The Academy invites 395 to membership

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 395 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures.

Membership selection decisions are based on professional qualifications, with representation, inclusion and equity remaining a priority of Academy Aperture 2025.  The 2021 class is 46% women, 39% underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 53% international from 49 countries outside of the United States.  There are 89 Oscar® nominees, including 25 winners, among the invitees.

Eight individuals (noted by an asterisk) have been invited to join the Academy by multiple branches.  These individuals must select one branch upon accepting membership.

To enable steady future growth and to ensure the necessary infrastructure, staff resources and environment to support all Academy members, the number invited to membership was limited to roughly half that of recent years.   

The Academy’s Board of Governors voted on branch-specific guidelines to be applied in determining this year’s new membership invitees.  Oscar winners and nominees were considered without limitation by applicable branches.  Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2021.

The 2021 invitees are:

Actors
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II – “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “Us”
Maria Bakalova – “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” “XIIa”
Vidya Balan – “Tumhari Sulu,” “Kahaani”
Nicole Beharie – “Miss Juneteenth,” “42”
Kingsley Ben-Adir – “One Night in Miami...,” “Noelle”
Hugh Bonneville – “Downton Abbey,” “Paddington 2”
Jesse Borrego – “Colombiana,” “Con Air”
Carrie Coon – “The Nest,” “Gone Girl”
Laverne Cox – “Promising Young Woman,” “Bad Hair”
Andra Day – “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” “Cars 3”
Clea DuVall – “Argo,” “Zodiac”
Henry Golding – “A Simple Favor,” “Crazy Rich Asians”
Eiza González – “I Care a Lot,” “Baby Driver”
Kimberly Norris Guerrero – “The Glorias,” “Hidalgo”
Nicholas Guest – “Big Hero 6,” “Rango”
Ye-ri Han – “Minari,” “Worst Woman”
Vanessa Kirby – “Pieces of a Woman,” “Mission: Impossible – Fallout”
Nathan Lane – “The Producers,” “The Birdcage”
Jonathan Majors – “Da 5 Bloods,” “The Last Black Man in San Francisco”
Luis Gerardo Méndez – “Charlie’s Angels,” “Murder Mystery”
Wagner Moura – “Sergio,” “Wasp Network”
Ramsey Nouah – “’76,” “The Figurine”
Leslie Odom, Jr.* – “One Night in Miami...,” “Harriet”
Robert Pattinson – “Tenet,” “The Lighthouse”
Clarke Peters – “Da 5 Bloods,” “Harriet”
Paul Raci – “Sound of Metal,” “No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie”
Issa Rae – “The Lovebirds,” “The Photograph”
Stephen Root – “Get Out,” “Office Space”
Jurnee Smollett – “Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn,” “The Great Debaters”
Isiah Whitlock, Jr. – “Da 5 Bloods,” “BlacKkKlansman”
Steven Yeun – “Minari,” “Burning”
Yuh-Jung Youn – “Minari,” “The Housemaid”

Casting Directors
Domnica Circiumaru – “God’s Own Country,” “Charlie Countryman”
Sarah Crowe – “The Personal History of David Copperfield,” “The Death of Stalin”
Leah Daniels Butler – “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”
Kim Davis-Wagner – “Her,” “Being John Malkovich”
Kei Kawamura – “Legend of the Demon Cat,” “Silence”
Jessica Kelly – “Midsommar,” “Hereditary”
Esther Kling – “Asia,” “Aladdin”
Liz Mullane – “The Lovely Bones,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”
Susan Shopmaker – “Sound of Metal,” “First Reformed”
Patrícia Vasconcelos – “Mysteries of Lisbon,” “Absurdistan”

Cinematographers
Manuel Alberto Claro – “Hope,” “Melancholia”
Christine A. Maier – “Quo Vadis, Aida?,” “Life Guidance”
Tobie Marier-Robitaille – “Night of the Kings,” “Nitro Rush”
Erik Messerschmidt – “Mank”
Andrey Naydenov – “Dear Comrades!,” “Euphoria”
Marcell Rév – “Malcolm & Marie,” “White God”
Piotr Sobocinski, Jr. – “Corpus Christi,” “I Never Cry”
Martin Strba – “Charlatan,” “Sekal Has to Die”
Pablo Valdés – “The Mole Agent,” “Los Reyes”
Nicolás Wong – “La Llorona,” “Muñecas Rusas”
Jing-Pin Yu – “Leap,” “Better Days”

Costume Designers
Lea Carlson – “The Broken Hearts Gallery,” “Room”
Shirley Chan Ku Fang – “Kung Fu Hustle,” “A Chinese Ghost Story”
Beatriz De Benedetto – “The Two Popes,” “The Motorcycle Diaries”
Cindy Evans – “The Way Back,” “Atomic Blonde”
Charlese Antoinette Jones – “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Ride”
Muriel Parra – “A Fantastic Woman,” “Neruda”
Kari Perkins – “Boyhood,” “Mud”
Christopher Peterson – “The Irishman,” “Dark Waters”
Marci Rodgers – “Lost Girls,” “BlackKkKlansman”
Catherine Rodríguez – “Birds of Passage,” “Embrace of the Serpent”
Margot Wilson – “The Nightingale,” “The Dressmaker”
Kenneth Chung-Man Yee – “The Wasted Times,” “Curse of the Golden Flower”

Directors
Muhammad Al Darraji – “The Journey,” “Sons of Babylon”
Michael Almereyda – “Tesla,” “Marjorie Prime”
Kaouther Ben Hania* – “The Man Who Sold His Skin,” “Beauty and the Dogs”
Wayne Blair – “Top End Wedding,” “The Sapphires”
Lizzie Borden – “Working Girls,” “Born in Flames”
Janicza Bravo – “Zola,” “Lemon”
Craig Brewer* – “Black Snake Moan,” “Hustle & Flow”
Lee Isaac Chung* – “Minari,” “Munyurangabo”
Cherien Dabis – “May in the Summer,” “Amreeka”
Nia DaCosta – “Candyman,” “Little Woods”
Andrew Dosunmu – “Mother of George,” “Restless City”
Sean Durkin – “The Nest,” “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
Emerald Fennell* – “Promising Young Woman”
Johnathan Glazer – “Under the Skin,” “Sexy Beast”
Nicole Tristan Kassell – “A Little Bit of Heaven,” “The Woodsman”
Shaka King* – “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Newlyweeds”
Darius Marder – “Sound of Metal,” “Loot”
Nina Menkes – “Phantom Love,” “Queen of Diamonds”
Alexander Nanau* – “Collective,” “Toto and His Sisters”
Derek Kwok-cheung Tsang – “Better Days,” “Soulmate”
George C. Wolfe – “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Lackawanna Blues”
Cathy Yan – “Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn,” “Dead Pigs”
Florian Zeller* – “The Father”

Documentary
Karen Akerman – “The Trial,” “Simonal – Nobody Knows the Hard I Had”
Raney Aronson-Rath – “For Sama,” “Abacus: Small Enough to Jail”
João Atala – “The Edge of Democracy,” “The Daily Death”
Philippe Bellaiche – “Advocate,” “The Settlers”
Julie Cohen – “My Name Is Pauli Murray,” “RBG”
Charlotte Cook – “Do Not Split,” “The Gospel of Eureka”
Heino Deckert – “Aquarela,” “Human Flow”
Alice Elliott – “Miracle on 42nd Street,” “The Collector of Bedford Street”
Rodney Evans – “Vision Portraits,” “The Unveiling”
Kristin Feeley
Bryan Fogel – “The Dissident, “Icarus”
Nick Fraser – “The Lovers and the Despot,” “Man on Wire”
Jacqueline Glover – “True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality,” “Jim: The James Foley Story”
T. Griffin – “Boys State,” “Life, Animated”
Maya Daisy Hawke – “Janis: Little Girl Blue,” “Cave of Forgotten Dreams”
Wolfgang Held – “All In: The Fight for Democracy,” “Children Underground”
Kathy K. Im 
Judy Karp – “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” “Citizenfour”
Lesli Klainberg – “Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema,” “In the Company of Women”
Susan Margolin – “A Crime on the Bayou,” “The Rape of Recy Taylor”
Ousmane William Mbaye – “Président Dia,” “Mère-Bi (Mother)”
Lucila Moctezuma – “Living Los Sures,” “The New Americans”
Bill Morrison – “Dawson City: Frozen Time,” “The Great Flood”
Alexander Nanau* – “Collective,” “Toto and His Sisters”
Xan Parker – “Rebuilding Paradise,” “Tigerland”
Kellen Quinn – “Time,” “Midnight Family”
Brenda Robinson – “The Great American Lie,” “United Skates”
Kim A. Snyder – “Us Kids,” “Newtown”
Kathryn Townsend – “Cold Case Hammarskjöld,” “Shirkers”
Angela Tucker – “Belly of the Beast,” “(A)Sexual”
Betsy West – “My Name Is Pauli Murray,” “RBG”
Justin Wilkes – “Rebuilding Paradise,” “What Happened, Miss Simone?”
Peter Yam – “Lost Course,” “Yellowing”

