Adolfo Alix Jr.

Adolfo Alix Jr.
Born (1978-10-17) October 17, 1978 (age 47)
Makati, Philippines
Occupation(s)Filmographer, Director
Years active1999–present

Adolfo Borinaga Alix Jr., also known as Adolf Alix Jr. (born October 17, 1978), is a Filipino screenwriter and film director.

Early life and education

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He was born October 17, 1978, in Makati, Philippines.

He graduated magna cum laude at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (University of the City of Manila) with a degree in Mass Communications.

He started as a scriptwriter for films and television. His screenplays include Carlos Siguion-Reyna's Kahapon May Dalawang Bata (1999), Gil Portes' Mga Munting Tinig (2002) and Homecoming (2003), Joyce Bernal's D' Anothers (2005), among others.

He also handled film and screenwriting classes at his alma mater, San Beda College-Alabang and at De La Salle University-Taft.

Career

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Alix's first film, Donsol was a finalist in the 2006 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival where it won Best Actress and Best Cinematography honors. The film was screened in several international film festivals abroad and garnered Special Jury prizes in the Asian Marine Film Festival in Japan and in the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival in the U.S.A. It was also the Philippines' official submission to the Academy Awards® (OSCARS) Best Foreign Language Film category.

Since his debut as a director, he has become one of the promising young Filipino filmmakers with his other films screened at various international film festivals.

Kadin (2006), Alix's second feature, premiered in the Ici et ailleurs section of the 60th Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland and competed in the 27th Festival International du Film d' Amiens in France. His third film, Tambolista (2007) was featured in the Sturm und Drang (Cinema of the Future) section of the 37th Rotterdam International Film Festival. Adela (2008), his feature starring veteran actress Anita Linda, was screened at Toronto, Pusan and Rotterdam International Film Festivals and was part of the Contempor Asian series of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It also won in all the categories of the Young Critics' Circle Awards 2009 including Best Picture and Best Performer.

Manila (2009), starring and produced by Piolo Pascual and co-directed with Raya Martin, was selected in the Out-of-Competition (Special Screenings) section of the 62nd Festival de Cannes.

Aurora (2009), about a social worker kidnapped in the Southern Philippines, received post-production support from the Hubert Bals Fund of the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Chassis (2010), dealing with the lives of people illegally living under the chassis of container vans, competed in Mar 25 del Plata International Film Festival after its screenings in Pusan, Rotterdam, Goteborg, Warsaw and Vancouver.

Isda (Fable of the Fish) (2011) starring Cherry Pie Picache and Bembol Roco, premiered in the Visions section of the Toronto International Film Festival and was screened in Busan, Kerala, Dubai, Nantes and Goteborg. Haruo (2011), about the travails of an ex-Yakuza living in the Philippines, was awarded by the Young Critics' Circle as their Best Film of 2011.

His twentieth feature Kalayaan (Wildlife) (2012), which received script development support from the Hubert Bals Fund of the International Film Festival Rotterdam and an honorable mention from the Global Film Initiative, starred Thai superstar Ananda Everingham premiered in the Busan International Film Festival and won Best Asian Film in the Warsaw International Film Festival among others.

Mater Dolorosa, a Cinema One Originals 2012 entry and headlined by Gina Alajar, about a matriarch trying to put her family together against the backdrop of local illegal activities won Best Director honors at the Gawad Urian and competed in the Rotterdam International Film Festival and the Deauville Asian Film Festival in France.

Death March (2013), based on real events about the difficulties of the Filipino and American soldiers after the fall of Bataan, competed in the Un Certain Regard section of the prestigious Festival de Cannes 2013.

Porno (2013), a triptych of stories about people linked by pornography, which premiered in the Directors Showcase category of the 2013 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival. The project was part of the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum in 2009. The film was voted Best Film by the Young Critics Circle for 2013 winning four other awards including Best Performer. It also won the Gawad Urian (National Critics Awards) for Best Production Design.

In television, he started as a director for ABS-CBN's daytime series Hiyas based on Precious Hearts romance books.

Then, he directed GMA News TV's first original series Bayan Ko (Catholic Mass Media awardee for Best Drama Series and Best Inspirational Drama in the Asian Rainbow TV Awards 2014) which dealt with the exploits of a young town mayor trying to change the system and Sa Puso ni Dok for GMA Network, a miniseries about the plight of doctors to the barrios (Certificate of Honor – Best Miniseries from the U.S. T.V. and Video International Film Festival)

He is currently one of the regular directors of Wagas, a weekly anthology of true-to-life love stories, (which garnered Gold honors in the U.S. T.V. and Video International Film Festival 2014) the afternoon drama anthology Karelasyon and the weekly comedy series Conan, My Beautician.

He has also served as a member of the international jury of the Busan International Film Festival in 2013 and the Shanghai International Film Festival in 2014.

Alix has been listed by The Hollywood Reporter in its "Next Generation Asia 2010", which features the top 20 young entertainment personalities in the region deemed "the best and the brightest among their peers" from a vast region considered "the world"s biggest entertainment market."

