Making a Miracle

He moved us to tears in Bakekang, and filled our hearts with laughter in his weekend special, Magic Kamison. Now, the acclaimed director Khryss Adalia returns with another hit show, Mga Mata ni Anghelita , where he so naturally makes everyone feel there is reason to believe miracles do happen. Text by Jessa Ericka C. Bien Photos by Xylen Geecel D. Alamo “We all want to believe there are miracles” he says. “Sa lahat ng problema, gusto mong makita na may milagro. Sa ideal mong pag-iisip, 'yun sana ang mangyari, sana magka-totoo.” The combination of drama and wishful thinking is what sets Mga Mata ni Anghelita apart from all the other shows he has worked on, Direk Khryss claims. Put a young girl on a search for her real mother and add a hundred extraordinary events that affect the lives of many and you have the perfect mix for a show. “Kapag nakakita ka ng isang show na ganito, in a way, gumagaan ang puso mo” the director continues. People are drawn to the show because they find hope and comfort in the story – that after the end of a tiring and probably problematic day, there is still a chance to stumble into something relieving, he explains. Hard Work Pays Off Direk Khryss considers bringing life to an old radio drama-turned-movie to the small screen “another challenge, another story to tell.” And despite the short time he was given to prepare before the show aired, the storyteller did not hesitate to face the challenge. “Ako 'yung nag-magic” he quips. “I have to work with the script overtime. Kailangan kong intindihin 'yung story right away. (Kailangang) i-internalize ko 'yung ilalagay ko sa story to make it look how it looks now” he narrates. “Hindi ako na-pressure dahil sa hirap ng trabaho, na-pressure ako dahil napakaikli ng panahon.” Sleepless nights and tiresome days he spent just thinking about the show. “Ako 'yung kumuha ng karamihan sa mahihirap na shots at visuals” he discloses. But hard work really pays off as his audience pays the program enough attention to send its ratings soaring high. “Ang taas ng ratings, so nawawala lahat ng pagod ko. May nag-text nga sa’kin na may Anghelita mania na raw sa Pilipinas. That’s a beautiful reaction” he shares excitedly. “Nagbibigay ng reward 'yung tele-viewers so I owe it to them. I love them all” he says. Inay, as people fondly call him, promises to bring more surprises in the show as the battle between good and evil rises. Catch more of Mga Mata ni Anghelita weeknights after 24 Oras in GMA’s Telebabad. Click here to view the show’s photo gallery . You can also read these related articles: Pen Medina is the unlikely priest Isabel Oli becomes a drama queen Marvin Agustin portrays the hunchback of Sta. Maria Or tell other people what you think about this show at the iGMA forum .