Executives
Byron Allen
Ashley Brucks
Darlene Caamaño Loquet
Bob Chapek
Matt Dentler
Amy Dunning
David Ellison
Jamie Erlicht
Taylor Friedman
Ellen Goldsmith-Vein
Katie Goodson-Thomas
Ryan Jones
Tilane Jones
Wendy Lidell
Naketha Mattocks
Lorenza Muñoz
Nicholas Nesbitt
Peter Oillataguerre
Pilar Savone
Christopher Shaw
Scott Strauss
Tristen Tuckfield
Zack Van Amburg
Kiyoshi Watanabe
Jiafeng Janet Wu
Negeen Yazdi

Film Editors
Debbie Berman – “Love and Monsters,” “Black Panther”
Dana Bunescu – “Collective,” “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days”
Matthew Friedman – “Palm Springs,” “The Farewell”
Jamie Gross – “Booksmart,” “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping”
Catherine Haight – “Troop Zero,” “Afternoon Delight”
Gesa Jäger – “Tiger Girl,” “Love Steaks”
Brian A. Kates – “We the Animals,” “The Savages”
Justin Krish – “Blinded by the Light,” “Bend It Like Beckham”
Yorgos Lamprinos – “The Father,” “Xenia”
Mikkel E. G. Nielsen – “Sound of Metal,” “A Royal Affair”
Kristan Sprague – “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Newlyweeds”
Frédéric Thoraval – “Promising Young Woman,” “Sinister”
Harry Yoon – “Minari,” “Detroit”

Makeup Artists and Hairstylists
Nacho Díaz – “The Endless Trench,” “While at War”
Carla Joi Farmer – “Coming 2 America,” “Dolemite Is My Name”
Morten Jacobsen – “Into the Darkness,” “The Square”
Eryn Krueger Mekash – “Hillbilly Elegy,” “The Prom”
Kristyan Mallett – “Artemis Fowl,” “The Theory of Everything”
Adrien Morot – “The Glorias,” “Barney’s Version”
Mia Neal – “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Uncut Gems”
Francesco Pegoretti – “Pinocchio,” “The Happy Prince”
Nadine Prigge – “The Dark Tower,” “Invictus”
Pepe Quetglas – “Musarañas ,” “Pan’s Labyrinth”
Kimberley Spiteri – “Mank,” “Palm Springs”
Megan Tanner – “A United Kingdom,” “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”
Anna Van Steen – “Bingo – The King of the Mornings,” “City of God”
Scott Wheeler – “One Night in Miami…,” “Star Trek: First Contact”
Louie Zakarian – “Vampires vs. the Bronx,” “Framing John DeLorean”

Marketing and Public Relations
David Michael Bloch
Ginger Chan
Rita Cooper Lee
Megan Crawford
Mary T. Daily
Clare Anne Darragh
Josh DuBois
Venessa Fraguio
Johanna Fuentes
Michelle Anne Hagen
Carol McConnaughey
Billy Mikelson
Joanna Miles
Chad Miller
Christian Parkes
Sara Reich
Graham Retzik
Daniella Haile Robinson-Asfaw
Kevin Shelby
Angela Smith
Tamar Teifeld
Victoria Treole
Denny Tu
Christina Zisa

Music
Jon Batiste – “Soul,” “Red Hook Summer”
Amanda Brown – “Babyteeth,” “Red Obsession”
Len Calvo – “Finding Agnes”
Dernst Emile II – “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “The Photograph”
H.E.R. – “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “The Photograph”
Janet Jackson – “Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too?,” “Poetic Justice”
Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum – “In Case of Emergency,” “Remember Me”
Aska Matsumiya – “I’m Your Woman,” “Selah and the Spades”
Emile Mosseri – “Minari,” “The Last Black Man in San Francisco”
Meshell Ndegeocello – “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” “love jones”
Leslie Odom, Jr.* – “One Night in Miami…”
Lolita Ritmanis – “Blizzard of Souls,” “Wild Daze”
Lisbeth Scott – “All My Life,” “The Passion of the Christ”
Adam Milo Smalley – “Missing Link,” “The Town”
Tiara Thomas – “Judas and the Black Messiah”
Pinar Toprak – “Captain Marvel,” “The Angel”
Amelia Warner – “Wild Mountain Thyme,” “Mary Shelley”

Producers
Mo Abudu – “Òlòturé,” “The Royal Hibiscus Hotel”
Miranda Bailey – “Being Frank,” “The Diary of a Teenage Girl”
Paula Barreto – “João, o Maestro,” “Reaching for the Moon”
Rosemary Blight – “Top End Wedding,” “The Sapphires”
Caroline Bonmarchand – “Spring Blossom,” “Head above Water”
Philippe Carcassonne – “The Father,” “Ridicule”
Darren Dale – “Deep Water – The Real Story,” “The Tall Man”
Kylie du Fresne – “The Invisible Man,” “Upgrade”
Fernando Epstein – “Monos,” “Whisky”
Ainsley Gardiner – “Boy,” “Two Cars, One Night”
Fabiano Gullane – “The Traitor,” “Querô: A Damned Report”
Dan Janvey – “Nomadland,” “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
Ekta Kapoor – “Dream Girl,” “Once upon a Time in Mumbai”
Shobha Kapoor – “Udta Punjab,” “The Dirty Picture”
Emilie Lesclaux – “Bacurau,” “Aquarius”
Jean-Louis Livi – “The Father,” “Wild Grass”
Nadine Marsh-Edwards – “Been So Long,” “Bhaji on the Beach”
Amanda Marshall – “Don’t Think Twice,” “Swiss Army Man”
Paula Mazur – “Let Him Go,” “Corrina, Corrina”
Muriel Merlin – “The Truth,” “Slack Bay”
Ben Odell – “Overboard,” “How to Be a Latin Lover”
Christina Oh – “Minari ,” “The Last Black Man in San Francisco”
Inna Payán – “The Golden Dream,” “Lucia Lucia”
Tim Perell – “Wolves,” “Shortbus”
Katrin Pors – “Wildland,” “Birds of Passage”
Andrea Barata Ribeiro – “Xingu,” “City of God”
Alex Saks – “The Glorias,” “The Florida Project”
Shrihari Sathe – “The Sweet Requiem,” “It Felt Like Love”
Peter Spears – “Nomadland,” “Call Me by Your Name”

