Jose Mari Avellana, 70

"When I turned to the audience to call for a doctor in the house (a phrase I never dreamed I’d use one day; I mean how clichéd is that?) I was faced with an uncomprehending audience, glued to their seats. I later learned that many had thought it was all part of the show . Mari’s family rushed up onstage, his daughters near hysteria. When they sat him up, he vomited what looked like at least a bucket of blood. I yelled instinctively. I’m not sure if it was in horror or fear, or panic, but at that moment, the very real prospect of losing my friend hit me like a gale-force blow to the guts. I gave in to my tears." This was how Bart Guingona, co-actor, recounted the truly dramatic but real moment when the lead actor JOSE MARI AVELLANA in the Repertory play TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE collapsed while on stage. Mari suffered from an attack of his ulcers. Mari later got an award for his superb acting in the play. Not long after, Mari did a splendid job of directing Nick Joaquin’s classic play A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS FILIPINO as presented by REPERTORY PHILIPPINES INC. Mari’s stage directorial assignment for A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino was cited by Gawad Buhay, the PHILSTAGE Awards for the Performing Arts for the year 2009. Jose Mari Avellana, played the major role of a professor named Morrie who was dying of Lou Gherig’s disease and in the process was teaching his student about life. At first “Tuesdays with Morrie” was a novel and later one it became a movie in the U.S. the major role played by Jack Lemon which won acclaim for Lemon. In speaking about the play, Mari said that he identifies with the role of Morrie because he said that he also went after the wrong things in his life. Mari interprets the character that he portrays in this manner: “I’m not going to look at death—I’m going to look at life; see its good side.” Yes, he will accept that he is dying. His objective is to make his life useful and meaningful, if not for him then for other people.” For fifteen years, Mari managed to stir clear of doing Philippine film directions and dwelt mostly in stage, television and low budget films for export working with Cirio Santiago who started as a young film director. Among his projects included his work on films for export known also as Class B films which the elder Avellana dubbed as the “kiss-kiss, bang-bang,” type. In contrast, he, was producing prize winning films classics like “Anak Dalita,” “Badjao” and “Kundiman ng Lahi” – all winning awards in foreign film festivals as well as in the Philippines When asked why he didn’t enter the Philippine movie industry over the past fifteen years, Mari replied, “My father (the first dual category National Artist Lamberto Avellana for stage and screen) was, since before the war, a towering figure as a leading film director in Philippine cinema.” He adds, “You don’t fool around with the maestro.”I didn’t want my films to be compared to his and hear comments like ‘anak pa naman ni Direk, nakakahiya!’” Santiago, a veteran producer and director, saw the potential of developing Mari for production work and therefore gave him full latitude and exposure in the world of low budget films as an actor, production designer, writer, and director. Mari Avellana’s work as writer and director for “BlackBelt 2: Fatal Force” was awarded two stars by the Video Movie Guide – an internationally respected movie database publication. is one of the few Filipino Directors included in the international filmography of films available on video. Jose Mari’s varied and multi disciplinary career began with his first job as an announcer with DZFM radio in the early part of 1960, while still pursuing a college degree. After his graduation in 1962, Mari became the first TV director for PBS Channel 4. In the next year, his uncle Jose “Totoy” Avellana, organized an advertising agency, Avellana and Associates, and recruited him to work as an Account Executive, AND later promoted to the position of Director of Radio-TV. In the 80’s, he joined his father, National Artist for Film and Theatre, Lamberto V. Avellana in his business- DOCUMENTARY INC. As Producer-Director for Documentary Incorporated, he was responsible for a number of award-winning documentaries and specialized films. He also produced cultural, advocacy, and tourism-oriented films, as well as technical and informational audiovisual presentations for the National Media Production Center and other government agencies. When his father died Mari Avellana finally decided to enter the Philippine film industry where he began