foreign Language Film Category of the 81st Academy Awards. This will be the first ever Philippine Movie that will grab the title if the movie was pushed to make it.

I haven't watched this film yet, thanks to the hectic schedule that I had months ago. But I promised myself that I will buy a DVD copy of this movie so I can understand why this movie deserves to win.

I remembered that the entire cast and crew helped one another in lobbying for additional funds. They held auctions, parties and other promotional activities to gather more funds. The government also gave some amount to support the film.

Not only that, even some online bloggers extended their appreciation and support for this project. One blogger even got the domain name after the movie Ploning. It's just so sad that they didn't make it.

Dayo (Filipino Animated Movie)

If I have to watch a movie from the present Metro Manila Film Festival, I would watch Dayo first.

And why not? This is the product of all Filipino animators. I believe that it's about time that they experience the support of the Filipinos in this project.

I went to their official website today at www.dayomovie.com . Take a look. :)

Cast:

• Bubuy - Nash Aguas
• Anna Manananggal - Anna Legaspi
• Nano - Peque Gallaga
• Narsi - Michael V.
• Anna's Father - Johnny Delgado
• Diwata - Laurice Guillen

Want to know what this movie is all about? Check out what Inquirer has to say:

"Dayo" follows the adventure of 11-year-old Bubuy as he tries to save his grandparents who have been abducted and brought to Elementalia, a mysterious and magical land that is home to popular creatures of Philippine mythology.

So there. A typical story of a helpful kid with extra ordinary struggles to overcome. Imagine now that a manananggal is portrayed as a good and helpful person. :)

Aside from the cast, I would also like to commend Lea Salonga for sharing her talent. After she provided the melody in some international animated movies, she also proved that she can support her Fellow Pinoys. Great job Lea! :)



In the end, I believe that this project will inspire more Filipino animators to do more movies like this. If anyone of them would happen to read this, please continue your efforts. Prove to the world that we're not only capable of providing animation outsourced services, we can also come up with our own full length animated projects. :)