Alfred Vargas honored by FDCP for his indie movie 'Kaputol'

“Completing a film born out of passion is a reward in itself. Being honored for it is an inspiration and a validation that we are on the right track.”

These are words from Alfred Vargas, lead actor and producer of the indie film Kaputol, after receiving his trophy sent to him as an honoree, together with the cast of the film, at the 5th Film Ambassadors' Night (FAN).

Alfred Vargas has been recognized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines as "Film Ambassador" for the international achievements of his indie movie, 'Kaputol.'

For the uninitiated, the Film Ambassadors' Night is an annual event organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines.

It aims to recognize Filipino film industry creatives, artists, filmmakers, and the films of various formats that earned commendations from international film festivals and award-giving bodies in the past year.

No one is prouder of this recognition than the producer and lead actor himself.

Alfred admits that even if his team knew that the possibility of earning profit for Kaputol was almost next to nothing, they still proceeded with the project because they felt that the story deserved to come to life on the big screen.

“Kaputol is a passion project. Our production outfit, AV Cinema, produced it knowing that the chances of an ROI are almost nil. But the screenplay of Ricky Lee, based on the short film he and our director, McArthur Alejandre, collaborated on in the 80's, was too good to remain on paper. It just had to be done” Alfred said.

Kaputol won Best Performance for the entire cast at last year's Innuendo International Film Festival in Milan, Italy.

The film was also in competition in two other festivals, the Bengaluru International Film Festival in India and the Asian Film Festival in Rome.

Alfred could not help expressing his admiration for his Kaputol co-star, Cherie Gil.

“It was a pleasure working with Cherie Gil. Both of us played very challenging dual roles and in our scenes, the creative energy was palpable.”

Doing Kaputol was "challenging" in the sense that they each had to take on dual roles, which, according to Alfred, were emotionally and physically demanding.

“It is a film within a film and Cherie, who portrays Kiki, a film director, and I, Robert, her close friend and a film actor, make a film where we both play the lead roles of Caloy [a “mangangalakal” or a junk scavenger] and Rina [a rebel in hiding) who are siblings].

"This [Kiki and Robert's film] is based on an unfinished script of Robert's son [Ronwaldo Martin] who had been missing for four years.

"The physical demands of the roles were made more challenging by their emotional journey. And the entire acting ensemble gave superb performances. Angel Aquino as Maybelle, the lesbian lover of Kiki and Ronwaldo Martin as Conrad, the son, were brilliant.

"Included in the cast are some of the most respected names in theatre and the indie film movement; Soliman Cruz, Adrienne Vergara, Elora Espano Lee O'Brian, Hector Calma, to name a few.”

Due to the pandemic, the FDCP held its 5th Film Ambassadors' Night awarding ceremonies online.

Alfred Vargas, a TOYM awardee and the Representative of the 5th district of Quezon City, sees their wins--big and small--as an affirmation that the movie industry still holds an essential role in shaping, redefining our identity as a society.

“All these international recognitions have made me happy and proud," says Alfred, whose last film Tagpuan, a film he produced and starred in, won Best Feature Film in the Chauri Chaura International Film Festival in India. [LINK: ]

"The people who work in film are cultural workers. We just don't make films to earn. We make it to feed our soul and contribute to the soul of the nation.

"Arts and culture help shape our identity and our nationhood; it helps synthesize our past and present to formulate a clearer perspective of our future. I'd like to thank the FDCP for honoring the film workers because in honoring them, they also honor the film community.”

Even if COVID-19 pandemic brought the movie industry to a standstill, Alfred remains optimistic that the period of hardship and adversity is nearing its end.

“I also wish to honor everyone in our film community, and also the people in theater, dance, music and other forms of art. We have all persevered in this very challenging time.

"In spite of the challenges, we have found ways to survive and grow. Many years ago, as a student involved in theater, I have learned art is a collective and art is forever. With art, there is always hope.”