Production Design
Grant Armstrong – “Spider-Man: Far from Home,” “Les Misérables”
Matt Callahan – “The Descendants,” “Get Smart”
Tina Charad – “Once upon a Time...in Hollywood,” “La La Land”
Cathy Featherstone – “The Father,” “Supernova”
Peter Francis – “The Father,” “The Children Act”
Beat Frutiger – “Avengers: Endgame,” “Dolemite Is My Name”
Trish Gallaher Glenn – “Mank,” “Frost/Nixon”
Charles Harrington – “Knives Out,” “Detroit”
Alan J. Hook – “Black Panther,” “Syriana”
Elizabeth Keenan – “News of the World,” “Selma”
Sebastian Till Krawinkel – “A Hidden Life,” “Inglourious Basterds”
Alan E. Muraoka – “I Hate Kids,” “Little Miss Sunshine”
Susan Ogu – “The Big Short,” “Party Monster”
Vicki Pui – “Black Panther,” “Pacific Rim”
Jean Rabasse – “Vatel,” “The City of Lost Children”
James Rothwell – “The Lion King,” “Free Birds”
Diana Stoughton – “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Dogma”
Warren Alan Young – “Harriet,” “Twin Falls Idaho”

Short Films and Feature Animation
Rita del Rosario Basulto – “Eclosión,” “Rain in the Eyes”
Ossama Bawardi – “The Present,” “Haneen”
Will Becher – “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon,” “The Pirates! Band of Misfits”
Jerry Beck – “Wicked City,” “Robot Carnival”
John Bryant – “The Wild Thornberrys Movie,” “Rugrats in Paris”
Réka Bucsi – “Solar Walk,” “Symphony No. 42”
Clara Chan – “Over the Moon,” “Storks”
Peilin Chou – “Over the Moon,” “Abominable”
Sharon Colman – “The Croods,” “Badgered”
Anca Damian – “Marona’s Fantastic Tale,” “Crulic – The Path to Beyond”
Philippe Denis – “Trolls,” “Megamind”
Travon Free – “Two Distant Strangers”
Andrew Gent – “Isle of Dogs,” “Frankenweenie”
Michael Govier – “If Anything Happens I Love You,” “Space for Rent”
Gísli Darri Halldórsson – “Yes-People,” “Kókó the Killer Whale”
SungHo Hong – “Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Sky Blue”
Joey Horvitz – “Game,” “Friday Night”
Brenden Hubbard – “The Helping Hand,” “Cul-de-Sac”
Jeanette Jeanenne – “Departures,” “Trusts & Estates”
Sebastian Kapijimpanga – “Over the Moon,” “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation”
Sara Koppel – “Embraces & the Touch of Skin,” “Seriously Deadly Silence”
Christophe Lautrette – “The Croods,” “Bee Movie”
Carolina Markowicz – “The Orphan (O Órfão),” “Tatuapé Mahal Tower”
Will McCormack – “If Anything Happens I Love You,” “Toy Story 4”
Adrien Mérigeau – “Genius Loci,” “Song of the Sea”
François Morisset – “Bonobo,” “Sin Cielo”
Dana Murray – “Soul,” “Lou”
Farah Nabulsi – “The Present,” “Nightmare of Gaza”
Erick Oh – “Opera,” “The Dam Keeper”
Gennie Rim – “Over the Moon,” “Dear Basketball”
Martin Desmond Roe – “Two Distant Strangers,” “Buzkashi Boys”
Madeline Sharafian – “Burrow,” “Onward”
Tomer Shushan – “White Eye,” “Inside Shells”
Lisa Stewart – “Turbo,” “Monsters vs Aliens”
Ross Stewart – “Wolfwalkers,” “The Secret of Kells”
Erez Tadmor – “Sirens,” “Dear God”
Charles Williams – “All These Creatures,” “Home”
Nate Wragg – “The Croods: A New Age,” “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie”
Carlos Zaragoza – “The Emoji Movie ,” “Gnomeo & Juliet”

Sound
Kristian Eidnes Andersen – “Into the Darkness,” “The Hunt”
Maurizio Argentieri – “The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se),” “All the Money in the World”
Christopher S. Aud – “The Way Back,” “The Disaster Artist”
Jaime Baksht – “Sound of Metal,” “I’m No Longer Here (Ya No Estoy Aquí)”
Christopher Barnett – “Come Away,” “Icarus”
Nicolas Becker – “Sound of Metal,” “The Summer of Sangaile (Sangailes Vasara)”
Phillip Bladh – “Sound of Metal,” “The Little Hours”
Onnalee Blank – “Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn,” “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Vince Caro – “Soul,” “Toy Story 4”
Carlos Cortés – “Sound of Metal,” “Our Time (Nuestro Tiempo)”
Marko Anthony Costanzo – “Greyhound,” “BlacKkKlansman”
Michellee Couttolenc – “Sound of Metal,” I’m No Longer Here (Ya No Estoy Aquí)”
Valérie Deloof – “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” “BPM (Beats Per Minute)”
Coya Elliott – “Soul,” “Toy Story 4”
Steve Fanagan – “Room,” “Albert Nobbs”
Dominic Carl Gibbs – “The Gentlemen,” “Aladdin”
Paul Hackner – “Trolls World Tour,” “Crawl”
Andy Hay – “One Night in Miami…,” “American Woman”
Mirosław Makowski – “Cold War,” “Ida”
Isabel Muñoz – “Miss Bala,” “Backyard (El Traspatio)”
Nathan Nance – “Mank,” “Toy Story 4”
Whit Norris – “Hillbilly Elegy,” “Godzilla: King of the Monsters”
Erin Oakley – “Charlie’s Angels,” “Zombieland: Double Tap”
Barry O’Sullivan – “Brooklyn,” “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”
David Paterson – “I, Tonya,” “Drive”
Bjørn Schroeder – “Roald Dahl’s The Witches,” “Kajillionaire”
Marlowe Taylor – “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “The Marksman”
Juli Vandenberg – “Fiela se Kind,” “Otelo Burning”
Thomas “Tommy” Vicari – “Moonlight,” “Bridge of Spies”
David Wyman – “Greyhound,” “Deepwater Horizon”
Ken Yasumoto – “Climax,” “Love”

Visual Effects 
Lance Baetkey – “Avengers: Endgame,” “Avengers: Infinity War”
Peta Bayley – “Dolittle,” “Shazam!”
Dennis Berardi – “Shazam!,” “The Shape of Water”
Daniele Bigi – “Aladdin,” “Ready Player One”
Axel Bonami – “Artemis Fowl,” “Godzilla”
Genevieve Camilleri – “Love and Monsters,” “Velvet Buzzsaw”
Raymond Chen – “Alita: Battle Angel,” “The Meg”
Yeenshi Chen – “Over the Moon,” “Life of Pi”
Santiago Colomo Martinez – “The One and Only Ivan,” “The Jungle Book”
Michael Joseph Conte – “Terminator Genisys,” “Elysium”
Michael Cozens – “Alita: Battle Angel,” “Pete’s Dragon”
Ferran Domenech – “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” “Alien: Covenant”
Benoit Dubuc – “Missing Link,” “X-Men: Days of Future Past”
Scott Edelstein – “Avengers: Endgame,” “Avengers: Infinity War”
Matt Everitt – “Love and Monsters,” “Skyscraper”
Pawl Fulker – “Dolittle,” “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”
John Haley – “Hellboy,” “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”
Sherry Lynn Hitch – “Mank,” “The Irishman”
Nick Hsieh – ‘Monster Hunt,” “Looper”
Chia-Chi Hu – “Soul,” “Incredibles 2”
Steve Ingram – “Mulan,” “Pete’s Dragon”
Ben Jones – “The One and Only Ivan,” “The Lion King”
Shannon Justison – “Spider-Man: Far from Home,” “Captain Marvel”
Matthew Kasmir – “The Midnight Sky,” “Paddington”
Michael Kennedy – “The Jungle Book,” “Prometheus”
Ryan Laney – “Welcome to Chechnya,” “Ant-Man”
David Lee – “Tenet,” “John Carter”
May Leung – “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Star Trek Beyond”
Viktor Muller – “Voyagers,” “Gemini Man”
Max Solomon – “The Midnight Sky,” “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw”
Sheldon Stopsack – “Gemini Man,” “Terminator: Dark Fate”
Damien Stumpf – “Cruella,” “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”
Stephen Unterfranz – “Shadow in the Cloud,” “Rampage”
David Watkins – “The Midnight Sky,” “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”

