‘Ang Larawan’ gets extra screening from micro-movie theater Cinema '76

Despite the warm reception it received at the Tokyo International Film Festival, Loy Arcenas' "Ang Larawan" found itself fighting for screenings during the Metro Manila Film Festival.

According to its official Facebook page, the film was pulled out from 17 cinemas by day two. Nine more cinemas dropped them on the third day.

But thankfully, "Ang Larawan" is getting a boost from Cinema '76. The micro-cinema on Luna Mencias Street in San Juan is screening the musical from December 26 to January 4 alongside "Smaller and Smaller Circles."

On Wednesday, "Ang Larawan" producers via Facebook clarified that the movie is still showing in cinemas nationwide and added "some of the cinemas we lost are now slowly bringing us back."

"The word-of-mouth is helping us get back some of the screens that we have lost," Ang Larawan tells GMA News Online on Facebook. "Though some cinemas promised to return us from Jan 1-7 (Jan 7 is the official end of the festival), we are already slowly getting back our screens even before Jan 1.  That's all because of a good turnout of audience.

"Ang Larawan" is an adaptation of the stage translation of Nick Joaquin's "Portrait of the Artist as a Filipino."

Featuring a stellar cast plus music by Ryan Cayabyab and Rolando Tinio, it won big in the recently concluded awards night. — LA, GMA News