In November 2022, Kontrabida (The Villain), directed by Alix and starring the Grand Dame of Philippine Cinema Nora Aunor in her first film role as a villain or antagonist, won Best Asian Film at the 2022 Hanoi International Film Festival.[1]

Filmography

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Key
Denotes films that have not yet been released

Film

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Year Title Credited as Notes
Director Screen writer Editor Producer
1999 Kahapon, May Dalawang Bata No Story No No "Ada"
2002 Mga Munting Tinig No Yes No No
2006 Donsol Yes Yes No Executive entered to the 2nd Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival
The Philippines' official entry for the 2006 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
2007 Kadin Yes Yes No Yes entered to the 3rd Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival
Nars Yes No No No
Tambolista Yes No No No
Batanes Yes No No No
2008 Daybreak Yes No No No
Adela Yes Yes No Yes also production design
Immoral Yes No No Executive
2009 Manila Yes Yes No No
Aurora Yes Yes No Yes
Ante Yes No No Yes
2010 Romeo at Juliet Yes No No No
D'Survivors Yes Story No No
Muli Yes No Yes Yes
Chassis Yes Yes Yes No entered to the 2010 Mar del Plata Film Festival
Presa Yes Yes No No Winner of Best Indie Film at the 2010 Metro Manila Film Festival
2011 Isda Yes No No No Production design
Liberation Yes Yes Yes No
Haruo Yes No No No
2012 Kalayaan Yes Yes No No Production designer
Mater Dolorosa Yes No No No
2013 Death March Yes No No No entered to the Un Certain Regard section of 2013 Cannes Film Festival
Porno Yes No No No Production designer
Ang Alamat ng China Doll Yes No No No
2014 Kinabukasan (The Day After) Yes No No Yes
2015 Chain Mail Yes Yes No No Story and screenplay
2016 Padre de Familia Yes Story No No Production designer
Whistleblower Yes No No Yes Co-producer
Mrs. Yes No Yes Executive
4 Days Yes Yes Yes Executive not credited for editing
2017 Pastor Yes No No No
Madilim ang Gabi Yes Yes Yes No
Love Is... Yes No No No TV movie
2018 Haligi ng Pangarap Yes Yes No No
Taray ni Tatay Yes No No No
2019 Bato (The General Ronald dela Rosa Story) Yes No No No
Mystery of the Night Yes No Yes No
Kiko En Lala Yes No Yes No
Circa Yes Yes Yes Yes entry to the 2019 Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino
2020 Coming Home Yes Story Yes No
2021 My Stepmother's Lover Yes No No No
Huwag Kang Lalabas Yes Story No No entry to the 2021 Metro Manila Film Festival
2022 Bugso Yes No No No
2023 That Boy in the Dark Yes No No Yes line producer/supervising producer
Pieta Yes No No No
2024 After All Yes No Yes No
Mananambal Yes Yes No No
X & Y Yes No Yes No
The Vigil Yes No Yes No Credited as Xila Ofloda (editor)
2025 Unconditional Yes Story Yes No
The Time That Remains Yes TBA TBA TBA
TBA Poon Yes TBA TBA TBA Post-production

Awards and citations

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Year Award Category Movie Title Result Recipient(s)
1999 Film Development Foundation Best in Screenwriting Winner Kahapon May Dalawang Bata (2002) Adolfo Alix Jr.
2003 FAMAS Awards Best Screenplay Finalist Mga Munting Tinig (Small Voices) (2002) Shared with Gil Portes and Senedy Que
2003 Gawad Urian Best Screenplay (Pinakamahusay na Dulang Pampelikula) Finalist Mga Munting Tinig (Small Voices) (2002) Shared with Gil Portes and Senedy Que
2003 Palm Beach International Film Festival Best Screenplay Winner Mga Munting Tinig (Small Voices) (2002) Shared with Gil Portes and Senedy Que
2003 STAR Awards, Gawad Urian and FAMAS Awards Best Picture Winner Mga Munting Tinig (Small Voices) (2002) Shared with Gil Portes and Senedy Que
2006 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival Best Picture Finalist Donsol (2006) Adolf Alix Jr.
2006 Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival and the Asian Marine Film Festival[2] Special Jury Prize Winner Donsol (2006) Adolf Alix Jr.
2007 Cinema One Originals[3] Best Picture Finalist Tambolista (2007) Adolf Alix Jr.
2015 Gawad Urian Best Short Film Winner Kinabukasan (The Day After) Adolfo Alix Jr.
2022 Boden International Film Festival[4] Best Director Winner That Boy in the Dark (2022) Adolf Alix Jr.

References

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  1. ^ Nora Aunor film wins Best Asian Film. "Nora Aunor's Kontrabida wins Best Asian Film at Hanoi Film Festival". ABS CBN news. ABS-CBN news. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  2. ^ Liabres, Aprylle (November 13, 2007). "Pinoy film makes it to Oscar shortlist". Khaleej Times.
  3. ^ Dimaculangan, Jocelyn (September 19, 2007). "Jiro Manio dreams of owning a set of drums in Tambolista". pep.ph.
  4. ^ "'That Boy in the Dark' bags awards in Sweden int'l film festival". CNN Philippines. December 27, 2022. Archived from the original on January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
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