Writers
Kenya Barris – “Coming 2 America,” “Girls Trip”
Peter Baynham – “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” “Borat Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan”
Kaouther Ben Hania* – “The Man Who Sold His Skin,” “Beauty and the Dogs”
Paul Mayeda Berges – “Blinded by the Light,” “Bend It Like Beckham”
Craig Brewer* – “Black Snake Moan,” “Hustle & Flow”
Lee Isaac Chung* – “Minari,” “Munyurangabo”
Will Collins – “Wolfwalkers,” “Song of the Sea”
Emerald Fennell* – “Promising Young Woman”
Anthony Hines – “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” “Borat Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan”
Jon Hurwitz – “American Reunion,” “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle”
Brad Ingelsby – “Our Friend,” “The Way Back”
Shaka King* – “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Newlyweeds”
Lam Wing Sum – “Better Days,” “Soulmate”
Li Yuan – “Better Days,” “Soulmate”
Dan Mazer – “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” “Borat Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan”
Tarell Alvin McCraney – “High Flying Bird,” “Moonlight”
Kemp Powers – “One Night in Miami…,” “Soul”
Hayden Schlossberg – “American Reunion,” “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle”
Alice Wu – “The Half of It,” “Save Face”
Xu Yimeng – “Better Days,” “Soulmate”
Florian Zeller* – “The Father,” “Florida”

Members-at-Large
Cameron Bailey
John Buzzetti
Jennifer Jo Caputo
Giovanna Fossati
Craig Gering
Kari Grubin
Eugene Hernandez
Chung Chi Li
Peter Mavromates
Ann Murphy
Loren Nielsen
Nikki Penny
Darin Read
Alice Taylor
Jeremy Zimmer

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Benjie Oliva: A father in many ways

Just like great moms, Bohol is filled with famous dads who never shy away from doting on their children. These men are generally better known for their contributions to politics, engineering, music, and more.

Case in point: Benjie Sanchez Oliva who seriously takes his role.

Married since 2013, the former youth leader and community builder has two children with lawyer Joan. 

"I love being a father; it’s one of the joys of life," said Benjie, also known as "Bobong" to his friends and relatives. “My greatest achievement is my children and my family.”

The smart and talented Edelle Rose “Edroe”, 6, and bubbly and intelligent Ven Victor “Vin”, 4, are blessed to have a hardworking and dedicated man to be their father. Notwithstanding his busy schedule, he makes it a point to spend quality time with them.

Student leader

Benjie, 39, was born to Ben Segundino Cabillanes Oliva, a native of Barangay Baang in Catigbian, Bohol and Rosita Camiguing Sanchez of Misamis Occidental. His father passed away when he was four years old. His mother who was then a jobless widow was to get a job as a day care teacher in Catigbian to support and sustain his two growing children.

He finished his elementary education at Central West Elementary School, Poblacion Weste, Catigbian, Bohol with honors and secondary education at Immaculate Mary Academy also in Catigbian as first honorable mention.

He finished his Bachelor in Agricultural Technology degree as cum laude at Central Visayas State College of Agriculture, Forestry and Technology (CVSCAFT)- Bilar town now Bohol Island State University (BISU).  He also finished his Master in Agricultural Development, summa cum laude, at the same university. Currently, he is on dissertation of his Doctor of Philosophy in Community Development in the same institution.

Benjie rose from being a committee secretary and legislative staff assistant III at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of Bohol in 2002 to Commissioner of the National Youth Commission (NYC) in 2005 and administrator of the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) in 2015 until his term ends in February 2020.

At present he is the chairman of the YO Prime Construction and Realty Corporation based in Tagbilaran City, Bohol; managing partner of the Pasion, David, Oliva, Durias and Associates based in Quezon City; and vice president of the Institute of Budget and Governance Studies, (IBGS) Inc. also in Quezon City.

 

‘Father’ to many youth organizations in the country

At 22, Benjie was appointed by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as Commissioner of NYC on December 19, 2005. He holds the record as the first and only Boholano commissioner at NYC.  

At the time of his appointment, he was considered as the youngest national government official in the Arroyo administration with an equivalent rank of an Assistant Secretary.

For almost six years in NYC, Benjie played as a “father” figure to many campus, church based and community youth organizations in the country whom he supported in many ways. He travelled in every corner of the country from Batanes to Tawi-tawi promoting values formation and character building to various youth leaders and youth organizations in partnership with the Presidential Commission on Values Formation and Good Citizenship Movement as well the advocacy programs on restorative justice of children in conflict with the law with the support of Consuelo Foundation and Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council.

He also managed to secure the computer literacy education and livelihood programs of the out of school youth and youth with special needs with the support of the Pag-asa Youth Association of the Philippines (PYAP) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). He also served as the NYC point person for the job generation program together with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) through the Out of School Youth Serving Towards Economic Recovery (OYSTER) Program wherein out of school youths (OSYs) are employed as road maintenance workers.

He helped push for the passage of the Local Youth Development Council, SK Reform Bill, Magna Carta for Student Rights and the Free Higher Education Bill.

Benjie is also a ‘father’ to many youth organizations in Bohol. He was elected president of the Bohol Alliance of Student Councils (BASC), a conglomeration of student councils/governments in all colleges and universities in the province; federated president of the Supreme Student Government Federation of Central Visayas State College of Agriculture, Forestry and Technology (CVSCAFT) now Bohol Island State University (BISU); member, CVSCAFT Board of Trustees representing the Supreme Student Government Federation of the five campuses of Tagbilaran, Bilar, Calape, Clarin and Candijay; president, Supreme Student Government, CVSCAFT Bilar Campus; provincial president, Pag-asa Youth Association of the Philippines (PYAP) Bohol Chapter; vice chairman, Campus Ministry-Student Catholic Action Diocesan Council; president, Campus Ministry-Student Catholic Action (CM-SCA) CVSCAFT Bilar Campus; board of rirector, Parish Youth Ministry (PYM) Diocesan Youth Council; Vicarial Youth Coordinator, Mt. Carmel Vicariate; parish coordinator, Parish Youth Ministry (PYM) Immaculate Conception Parish, Catigbian, Bohol ; youth leader, Youth for Christ (YFC) Catigbian Chapter; and president of CVSCAFT Bilar Student Cooperative.

 

‘Father’ of creativity and innovations

At his stint at CDA, its employees considered him as the "father" of creativity and innovations.

Foremost, the new Cooperative Development Authority Charter is a landmark legislation in cooperative regulation and development in the country. There were many doubtful Thomases among the many officials and employees of the CDA starting from its inception until in the last stage of the approval of the two houses of congress. 

Benjie’s strong determination and bold move of pushing the agency’s reform bill is purposely to respond to the current challenges, opportunities and realities in the 21^st century on cooperative regulation and development. The agency was strengthened in terms of its regulatory powers, additional manpower support, more developmental functions and a much closer partnership with the cooperative sector in terms of policy and program coordination through the organization of the national cooperative alliance.

The strong leadership of Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri as chairman of the Senate Committee on Cooperatives Development was instrumental for the overwhelming approval in Senate with the support also of Deputy Minority Leader Senator Bam Aquino and Senator Risa Hontiveros who is the Vice Chairperson of the said committee. 

House Deputy Minority Leader Congressmen Anthony Bravo and House Committee Chairman on Cooperative Development Congressman Ben Canama were the champions at the lower house in advancing for its approval. And of course, under the leadership of Benjie in CDA together with the strong support of the cooperative sector and stakeholders, the new CDA Charter was enacted into law by virtue of Republic Act 11364.

Benjie is also the "father" of the creation of the Credit Surety Fund Department of the CDA Central Office, the creation of the CDA Region 4-A composed of the provinces of Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan also known as the MIMAROPA Region. And the man responsible in securing the Three Hundred Five Million Pesos budget under the GAA 2021 for the Construction of the new CDA Office Building in Cubao, Quezon City.

