NAGA City, Dec. 18, 2010—In commemoration of the Tercentenary of the Devotion to Our Lady of Peñafrancia, the Archdiocese of Caceres has produced a film that is expected to promote a fresh perspective to appreciate the popular devotion and the Roman Catholic Church’s teachings on faith, hope and love.
The movie is expected to bring the Blessed Mother and her Child Jesus closer into the public consciousness of people of all faiths, here and abroad.
Directed by veteran filmmaker Marilou Diaz-Abaya, the movie titled “Ikaw ang Pag-Ibig” features Jomari Yllana, Marvin Agustin, Jaime Fabregas, Ina Feleo and the special participation of Eddie Garcia.
The film’s premier showing was held yesterday afternoon at the Universidad de Santa Isabel’s auditorium at the heart of the city; its worldwide release is scheduled in February next year.
The story revolves around a young, contemporary, rebellious woman Vangie, (Ina Feleo), whose family life and career as a video editor are disrupted when her only brother, a newly ordained priest, Fr. Johnny, (Marvin Agustin), is diagnosed of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).
As a sibling, Vangie is called upon to be a donor for Fr. Johnny’s bone marrow transplant. At first, Vangie is reluctant. She has a clinical phobia for medical procedures, the reasons for which are rooted in an attempted, but failed, abortion which she suffered through many years earlier and has since been troubled about.
Vangie’s dysfunctional family gravitates around Fr. Johnny, and in their struggle to cope with his illness, find themselves drawn to Ina, begging for her intercession. Their prayers are answered, not so much by way of a miraculous cure for Fr. Johnny, but by the grace of conversion, of love, of forgiveness, reconciliation, and hope.
The film was produced with the support of Naga archdiocese’s benefactors and friends and has received the official endorsement of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. (CBCPNews)