Bulaklak sa City Jail | |
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![]() Official movie poster, released in 1984. | |
Directed by | Mario O'Hara |
Written by | Lualhati Bautista |
Based on | Bulaklak sa City Jail by Lualhati Bautista |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Johnny Araojo |
Edited by | Efren Jarlego |
Music by | Tony Aguilar |
Production company | Cherubim Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 104 minutes |
Country | Philippines |
Language | Filipino |
Bulaklak sa City Jail (English: The Flowers of the City Jail) is a 1984 Filipino neo noir crime prison drama film directed by Mario O'Hara from a story and screenplay written by Lualhati Bautista, based on her novel of the same name. Starring Nora Aunor, Gina Alajar, Celia Rodriguez, Perla Bautista, Maya Valdez, Zenaida Amador, and Maritess Gutierrez, the film depicts the situation of women in the city jail. [1]
Produced by Cherubim Films, the film was theatrically released on December 25, 1984, as one of the official entries for the 10th Metro Manila Film Festival. In 2019, it was digitally restored and remastered by ABS-CBN Film Restoration, in association with Kantana Thailand and Wildsound Studios.
Angela Aguilar, a nightclub singer, was sent to the women's section of the Manila City Jail for the crime of frustrated murder. She shares the cell with her fellow cellmates including Juliet, Lena, Viring, and Barbie. One day, the female inmates witness the riot in the men's sector and the warden's forced taking of Viring's daughter Sarah. The following day, Atty. Diaz became Angela's lawyer and advised her to confess the crime she committed to end the case. She pleaded not guilty and her case continues.
Cherubim Films released the film on December 25, 1984, and it is one of the following entries for the 10th Metro Manila Film Festival. It won six awards including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Director.
The restored version of the film was premiered on November 11, 2019, at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque City as part of the Cinema One Originals film festival. It was attended by the film's surviving cast and staff members: actors Ricky Davao and Tom Olivar, film producer Cherry Cobarubbias, and former actress and now chef Maritess Gutierrez (she also represented her mother Gloria Romero) as well as the staff and crew of the ABS-CBN Film Archives and the channel head of Cinema One, Ronald Arguelles. Actress Pinky Amador (niece of the late Zenaida Amador, who died in 2008), actress-producer Ruby Flores-Arcilla (daughter of Bella Flores, who died in 2013), and director Denise O'Hara (niece of Mario O'Hara, who died in 2012) also attended the premiere as the representatives of the cast and staff members who were deceased or unable to attend. [2] [3]
Engelbert Rafferty, writing for Film Police Reviews, called the film a "classic" and praised the screenplay written by Lualhati Bautista, which she made alive and fascinated the viewers and the dramatic performances of the cast, particularly Nora Aunor for playing the character who was described as "a woman maltreated by society". [4]
Year | Group | Category | Nominee | Result |
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1984 | Metro Manila Film Festival | Best Picture | Bulaklak sa City Jail | Won |
Best Director | Mario O'Hara | Won | ||
Best Actress | Nora Aunor | Won | ||
Best Supporting Actor | Tom Olivar | Won | ||
Best Supporting Actress | Celia Rodriguez | Won | ||
Best Screenplay | Lualhati Bautista | Won | ||
Best Story | Lualhati Bautista | Won | ||
1985 | 33rd FAMAS Awards | Best Actress | Nora Aunor | Won |
Best Supporting Actress | Perla Bautista | Won | ||
Best Picture | Nominated | |||
Best Director | Mario O'Hara | Nominated | ||
Best Screenplay | Lualhati Bautista | Nominated | ||
Gawad Urian Awards (Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino) | Best Actress | Nora Aunor | Nominated | |
Best Picture | Nominated | |||
Best Director | Mario O'Hara | Nominated | ||
Best Supporting Actress | Perla Bautista | Nominated | ||
Best Supporting Actress | Celia Rodriguez | Nominated | ||
Best Screenplay | Lualhati Bautista | Nominated | ||
Best Editing | Efren Jarlego | Nominated | ||
Best Production Design | Tony Aguilar | Nominated | ||
Film Academy of the Philippines (Luna Awards) | Best Story Adaptation | Luhalhati Bautista | Won | |
Best Actress | Nora Aunor | Nominated | ||
Catholic Mass Media Awards | Best Actress | Nora Aunor | Won |
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