He is known as an iron hand executive of CDA by initiating the Run Against Fraudulent Cooperatives (RAFC) to go after erring cooperatives used for illegal rice importation, investment scams like Ponce scheme, tax evasion, among others. RAFC was an inter-agency coordinating platform that includes the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Anti-Fraud Unit, Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), PNP-Crime Investigation and Detection Group, and the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA).

His last innovation before his term ended at the CDA was the Coop Film Festival. A documentary program together with GMA 7, Inc. to produce short films of successful cooperatives and members in the Philippines.

 

Father of Catigbian’s community development

In Catigbian town, barangay officials considered Benjie as the ‘father’ of Catigbian’s community development.

Catigbian has been known as one among the center of insurgency in the province from the 60’s to the 90’s. At present, intel reports showed that there are still sightings of their presence in the remote barangays but military operatives are there to ensure that insurgency will no longer thrive again in Catigbian. It can be recalled that it was in Catigbian when the CPP-NPA-NDF Regional Spokesperson and Secretary General Silvino “Ka Bino” Clamucha was killed in a running gun-battle with government troops in the hinterlands between barangays Liboron and Maitum in 2004.

Since then, Benjie reach out to the people and the insurgency affected communities to find out the root cause of the problem.

“Unsaon man intawon Sir nga nakalimtan naman me sa gobyerno amoang kalsada guba kaayo mao ang mga taw mahaylo gyud sa NPA. In an adjacent barangays Cang-iras and Liboron, the same sentiment was raised on the road problem. A woman, once approached and told him in barangay Cang-iras, pirteng paita Sir wala me tubig mainum hilabi ug ting-init ut ting-ulan usab ma lubog ang among mga tubod. Kanus-a pa kaha me malingi ug matabangan sa atong gobyerno,” a resident in Barangay Maitum told him.

With his connections in Manila, Benjie moves heaven and earth to secure the funding of the P50-million road concreting of Triple Union-Maitum-Kang-iras Road, the P60-M concreting of Baang-Liboron Road and the P13-M Waterworks Project for LGU-Catigbian. 

When he inspected the project during the construction stage, a mother approached him and said, “Sir wala jud me magtu-o nga ma semento ang amoang lugar. Abi namo ug pareha ka sa uban nga miari lang ug gipangsaadan ming tanan. Salamat kayo Sir. A grandmother also said to him, wala jud me magtoo nga usa ko motaliwan sa kalibutan makabutan me ug hinlo nga mainum nga tubig.”

To date, an additional P35-Million Waterworks project in on-going in barangays Kang-iras, Mahayag Norte and Bagtic courtesy of Bohol 1^st district Rep. Edgar Chatto with the strong lobby of LGU-Catigbian under Mayor Elizabeth Mandin.

Benjie is not yet done with these barangays, he initiated the proposal for the construction and opening of new roads like the Kang-iras-Mahayag Norte Road, Baang-Sitio Binaliw (Liboron) Road, Maitum-Liboron Road, Catigbian (Maitum)-Batuan (Behind the Clouds) Road to further advance the development of the area. Alongside with the infrastructure development is a social preparation for the proposed livelihood support program on coco sugar and cacao production in the community.

He was instrumental also in several infrastructure projects in Catigbian with the help of several senators and partylist congressmen like the covered courts of barangays Baang, Ambuan, Bagtic, Candumayao, Bongbong, Causwagan Norte, Mahayag Norte and Catigbian National High School in Poblacion and multi-purpose buildings like the Poblacion Barangay Hall and Catigbian Slaughter House with a total of more than P40-M.

His efforts in Catigbian started during the time of former Mayor Boy Lurot with the full support of then Rep. Rene Relampagos and continues today.

Yet, Benjie has one more dream. He wants to be the “father” in the Halls of Congress for cooperatives, farmers and fisherfolks through KOOP KAMPI Partylist by providing policies and programs that would uplift their lives and their living conditions.

KOOP KAMPI stands for Kooperatiba Kahugpungan sa mga Mag-uuma ug Mangingisda sa Pilipinas with Rep. Anthony Bravo as its first nominee.

"Fatherhood is the best thing that could happen to me, and I’m just glad I can share my voice," he quipped.

 

*   *   *

Thanks for your letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow leoudtohanINQ at Twitter /Facebook.

 

The Academy elects 2021-2022 board of governors

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced its newly elected 2021–2022 Board of Governors.  The governors will take office at the first scheduled board meeting of the new term. 

Elected to the Board for the first time:

Rita Wilson, Actors Branch
Kim Taylor-Coleman, Casting Directors Branch
Paul Cameron, Cinematographers Branch
Eduardo Castro, Costume Designers Branch
Jean Tsien, Documentary Branch
Pam Abdy, Executives Branch
Terilyn A. Shropshire, Film Editors Branch
Laura C. Kim, Marketing and Public Relations Branch
Lesley Barber, Music Branch
Gary C. Bourgeois, Sound Branch
Brooke Breton, Visual Effects Branch 
Howard A. Rodman, Writers Branch

Incumbent governors reelected to the Board:

Susanne Bier, Directors Branch
Jennifer Todd, Producers Branch
Tom Duffield, Production Design Branch
Bonnie Arnold, Short Films and Feature Animation Branch

Returning to the Board after a hiatus:

Bill Corso, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch

They will join returning governors Kate Amend, Craig Barron, Howard Berger, Charles Bernstein, Jon Bloom, Rob Bredow, Ruth E. Carter, Kevin Collier, Laura Dern, Teri E. Dorman, Dody J. Dorn, Ava DuVernay, Linda Flowers, DeVon Franklin, Rodrigo García, Donna Gigliotti, Whoopi Goldberg, Lynette Howell Taylor, Mark Johnson, Larry Karaszewski, Laura Karpman, Christina Kounelias, Ellen Kuras, David Linde, Isis Mussenden, Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Jan Pascale, Stephen Rivkin, Eric Roth, David Rubin, Steven Spielberg, Wynn P. Thomas, Nancy Utley, Mandy Walker, Roger Ross Williams, Janet Yang and Debra Zane.

As a result of this election, the number of women Academy governors increases from 26 to 31 and the number of governors from underrepresented racial/ethnic communities increases from 12 to 15.

The Academy’s 17 branches are each represented by three governors, who may serve up to two three-year terms (consecutive or non-consecutive), followed by a two-year hiatus, after which eligibility renews for up to two additional three-year terms, for a lifetime maximum of 12 years.  The Board of Governors sets the Academy’s strategic vision, preserves the organization’s financial health, and assures the fulfillment of its mission.

The Latin Grammy Awards return to Las Vegas

Photo: Latin Recording Academy

The Latin Recording Academy announced today that The Biggest Night in Latin Music, the 22nd Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards, return to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021. The three-hour telecast will air live on Univision beginning at 8 p.m. ET/PT (7 p.m. Central), preceded by a one-hour pre-show starting at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
 
"This past year was full of unknowns but also new opportunities for those who adapted quickly," said Gabriel Abaroa Jr., President/CEO of The Latin Recording Academy. "Drawing from our strength in music, we welcome our resilient community of Latin music lovers back to Las Vegas for a 13th year to celebrate our culture, ethnicity and diversity, and to honor excellence in music; the force that helps us heal and continues to unite us."
 
The Latin GRAMMY Awards are the preeminent international honor and the only peer-selected award celebrating excellence in Latin music worldwide. Nominees for the 22nd Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards will be announced on Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021.  
 
"We are thrilled to bring back the 22nd Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards to Las Vegas to honor musical excellence," said Jessica Rodriguez, Chief Marketing Officer and President of Entertainment at Univision. 

"Music is a powerful force in our community. It binds us together as a culture, inspires us and move us, and this year's show will celebrate our shared love of music with the brightest stars, unforgettable performances, and special moments that will entertain our audience," she added.
 

Photo: Latin Recording Academy

The Latin Recording Academy and Univision Communications Inc. will continue to exercise careful precautions to ensure the safety and well-being of all attendees.
 
Chris Baldizan, MGM Resorts' Executive Vice President of Entertainment, said, "MGM Resorts has had a long-standing, successful partnership with The Latin Recording Academy.

