AMAYA : Setting a New Genre to Make Its Mark in the Competitive Film Industry

A little luck coupled with a special invite led me to attend a special screening for the grand premiere of GMA’s boldest epicserye, AMAYA, scheduled to air on May 30 lined up along the network's primetime telebabad block. The weather always seemed to make a commotion on important events such as this, and so it became a battle of wills between the storm and the fans to see who would be brazen enough to leave the comforts of their home to head over to SM North Edsa the Block Cinema 2. Awaiting the victors, however, was a prize worth the work, the wait, and the rain. Everyone was on the edge of their seats as one by one, film and literature icons arrived to grace the event.

 

Greed for love, hatred, revenge, and power is only one of the many emotions that is depicted in the story of AMAYA, the strongest one, if I must say so myself. A story set in Central Visayas in the 1500s, at the time when our country had yet to encounter the "light of education" brought by the Spaniards, this story shows us that the desire to possess, to achieve, and to be loved, does not discriminate time and place to strike.

The story revolves around Amaya (a child born out of  the love between her father Datu Bugna and her slave mother Dal’lang), a princess with a twin in the form of a snake, whose destiny is to overthrow Rajah Mangubat (a datu feared by everyone for his extraordinary battle skills and magical amulet) from his seat of power to free her, and her loved ones who were captured as slaves.

Amaya's life degrades from royalty to slavery, until her life makes a major turn as she evolves into warrior battling for freedom and change in her world that is stained with cruelty and greed. The following are the characters that she met and left, found and lost, loved and hated, throughout  the course of her epic story: 

Datu Bugna, Amaya's devoted father who gives up his life out of his love for his daughter

Dian Lamitan, Datu Bugna's wife whose covetousness leads to her treachery of her own husband

Dal'Lang, Amaya's dutiful mother

Rahu Linangan, a wife to Rajah Mangubat and a mother to Bagani 

Bayang, an apprentice priestess turned slave who discovers Amaya's twin snake

I really can't help but regard highly those people who take their time to show their adoration and support for their idolized celebrity. They didn't mind the long wait, whatever the weather, wherever the place, just to show how much their (celebrities) efforts were appreciated. They don't expect anything and yet give everything they've got.

What I just said applies to Marian Rivera's fans. The show started at around 8 pm, but when I got there, I was approaching an already long line that I found out started to form at around 5 pm. There were fans, in groups of solo flights and fan clubs. How did I know whose fans they were? Simple. They were waving around tarpaulins with Marian's face along with their clear statement of support for the said actress. What do you have to say to that? Me? I was speechless.

I met Marian Rivera for the first time (very pretty indeed), and I could see why there are many people who believe in her.

For the special screening, not only actors and actresses attended, but also VIP representatives from different cultural institutions, like high-caliber artist Bienvenido Lumbera, National Artist for Literature. Below is a picture of Mr. Lumbera together with the renowned director of AMAYA, Mac Alejandre:

Below are some of the people who watched the premiere along with me with their thoughts on the screening:

As a mother of five kids with the kind of kids that I have, it's safe to assume that my life is heavily coated with art and culture, and I believe that GMA is about to prove once again that television viewing is not only for entertainment to pass the time, but also for gathering ideas and knowledge that could rouse genuine curiosity on the part of its audience. This time, however, the viewers on the other side of the screen will see our rich history unravel as the story of a love struggle is told.

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