Philippine Cinema 1897-2020 Wins Best Book on Art in 39th National Book Awards
Vibal Foundation’s lavishly illustrated art book Philippine Cinema, 1897-2020 by Gaspar A. Vibal and Dennis S. Villegas was awarded Best Book on Art at the 39th National Book Awards by the National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Manila Critics Circle last July 30, 2022.
Philippine Cinema 1897-2020
Philippine Cinema 1897-2020 provides a dazzling retrospective of over a hundred years of Philippine cinema, but also simultaneously traces its history, genres, narratives, tropes, and lore while subjecting its rich filmography to critique and film theory.
The book tracks Philippine cinematic beginnings as a technological marvel and its many turns up to the twenty-first century as it blindly accepted, appropriated, indigenized, and even attacked Western conventions through intentionally wicked but hilarious parodies.
Other Finalists
Aside from Philippine Cinema 1897-2020, two other books published by Vibal Group were also recognized in this year's National Book Awards.
Society, Science, and Technology: Social Dynamics of Scientific Discovery and Technological Innovation by Wiliam G. Padolina, Emmanual M. De Dios, Geoffrey M. Ducanes, Ruth Guzman, Olga Nuneza, Romina Beltran-Almazan, Jovino G. Miroy was one of the finalists in the Science category.
Jorge Mojarro’s More Hispanic Than We Admit 3: Quincentennial Edition, 1521-1820 Filipino and Spanish Interactions Over The Centuries was one of the finalists in the Non-literary, History category.
39th National Book Awards
The National Book Awards is an annual prize that honors the most prestigious book titles written, designed, and published in the Philippines. The National Book Awards celebrates the enterprising creative labor involved in book publishing. This year’s awards mark its comeback after being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Out of the 110 nominees, 27 winners took home the prestigious prize across 25 categories.
Follow Vibal Group’s (VGI) social media pages to be updated for the release of the books. You may also check VGI’s online shop, Shopee, and Lazada pages to check out other VGI and VFI titles.
To stay updated on VFI book launches and latest announcements, head on to VFI's Facebook page or to VGI's Facebook page. You may also check VFI books at Vibal Online Shop, Lazada, or Shopee.
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By Isabella Cuartero