 As a leader in Entertainment, we look forward to once again hosting The Latin GRAMMYs at MGM Grand, providing music fans worldwide the opportunity to celebrate Latin music's biggest night in the Entertainment Capital of the World."
 
The previously announced gala tribute for the 2021 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year™ honoring Rubén Blades will take place Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021, at the Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. 

For information on purchasing tickets to the 22nd Latin GRAMMY Awards and the 2021 Latin Person of the Year event, please contact The Latin Recording Academy's ticketing office at 310.314.8281 or ticketing@grammy.com. Additional details about ancillary events occurring during Latin GRAMMY® Week will be communicated at a later date.
 

 

Academy launches 50th year of ‘Gold Rising’ program

The Academy Gold Rising Program is a talent development, diversity and inclusion initiative designed to enhance internship experiences under the Academy brand. The initiative ultimately helps cement, strengthen and clarify long-standing but independent efforts to address concerns of accessibility and opportunity for underrepresented communities throughout our country.

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is proud to announce commitments from 25 partner companies in the fifth year of its Academy Gold Rising program.  Gold Rising, formerly called Academy Gold, is an entertainment industry internship enhancement and mentorship program for students and young professionals from underrepresented communities.  The summer program will be virtual for the second time, enabling interns to participate from anywhere in the world.

Alongside the Academy, participating partners include AMC Networks, Annapurna Pictures, The Black List, BRON Studios, Circle of Confusion, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), DTS (part of Xperi Corporation), The Walt Disney Company, Dolby Laboratories, Evolve Entertainment Fund (Mayor’s Office), Formosa Group LLC, FotoKem, Fremantle, Illumination Entertainment, Monkeypaw Productions, Moving Picture Institute, NBCUniversal Filmed Entertainment Group, Paradigm Talent Agency, Paramount Pictures, Participant, Shout! Factory, Streamland Media, United Talent Agency (UTA) and WarnerMedia.

“Over the past five years, the Gold Rising program has steadily evolved and grown, ushering hundreds of alumni into the start of their careers.  We are eternally grateful to our incredible partners who help open doors to a more inclusive field and bring dreams closer to reality for this talented group of young people,” said Academy governor and Education and Outreach Committee chair Wynn P. Thomas.  “Along with my fellow members of the Academy, I look forward to meeting and mentoring this new class as they begin their journeys.”

“During a time with so many unprecedented challenges for artists, filmmakers and young professionals looking to explore their futures, the Gold Rising program will continue to offer participants meaningful, relevant and hands-on experiences to help them find their way in our industry,” said Academy COO Christine Simmons.  “As we continue to push towards equity and inclusion across all aspects of the Academy and greater film community, we’re excited to support new and past Gold Rising interns throughout their careers and can’t wait to see how they make their mark on the future of filmmaking.”

This summer, 100 students (including six interns placed within the Academy and the Academy Museum) from across the United States and abroad will participate in Gold Rising.  The eight-week program, which concludes with a graduation ceremony on August 7, offers participants networking opportunities with Academy members and industry professionals, a variety of panel discussions on every aspect of filmmaking, and career preparation sessions.

Each of the partners will sponsor up to three of their interns for the program, which kicks off today, June 16, with a two-day orientation that includes Academy governors, members and other industry speakers, studio and agency panels, virtual tours of the Academy’s Film Archive, Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, and a look into the Oscars® and Scientific and Technical Awards.

The program also has a production track with online technical workshops and masterclasses for students interested in cinematography, costume design, film editing, production design and sound.  The 35 participants in this track are from California State University Northridge, Exceptional Minds Academy, Los Angeles Film School, Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, New York Film Academy and select local community colleges from the Academy’s Community College Film and Media Arts Consortium.

Gold Rising interns will hear from more than 120 panelists and speakers over the course of the program. Highlights include:

Social Justice in Film
Panelists: Arthur Dong (writer-director), Laura Kim (EVP Marketing, Participant), Dawn Porter (director-producer), Marjan Safinia (director-producer)
Moderator: Rosalina Jowers (Senior Manager, Social Impact Communications, Participant)

Authentic Storytelling in the LGBTQIA+ Space
With GLAAD’s Associate Director of Transgender Representation and documentary film producer Alex Schmider

Getting to the Soul of “Soul”
Panelists: Matt Aspbury (cinematographer), Pixar Animation Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter (director-writer), Ian Megibben (cinematographer), Kevin Nolting (editor), Kemp Powers (writer-director), MontaQue Ruffin (animator)
Moderator: Audrey Cleo Yap (multimedia journalist)

Let’s Talk About It: Hollywood and Mental Health
Presented by Shaina Gonzales (licensed clinical social worker and founder of Therapeutic Bridges) 
Moderator: Dana Richie (filmmaker, producer, and founder of Backlot Productions)

Upon completion of the program, all Gold Rising interns will be paired with an Academy member for an eight-month mentorship.  This past year, members from every branch volunteered their time and support to the program, including such mentors as Khadija Alami, Ruth Carter, Nicolás Celis, Jon M. Chu, R.J. Cutler, Hugh Jackman, Yong Duk Jhun, Meg LeFauve, Tom McCarthy and Virgil Williams.

Gold Rising affords top film entertainment, technology, production services and digital media companies an opportunity to recruit and educate a nationwide pool of diverse talent.  To date, there are 365 past Gold Rising program participants.  The 2021 class is from 45 universities and is composed of 78% underrepresented racial/ethnic communities, 61% women, 43% LGBTQ+ and 17% with disability.

Gold Rising, led by program directors Bettina Fisher and Niti Shah, is a part of Academy Gold, a global talent development and inclusion initiative that provides creative individuals of diverse backgrounds with access and resources toward achieving their career pathways in filmmaking.  Programs under the Academy Gold umbrella also include Gold Fellowship for Women, the Student Academy Awards, and the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting.  All past participants and award recipients of these programs become a part of the Gold Alumni Program, which provides networking opportunities, access and career advancement services and offers affinity groups for Black and African American, Latinx, Asian American and Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+ and women alumni to network with others who share similar identities, backgrounds and experiences.  The program also tracks participants’ career progression and successes through a database, offering a diverse talent pipeline for the industry.

Academy Gold Rising is supported by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation.  Additional support is provided by The Walt Disney Company, Gucci Changemakers, and the Ruderman Family Foundation.

The Academy Gold Rising Production Track is made possible in part by the JPMorgan Chase Foundation and the Dwight Stuart Youth Fund.

Other funding is provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Critics Choice Association in honor of Chadwick Boseman, and Leon Silverman.

For more information about the Gold Rising program, visit https://www.oscars.org/gold-rising.

 

Jessyville Laviña Ugat now an official candidate for Miss Philippines Earth 2021

Jessyville Laviña Ugat of Baclayon town has barely one month to prepare for Miss Philippines Earth 2021. Photo: Chromatel Photography

The call came last month.

“Are you willing to be the Miss Philippines Earth 2021?” asked Khim Roger Magtagad Laway, owner of The Art Nouveau Models. 

No further question. Not one to shy away from any challenge,  Jessyville Laviña Ugat

said, yes, of course. More calls and meetings and the deal was done.

Jessyville, one of the five province's  country’s bet, will compete in the pageant on July 20. 

But given the very limited time, Jessyville Laviña has to train harder. 

Jessyville Laviña, 21,  hails from Baclayon town. She holds a degree in BS Tourism Management major in Travel and Tour. 

She stands 5’7” and weighs 113 lbs. She was crowned as Miss Baclayon Earth 2019. 

An environmental awareness advocate, Jessyville Laviña used to work as a car sales representative in one of well-known companies in Bohol.

She is now an ESL teacher who loves traveling, dancing surfing the net, and reading inspirational messages.

“I join Miss Philippines 2021 because I want to be the catalyst of change. I want my advocacy to be heard, our Mother Earth is trying to get our attention that is why it’s time for us to hear her cry, " she said.

"Let’s be part of solution. Let’s save our Mother Earth,” she added. 

