Firefly replicated its 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival Best Picture and Best Screenplay (by Angeli Atienza) wins just over a month later at the inaugural Manila International Film Festival, held on 3 February in Los Angeles, California. It also bagged the Best Director award for Zig Dulay and the Best Supporting Actress trophy for Alessandra de Rossi in the filmfest that aims to help Filipino movies make a mark in Hollywood and in the international cinema.
Dulay expressed gratitude for his Best Director award at the thanksgiving lunch that the film’s producers, GMA Pictures and GMA Public Affairs, recently gave to the press. He also told DAILY TRIBUNE at the event that he considers the accolade more of a big bonus after the film achieved both critical acclaim and box office success.
Firefly captured the hearts of critics and moviegoers alike with its heartfelt and heart-warming narrative of how a young boy (Euwenn Mikaell) finds courage and closure while on a journey to fulfill a promise to his recently deceased mother (De Rossi).
Dulay said he’s appreciative of the positive feedback he gets about the movie. “Lagi’t-lagi ’yung mga nagme-message sa akin na sobrang naalala nila ’yung nanay nila na nawala o nawala ’yung mahal nila sa buhay. ’Yung habang pinapanood nila ang pelikula, bumabalik ang kabataan nila. Mas nare-retain ’yun kasi ibig sabihin, may sure ball ako na taong na-touch gamit ang pelikula (Oftentimes, I get messages from moviegoers who remembered their deceased mother or loved ones. While watching the movie they recall their childhood. Such feedback is retained in my memory because it means at least one person was surely touched by the movie).”
He also values compliments not just for his directorial feats and flair but more so for how he has retained his integrity and ideals as a director, who started out in indie productions and crossed over to TV and now, mainstream cinema.
“Mas gusto kong i-keep ang ganoong pagtingin sa akin na tinignan ko as high regard ko. Mas mataas pa ’yun sa mga awards (I’d rather keep that kind of feedback to high regard. It’s above those awards),” he pointed out.
A director’s journey
Dulay, a native of Santiago City in Isabela province, earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communications Arts, major in Journalism and minor in Broadcasting, at the University of the Philippines in Baguio City. He then moved to the state university’s Diliman, Quezon City, campus to complete his Master of Arts in Araling Pilipino (Creative Writing and Film). While studying at UP Diliman, he trained under the multi-awarded and well-regarded screenwriter, Armando “Bing” Lao.
In 2011, Dulay directed his first full-length movie, Huling Halik, and soon made his mark as an indie filmmaker by joining various film festivals, such as Cinemalaya and Sineng Pambansa. To make his entry to the 2015 Maynila Film Festival, he went back to his roots in Isabela to come up with a movie built around the province’s primary annual festivities that also inspired its title, Bambanti. That movie, which also stars De Rossi, along with Shamaine Buencamino and Julio Diaz, was named Best Film at that year’s Brussels International Festival of Films in Belgium and the Ajyal Youth Festival in Qatar.
Dulay eventually found his way into the TV medium, initially directing episodes in various GMA drama anthologies before taking on his “first full-blown” series, Sahaya, in 2019 and set out to do more. Two years later, he worked on Legal Wives and afterwards, Maria Clara at Ibarra, which ran successfully from October 2022 to February 2023. He then made Firefly, his first movie bankrolled by a big media company that’s meant for mainstream release.
Looking back, Dulay said he’s had his share of adjustments working from one platform to another, but he always sticks to his personal standard of doing his best. He explained, “Unang-una, ang gustong-gusto kong binabalikan ang paggawa ko ng indie. Feeling ko ’yun talaga ang calling ko (First of all, I really love going back to making indie movies. I feel it’s my calling).”
He added, “’Yung TV, ayaw ko rin s’yang iwanan kasi naniniwala ako na TV pa rin ’yung pinaka-accessible sa mga tao. So sayang naman kung may boses kang gustong sabihin doon sa material, doon sa serye. Sayang ang opportunity na maiparating sa mas nakakaraming tao (As for TV work, I don’t want to abandon it because I believe TV is still the most accessible platform to people. So it’s a pity if you have a voice to say something in your material, in your series. You’ll waste the opportunity to send across a message to more people).”
Indeed, Dulay’s directorial works delve into socio-political issues. Sahaya tells the story of a Badjao girl (Bianca Umali) and the experiences of indigenous people, while Legal Wives tackles the religious and cultural lives of the Maranao people. Maria Clara at Ibarra, meanwhile, zeroes in on the oppression that happened during the time when Jose Rizal was writing his historical masterpieces and still happening till today.
Dulay seemed to have taken a more adventurous route in choosing his projects. He’s currently busy wrapping up two drama series: My Guardian Alien, starring Marian Rivera, and Widows’ War, which has a star-studded cast led by Bea Alonzo. Afterwards, he’ll go back to making movies.
He pointed out, “Dahil naging mainstream ako, dito ko nakita ang potensyal na kaya palang gumawa ng pelikula na ang scope mas malawak… Masarap sa pakiramdam na na-validate ang sarili mo na kaya mong gumawa ng ganitong klaseng pelikula na nagustuhan s’ya ng mas nakakaraming tao. (Because I became mainstream, I saw here the potential of making a movie that has a wider scope. It feels great to be validated with the ability of make this kind of movie that more people appreciate).”