A masterpiece by filmmaker Marilou Diaz-Abaya.
Beginning June 3 (Wednesday), the digitally restored and remastered version of the 1999 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Best Picture, Muro-Ami, will be screened in select SM Cinemas nationwide.
The film starred Cesar Montano, Pen Medina, Jhong Hilario, and Amy Austria, and featured Rebecca Lusterio under the direction of the late National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Marilou Diaz-Abaya and written by another National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts, Ricky Lee, and acclaimed filmmaker Jun Robles Lana.
As part of the release of the film’s remastered version, a special screening was held last May 19, attended by Montano, Medina, Hilario, and Austria and were joined by Lana, Lee, and Nonong Buencamino, who created the musical scoring of the film.
“I’m very excited [about the restoration]. Nung marinig ko na magkakaroon, nakita ko pa lang ‘yung trailer, tuwang-tuwa na ako. So ngayon, I was jumping up and down,” said Montano. “Masaya ako dahil nabuhay ulit siya sa pelikula. And nakakatuwa na walang AI ito. Ladies and gentlemen, digitally remastered only.”
Muro-Ami remains one of Philippine cinema’s most powerful social dramas and was produced in 1999 by Gilberto Duavit Jr., who is now GMA Network President and CEO, and Menardo Jimenez, Jr.
According to the Restoration Notes of Central Digital Lab CEO Manet Dayrit, Muro-Ami’s restoration required “a total of 1,200 hours of meticulous work by the restoration artists of Central Digital Lab.”
“The team addressed various film impairments, including scratches, optical dirt, molds, fingerprints, splice marks, flicker, and film bumps. Some issues were only partially corrected or minimized due to the condition of the original source materials. Deep scratches present in several underwater scenes posed significant limitations during the restoration process,” added Dayrit.
The restoration of Muro-Ami is said to be part of GMA Pictures’ continuing commitment to preserving and celebrating Filipino cinematic heritage.
Central Digital Lab was alsl in charge of the restoration of Jose Rizal, the 1998 Metro Manila Film Festival Best Picture that was also helmed by Diaz-Abaya and also starred Montano.
It had a gala screening at the historic Manila Metropolitan Theatre as part of the 20th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, with the restored version already streaming on Netflix.