* * * 

These money tips forwarded by Anthony Ceniza:

*Don’t bring your money with you.

*Cook at home.

*Buy your groceries in Public Market not in Malls weekly, not daily, not monthly. (Market: Ampalaya 50/kl vs Mall 147/kl)

*Remove unimportant expenses.

* Lower down the cost of your important expences. (Ex. Ganador 55/kl while Sinandoming 42/kl)

* Buy your own tumbler and bring your own water. Avoid buying outside. (Natures Spring 500ml 15.00 while if you bring its FREE)

*If you’re not in business don’t buy CAR.

COMMUTE: plete ka 8.00 x 2 x 26days = 416.00/month

While Car Expenses: 15k/month car + 5k/mo gas + 2k/mo parking = 22k/month

*Always set aside 20-30% of your income to your mandatory/disciplined savings. 

What makes us poor is our bad spending habits.

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Thanks for your letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow leoudtohanINQ at Twitter /Facebook.

Chocolates overload at Marilou Beach

Edison Gumapac loves to shop! The souvenir shop at Marilou Resort/Dumaluan Beach Resort in Panglao offers different kinds of chocolates.

Edison Gumapac went to Panglao town on Saturday to escape from the city due to 12-hour power interruption in Bohol province.

"I want to relax here because it's hot and humid at home," said Edison, an educator. 

Other residents sought air-conditioned environment like mall to cool down. 

In Tagbilaran City, some business establishments used portable generators to cope with the power outage.

However, some small shops, most of them power-dependent, closed for the day.

In an advisory, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said  there was a 12-hour power outage on Saturday for 

line stringing activity and annual preventive maintenance works. 

After  "The Doctor Is In" (hosted by Dr. Doloreich Dumaluan), Edison, Helen Castano and I enjoyed the white sand beach at Marilou /Dumaluan Beach Resort. Other media friends-Dave Responte (dyTR), Rey Tutas (dyRD), Allen Doydora (dyRD), Rene Daling (dyRD), Angel Guimalan and Kit Bagaipo went home. 

We also tried the "ganggangan" (sauna) with the supervision of Anthony Ceniza. 

"Ganggangan" is the new place for relaxation in Panglao. It can be more than relaxing. It can be a place to cleanse body and soul for  P250/30 minutes.  

At the Marilou Souvenir Shop, you can buy chocolate, nuts, and, sundry. So once you enter the shop, it feels more like picking up groceries (oh, S&R and Landers!) than entering a souvenir shop. They have different kinds of chocolates and nuts. 

"They have wines and spirits, too," gushed Edison. 

Well, he shops till he drops. 

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Thanks for your letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow leoudtohanINQ at Twitter /Facebook.

Santacruzan in the new normal

The mother and son pair of Fiel Angeli and Renji as Empress Helena 2021 and Prince Constantine, respectively.

Most Filipinos, including Boholanos, are devout Catholics. They honor and celebrate saints on feast days. 

In the Philippines, May is a merry month not only because it is the season of fiestas with gastronomic treats, but of the “Flores de Mayo” - Spanish for "flowers of May", one of the devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary starting from the first until the last day of May of every year. 

It is the time when girls believing in “Ad Jesum Per Mariam” – to Jesus through Mary – offer flowers and implore her intercession to bring their prayers and supplications to Jesus.

The Santacruzan, derived from the Spanish term “santa cruz” or holy cross, is being held on the last day of the Flores de Mayo. It depicts Saint Helena (Reina Elena) and Constantine the Great of Constantinople’s search for the “true cross”. 

Some trace its connection to May from the May 3 date of “Roodmas” commemorating the finding by Saint Helena of the true cross in Jerusalem in 355 observed on May 3 in some Christian churches and rites. 

In the Philippine setting, Santacruzan is made a colorful festival and has become an integral part of Filipino traditions identified with youth, love, and romance  because of the personalities who portray the biblical figures and traditional personifications during the procession with Reina Elena holding the holy cross beside Prince Constantine. 

In Bohol, even with the pandemic, Birhen sa Barangay Shrine Parish relived the Santacruzan offering of flowers to Mary spearheaded by Msgr. Jeffrey P. Malanog, JCL, VG, parish priest, that started with the rosary, novena, holy mass, and ended with a motorcade around Barangay Cogon, the biggest barangay in the Tagbilaran City in terms of population. 

Following the COVID-19 health and safety standard protocols, the sagalas as well as their escorts wore face masks and face shields. 

This year is special because there are, indeed, so many things to be thankful for, especially the “angels” here on earth for their outpouring of generosity for the fundraiser which totalled P421,670.75 for the church improvement projects, specifically the completion of the counseling room and priests’ rooms.

Cogon Birhen sa Barangay Shrine Parish' Msgr. Jeffrey P. Malanog, JCL, VG with Empress Helena 2021 Fiel Angeli E. Araoarao - Gabin and her son, JF Regelbert Johnson "Renji" as Prince Constantine, and John Nino M. Dacullo, Santacruzan 2021 Committee chair.

Empress Helena 2021 is Fiel Angeli Espejo Araoarao - Gabin, daughter of Rep and Wincie Araoarao and a resident of Graham Avenue, Cogon’s Purok 2 for the past 51 years. 

She is married to Engr. Jerome John Gabin from Siquijor and has 2 children, AJ Wincielou Johanna “Cielo” and JF Regelbert Johnson “Renji” Gabin who escorted her as Prince Constantine. 

The “sagalas” were Luzviminda Bayne, Purok 5 (Queen of Sheba); Lolita Acedo, Purok 6 (Rebecca); Leonisa Eroy, Purok 4 (Reina Caridad); Rebecca Yecyec, Purok 1 (Deborah); Marie Anne Udtohan-Diores, Purok 3 (Reina Fe); Irenea Tocmo, Purok 8 (La Divina Pastora); Rosa Nina Aranilla, Purok 12 (Hagar); Cecile Vitor, Purok 7 (Reina Esperanza); Maricris Tumale, Purok 10 (Esther); Lovely Pilayo, Purok 11 (Ruth); and Debbie Calabria, Purok 9 (Reina Madre). 

The fundraiser was coordinated by John Nino Dacullo, chair of the Parish Youth Coordinating Council, together with Flor Anabelle Cesar, Venice Doron, and Merlita Cagata. 

Fashion designer Aileen Sendrijas Pasagad designed Empress Helena 2021’s white Philippine terno.

* * * 

Thanks for your letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow leoudtohanINQ at Twitter /Facebook.

Pandemic-fueled summer blues

A beach in Barangay Bolod in Panglao town, Bohol, normally a site teeming with tourists, has instead been filled with a handful locals who enjoy the pristine and white sandy beach. Photo:  Leo Udtohan

Normally at this time of year, the beaches on Panglao Island, the crown jewel of Bohol tourism, would have been a site teeming with tourists.. 

Hotels and resorts would have been fully booked. Restaurants would have been fully open and its white beaches are populated by Chinese and some Europeans eager for some warmth after a winter.

Instead, the beach is almost empty.

In Bohol, a province heavily reliant on tourism, the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown has affected the tourism and hospitality industry.  

For businesswoman Anecita Nerves-Arcay, patience is a virtue — especially when facing in a crisis. 

Her only wish this year is that she will finally open her hotel on Panglao Island in Bohol province. She was set to inaugurate her five-story ARC Homes at Barangay Poblacion in Panglao town on March 26 last year, but the coronavirus pandemic hit the country, forcing provinces to close their borders and restrict the movement of people to prevent the spread of the highly contagious disease. 

"2020 was unpredictable. It was difficult and sudden," Arcay said.

Although Bohol fully reopened its doors to tourists in December, Arcay decided to wait because there were only a few visitors coming in, as people take a wait-and-see attitude with the health crisis still raging.

“We needed to make sure our business is sustainable in this new market with special protocols put in place to ensure the safety and well-being of guests. If we see numbers [of tourists] go up this year, we can start to operate,” she said.