to carve a small niche for himself as a actor, writer and director. His initial directorial venture into commercial filmmaking, titled “Kung Mawawala Ka Pa”, bagged the Best Film Trophy at the Metro Manila Film Festival of 1993 for Reyna Films. As an actor, Avellana won the Best Supporting Actor award during the Manila Film Festival 2003 for his role in “Operation Balikatan”. He admits, though, that he got interested in film just by watching his father at work. He confessed that as a child, he marveled at his dad staging a battle scene on the grounds of UST, or directing actors armed with guns shooting at each other on top of a hill. Once, Mari decided to play horsey-horsey with a broomstick on their street. He strayed into the movie set two houses away from where they lived, not knowing that the camera was rolling. Suddenly, he could hear his dad shouting at the top of his voice, “Sino ’yang p****g i**ng nag-iingay na ’yan!?” The biggest thrill of his life was when Quentin Tarantino visited the Philippines and came looking for him. It seems Tarantino was a fan of Mari’s films. When they finally met, the “Pulp Fiction” director told Mari that he ripped off a dialogue from his movie, “Black Belt 2,” and used it in “Kill Bill”! “He even recited the lines!,” recalls Mari. In 1991. Armida Siguion-Reyna’s son, Carlitos, was busy with another project, and so Armida asked Mari to direct “Kung Mawawala Ka Pa,” which won at the Metro Manila Film Festival. In 1993. Later, he would win other acting and directing awards from Famas, Urian and the Film Academy of the Philippines. But, Mari’s love for the stage never waned. Even while shooting a film, he and Leo Martinez would ask permission from Cirio Santiago to attend rehearsals of a play. Mari admits that he honed his acting talents on the stage at Far Eastern University, where he worked with theater veterans, Nick Agudo and Sarah Joaquin the university’s well known drama coach. Eventually, his mom, Daisy Avellana (National Artist for Theater), asked him to join Barangay Theater Guild, where his first assignment was a non-speaking role in “Macbeth.” Mari says one reason he said yes to acting the role of Morrie with the Repertory Theatre Philippines ‘“Tuesdays with Morrie” was to prove that he could still memorize long lines despite his age. He was happy he did it and won an award to boot. Among his laurels, Mari Avellana are several award winning specialized films, documentaries and short features; a Famas and NCC Centennial Awardee because of his direction of “Damong Ligaw”. a Best Screenplay award for the same film; and a Golden Globe Award for Best Specialized film with “Geothermal Energy Now”, Mari was given an Oscar Special Award for Foreign Soap Operas because of “Salisalising Buhay”; and he brought home an Emmy Award for Best Foreign Docu-drama with “The Lenny Villa Story”. Referred to as an Actor’s Director, because he can draw out the best in each performer; Avellana’s passionate nationalism, his deep sense of history, extensive theatre experience, especially his background in journalism, photography, broadcasting, did him well. Definitely Mari brings out the legendary “Avellana Touch” that his father was known for. His mother, Daisy Hontiveros Avellana has herself been conferred the National Artist Award for outstanding work in theatre. Digressing a bit, the Avellana family members do have their own specialties starting with Ivi who, with husband Alan Cosio, have been presenting paintings exhibits for several lyears and getting honors in the process. Batat the youngest of the Avellanas, who does musical background scoring has worked with his father as well as for his older brother in both stage and film projects. I still recall the first time my uncle Nick’s PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS FILIPINO was presented at the Aurora Gardens open air theatre in 1955. Mari and his siblings were still very young but they were there as excited to see the readjusted script courtesy of his mother Daisy Avellana as every one was in the historic walled city under the stars. They were moved as most of the audience when Bitoy (Jose Avellana Jr.) gave his opening long soliloquy that opened the play itself, while standing atop the Intramuros walls. So dramatic under the stars and with one strong spotlight shining on him. My wartime moments as well as post liberation production involvement with the Avellana family helped provide for me in my own acting and directing roles for television and stage with the proper depth and range – thanks to Tito Bert and Tita Dai who will forever remain my constant reminders on the craft of drama. +++