Synonymous to brilliance and humility, her star quality continues to shine throughout her 45 bright years in Philippine show business. This year marks yet another milestone in her glorious career, with mother network TV5 starting a fitting tribute to her talent with the Nora Aunor Weekend Special this coming September 15 and 16.
Fresh from reaping praise for the critically-acclaimed film Thy Womb by Cannes-winning director Brillante Mendoza, Ms. Aunor returns to the small screen in two challenging characters that add to the long list of remarkable portrayals. Fans can catch Ate Guy on Untold Stories as Sister Thelma Layog and on Third Eye as Ditas Gregorio.
On Untold Stories, Ate Guy plays the role of a nun who left the convent for the man she loves. This Saturday’s episode reunites the Superstar with her Naglalayag leading man Yul Servo and Sidhi co-star Angie Ferro. The episode’s central love story endures the many challenges, like the sizeable age gap between how Yul’s character Danny and Ate Guy’s Thelma.
Ate Guy will portray a totally different role in the supernatural mystery drama Third Eye on Sunday night. She plays the role of Ditas Gregorio, a school janitress who was forced to relive a dark memory involving demonic possession. The episode helmed by Jon Red (also Aunor’s director in Sa Ngalan ng Ina) marks Ate Guy’s reunion with Grand Slam actress Lorna Tolentino some 30 years after their first movie (Mga Uod at Rosas). “Sa taping, kapag eksena na niya [Ate Guy], pinapanood at napapamangha na lang ako sa kanya. I told myself, ‘I wanna act with her in a full-length movie. Kahit saan niyo pa kami dalhin,’ said LT, a multi-awarded actress herself, of her encounter with Ate Guy.
Meanwhile, TV5’s own Eula Caballero is happy to reunite with the Superstar, whom she calls her “workshop master.” Eula shared, “Napayakap na lang ako kay Ina [Nora Aunor] noong makita ko siya uli sa taping. I owe a lot to her because she was generous enough to teach me everything when we were taping for Sa Ngalan (Ng Ina),” referring to the TV5’s mini-serye where she played Nora’s daughter.
Superstar Nora Aunor, Direk Brillante Mendoza, and the rest of Thy Womb cast returned to Manila last Tuesday after their successful showing at the 69th Venice International Festival. The film received a five-minute standing ovation after its well-attended screening. The film was also a critics’ favorite and saw Ate Guy winning the Bisato d’Oro Award from the Premio Della Critica Indipendiente, a jury of independent film critics in Italy. Direk Brillante bagged the La Navicella Venezia Cinema Award from Rivista del Cinematografo. A restored, high-definition version of the 1982 Nora Aunor-starrer Himala also premiered at the said film festival. Thy Womb will also hold a special screening at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
As her influence transcends from film to TV, another of the Superstar’s popular roles has been immortalized on stage. Bona, the original Lino Brocka film in which Ate Guy played the title role, is being showcased by the Philippine Education Theater Association’s (PETA). In an earlier interview, comedienne-actress Eugene Domingo, a self-confessed Noranian who portrays the modern-day Bona, admitted she wanted to please Ate Guy in her portrayal. Eugene added how the Superstar herself gave her blessing to play her character. “Ang gusto ko mangyari, maaliw si Ate Guy sa Bona naming ito. Alam mo, ilang taon, ilang dekada niya tayong inaliw sa mahusay niyang pagganap, panahon na na siya naman ang ating aliwin.”
Don’t miss the Superstar’s back-to-back drama special this Saturday on Untold Stories (after Artista Academy) and Sunday on Third Eye (after Who Wants to Be a Millionaire) only on TV5.