She also reduced the rental fee for her tenants in a commercial building she owns to cope with the pandemic as unemployment numbers jumped along with the COVID-19 case numbers.

After a year, Arcay is hopeful that her hotel can cater to tourists soon.

Panglao has at least 4,753 rooms in different resorts, hotels and related establishments.

Tourism companies are desperately scrambling for ways to minimize their losses and survive the harsh pandemic.

On Alona Beach in Barangay Tawala, some resorts, cafes and restaurants are still closed. The busi­ness cen­ter in Alona is so quiet that cats slept on ta­bles of shut­tered cafés.

Some es­tab­lish­ments at­tempted to open but only to close down af­ter a few days due to low sales and high op­er­at­ing cost, es­pe­cially with the need to strictly com­ply with health pro­to­cols. 

“No one is com­ing. A few lo­cals come oc­ca­sion­ally,” said a café owner.

In Barangay Bolod which has at least six beach resorts only three are operating.  The beaches here are filled with few local residents only Saturdays and Sundays. 

Habal-habal (motorcycle taxi) driver Dave Rulona, 40, still finds himself without passengers because of the drop of tourist arrivals. He said most guests from Tagbilaran  come in their own cars.

Before COVID-19, he charges P120 from Panglao to Tagbilaran.  Now he charges P200, an increase of P50 from the pre-COVID rate because habal-habal drivers are allowed only one passenger per trip. Yet still, some still find themselves without passengers.

Bohol Governor Arthur Yap bared that Bohol province lost P15 billion on revenues during the last eight months of the community quarantine. Monthly, the industry loses some P308 million in room accommodation in Panglao.

When Bohol closed its borders last March 2020, most resorts followed suit, forcing many hospitality workers to return home with uncertain job prospects.

The pandemic has also affected some 200,000 tourism industry workers and 40 % of them lost their jobs.  Some establishments retrenched their workers. Others were given two or three days to work if the resort has long-term staying guests. 

Tourism workers who lost their jobs shifted to fishing. Some augment their income by planting vegetables. But most sur­vived on “ayuda,” or fi­nan­cial and food aid from gov­ern­ment agen­cies, although these were not enough to sus­tain their fam­i­lies.

The pandemic also paralysed those in Jagna and Anda towns which lured tourists alike by its pristine beaches, villa hideaways and marine life.

Marjun Precones, proprietor of Jagna Rock Resort in Barangay Larapan in Jagna town, opened his resort under the new normal even with a handful tourists. He said before the pandemic, tourists came to his resort to chill and relax since beaches in Panglao were crowded. 

Tourism makes up 15% of Bohol economic output. Bo­hol hosted 1.5 mil­lion for­eign and do­mes­tic tourists in 2019, with Chi­nese visi­tors lead­ing the ar­rivals, fol­lowed by Kore­ans, records from the Bo­hol Tourism Of­fice showed.

These tourists dis­ap­peared when prov­inces started clos­ing their bor­ders as strict quar­an­tine guide­lines had to be fol­lowed in March 2020 in a bid to con­trol the spread of COVID-19.

Anthony Ceniza, resort supervisor of Marilou Resort and businesswoman Anecita Arcay. Contributed Photo

In 2020, there were 85,000 tourists from January to February 2020 before the lockdown.

Tourism leaders are trying everything they can to revive lagging business in the industry.

In September 2020, Bohol hosted the Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX), and it highlighted the preparedness of the island of Panglao to host group events, especially with its adherence to the health safety guidelines authorized by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).

In November 2020, Bohol reopened to local visitors arriving by plane, ending the travel ban in hopes of reviving a lockdown-devastated tourism industry that has fed so many Boholanos who are working in the different tourism services.

Since the reopening, there were 1,275 tourists who came to Bohol from November 15, 2020 to January 31, 2021 in the travel bubble concept.

By tourist bubble concept, it means that a COVID-19 negative tourist has to stay together with his group, travel only on travels organized by a DOT-accredited tour operator on board a DOT-accredited transport provider, and go to tours only in designated stops, never veering away from their established itinerary.

BTO said from November 15 to December 14, there were 184 local tourists came to attend meetings, incentives, conventions and conferences, and exhibits (MICE) and events.

A few days later, following the same concept, Bohol again issued the same to free and independent travellers, there were 389 tourists who came from December 15 to December 31,2020.

This dry season, struggling resorts and hotels have offered discounted room rates and promos in hopes of persuading frazzled parents and stressed-out workers to come to Panglao for a mini getaway.

The Roman Empire Boutique and Wellness Hotel in Barangay Tawala offered 90% discount room rates which include free breakfast and use of their Olympic-size swimming pool to fill their 80 rooms.  

“It was just to inform everyone that we are alive,” said Roldan Cuevas, manager.  He hopes the promotion can be effective in boosting visitation.   

While room rates aren’t deeply discounted at Marilou Resort in Barangay Bolod, they are typically lower than those on the weekends.  

"It's not going to be a profitable year, but we're just trying to balance the losses," said Anthony Ceniza, the resort supervisor.

Ceniza is optimistic, but understands that international travellers would have fear having to socially distance.  As of this time, he focuses on domestic tourists.

"It's going to be an amazing experience this year for people that choose Panglao because it won't be so busy. They will experience better customer service,” said Ceniza.

The provincial government with Department of Tourism (DOT) launched the “Balik sa Bohol” program, backed by the campaign motto “Balik sa Bohol (Come Back to Bohol).”

The “Balik sa Bohol” online sale which gave 70% tour discount for at least two weeks participated in by 13 resorts, hotels and tourism accommodation establishments, one adventure park, and six local tour operators.  All have earned their DOT Certificates of Authority to Operate, or the local government permits and each holder of the Ultimate Bohol Experience (UBE) seal.

Bo­hol still strug­gles to re­main afloat even if it has re­opened to visi­tors late last year.

It eased its entry protocols as part of efforts to resuscitate the province’s slumping tourism industry.

Starting March 1, tourists and returning residents can now visit Bohol and may no longer need to undergo quarantine.

Boholanos, whether locally stranded individuals (LSI) returning Overseas Filipinos and Workers (OFW), authorized persons outside residence (APOR) and even non-APOR local.

For tourists, they can present to Bohol a negative COVID-19 test result via an RT PCR test and the test should be taken 72 hours before flying to Bohol, present a confirmed hotel booking, and a registered Bohol Tourist QR Code.

Tourists to Bohol can travel to sites and destinations that have been granted by DOT the Certificate Authority to Operate, or LGU permitted and UBE Seal grantee from the provincial government, as long as they do not veer away from the tour itinerary provided by their DOT-accredited tour agent and travel only in designated areas.

Bohol has one of the lowest coronavirus infection rates in the country, with 3,882 confirmed cases and 54 deaths, according to the May 28, 2021  data from Bohol Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF). 

Cuevas said that Bohol wants the economy to get back to what it was before, but said some locals are worried that tourists might cause infections.  But he believes that Bohol is well-prepared for tourists.

"Just follow and respect the health protocols," he said.  “It remains to be seen how many tourists will want to come to Bohol.”

One who is excited to welcome tourists to Bohol is Helen Bagayas, 34, an on-call massage therapist. She goes occasionally to Panglao for home service. She has been offering Swedish massage and ventosa (cupping therapy) for tourists for the past years. She said it was good before Covid since she can earn enough. During the pandemic, she augments her income thru buy and sell of bags, perfume and dress.

Bagayas, a mother of five, said she is praying Bohol’s tourism will bounce back.    

“We are like bamboo. Although we can be knocked down by life, tough times and challenges, just like the bamboo, we bend and far more flexible. We can come back stronger than ever through patience, strength and determination,” said Bagayas.

Arcay, on the other hand, said that while the pandemic is affecting the community in unprecedented ways, it has brought out a trait that is one of the most important qualities  for Boholanos – resilience.

“This time of patience will teach us to plan better and bounce back stronger than ever,” Arcay said. 

The pandemic won’t last forever and travels are anxious to hit the road when it is deemed to be safe.

Meanwhile, the winds in the end of summer make people become restless.

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