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Muro-Ami (film)

Muro-Ami
GMA Films' Muro Ami (Reef Hunters)
Directed byMarilou Diaz-Abaya
Screenplay by
Story byMarilou Diaz-Abaya
Produced by
StarringCesar Montano
CinematographyRody Lacap
Edited byJesus Navarro
Music byNonong Buencamino
Production
company
Distributed byGMA Films
Release date
  • December 25, 1999 (1999-12-25)
Running time
113 minutes
CountryPhilippines
LanguageFilipino
Budget₱30 million[1]
Box office₱60 million[2]

Muro-Ami (transl. Reef Hunters) is a 1999 Filipino adventure drama film directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya. It stars Cesar Montano as Fredo, a ruthless captain of 150 muro-ami divers, who employ illegal fishing practices, such as pounding and crushing corals to scare fish, driving them towards the nets. It depicts one of the worst forms of child labor in the illegal fishing system.[3][4][5][6]

The film has won 13 out of 14 nominations in the 1999 Metro Manila Film Festival, including Best Picture.[7]

Plot

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Fredo (Cesar Montano) is a fisherman who has endured more than his share of hardship in life; his wife and child both perished in a boating accident, and today Fredo approaches each trip to the sea with the angry determination of a man out for revenge. Fredo commands a crew of young people from poor families as he takes his rattletrap ship into the ocean in search of fish that live along the reefs, snaring catch with an illegal netting system. Not all of Fredo's youthful sailors are willing to put up with his abusive arrogance, however, and even his father Dado (Pen Medina) and close friend Botong (Jhong Hilario) have grown weary of Fredo's tirades. Fredo's body is beginning to betray him as well, and as he and his crew damage the sea's reef beds in search of fish, no one is certain how much longer he will be able to continue.[3]

Cast

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Accolades

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Year Awards Category Recipient Result Ref.
1999 Metro Manila Film Festival Best Picture Muro-Ami Won [7]
Best Director Marilou Diaz-Abaya Won
Best Actor Cesar Montano Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Pen Medina Won
Best Cinematography Rody Lacap Won
Best Production Design Leo Abaya Won
Best Editing Jess Navarro and Manet Dayrit Won
Best Child Performer Rebecca Lusterio Won
Best Original Story Marilou Diaz-Abaya, Ricardo Lee and Jun Lana Won
Best Screenplay Ricardo Lee and Jun Lana Won
Best Musical Score Nonong Buencamino Won
Best Visual Effects Marc Ambat (Optima Digital) Won
Best Sound Recording Albert Michael Idioma Won
Gatpuno Antonio J. Villegas Cultural Awards Muro-Ami Won

References

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  1. ^ The film industry lives. Philippine Daily Inquirer. January 9, 2000. p. 40.
  2. ^ Muro Ami tops Box Office. Manila Standard. December 31, 1999. p. 15.
  3. ^ a b Eusebio, Aaron (November 19, 2020). "GMA at 2020 PPP: Muro-Ami". GMA News. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  4. ^ Hellingman, Jeroen (October 10, 2002). "Movie review: Muro-Ami". Bohol. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  5. ^ Burlingame, Burl (November 8, 2000). "Muro Ami a predictable fish tale". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  6. ^ Kalu, Ogbu; Low, Alaine (August 5, 2008). Interpreting Contemporary Christianity: Global Processes and Local Identities. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. p. 58. ISBN 9780802862426. Retrieved July 16, 2021 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ a b Tariman, Pablo (February 22, 2010). "Muro-Ami 10 years after". The Philippine Star. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
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