By Caesar Vallejos
Eagle News Service
From a contemporary culture hall in Itabashi, Tokyo to a colonnaded cinema center in Rome, Italy, Filipinos are unabashedly overjoyed by the screenings of Hapi ang Buhay, the first inspirational situational comedy of Eagle Broadcasting Corporation (EBC). The show, now running on its 2nd season, is produced in cooperation with INCinema Productions.
Fresh from its Asian promo tour that covered Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan, a special screening was held in Rome, Italy last December 24, 2017.
READ how Filipinos reacted to the Asian Promo Tour in the link here.
Filipino communities are already anticipating the upcoming screenings in Madrid, Spain on February 4 and in Milan, Italy on February 18, while preparations for the scheduled dates in Paris and Barcelona are underway.
Rome, Italy
The Filipino community gathered at The Space Cinema Moderno in Piazza della Repubblica last December 24.
Aldrin Del Rosario who brought his wife and four kids said, “Nag-enjoy po kami, masaya, sa title pa lang, magiging happy ka na.”
Referring to his children, he said, “kahit silang mga hindi masyadong nakakaintindi ng Tagalog, nag-enjoy pa rin sila at naghahalakhakan sa loob. Nagkaroon ng family bonding, sama-sama kaming nakapanood ng sine at nakakapagpasigla.”
The screenings proved to be an activity that strengthens the bond among families. “Sa halip na kami ay nasa bahay lang, lumabas kaming magkakasama,” Jake Cullar, 32 said.
“Sa pagharap po natin sa mga problema sa buhay, alam na po natin ang mga sitwasyon at kung paano eto haharapin sa pamamagitan ng mga ganiyang pelikula,” he added. Cullar has been living in Rome for 14 years.
Bro. Abraham Ceminiano emphasized the virtues and values shared by the show. He stressed respect to authority and obedience to leaders as examples of values showcased by the sitcom.
He also cited the importance of brotherhood in the community. “Ang samahan, ang pagdadamayan, maging ang pagkakaisa,” he stressed. Hapi ang Buhay, according to Ceminiano, exemplified how to handle situations especially when exposed to life’s trials and challenges.
Ma. Teresa Pineda said that the screening was an enjoyable activity especially now that life in this world continues to get more difficult. “Nakakadagdag po eto at nakakapagpatibay sa aking pananampalataya,” she said.
The group of Filipinos came from various locales in Southern Europe. “Nagkasa-sama at nag-bonding ang mga pamilya at naging masaya po kahit malungkot paminsan-minsan ang buhay, sa ganitong mga pagkakataon ay sumasaya,” Daisy Espiritu Santo said.
“Nakakapag-anyaya din po kami ng mga bisita at sila man din ay sumasaya sa ganitong klaseng movie, Espiritu Santo added.
10 simultaneous screenings in Japan
Last month, screenings were held simultaneously in 10 different venues all over Japan: Okinawa, Yamaguchi, Hiroshima, Fukuyama, Osaka, Nagoya, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokyo and Gifu.
Patricia Collantes Antonio, who hosted the screening program in Fukuyama Chuo Library shared the happy and positive reactions of the Filipino audiences in Japan.
“Natutuwa sila dahil sa ganitong mga palabas ay nakakakuha sila ng mabubuting aral at paalala na huwag basta-basta maniniwala sa mga sabi-sabi. Masaya po ang mga manonood dahil sa nakakatawang mga linya sa pelikula,” Antonio said.
“The purpose of these screenings is to provide wholesome entertainment and to share good examples of dealing with the burdens in life through the use of creative film. Hapi ang Buhay provides inspiration and guidance to OFWs who are striving hard to achieve better living conditions for their families,” Robert Capistrano of INCinema and EBC Films said.
To know how EBC is redefining sitcom through Hapi ang Buhay, read this link.
Hapi ang Buhay is directed by Carlo Jay Cuevas who won Best Director of a Foreign Feature Film at the 2016 International Filmmaker Festival of the World Cinema in London for “Walang Take Two.”
