A tribute for the late Queen of Visayan Movies Gloria Sevilla will be held on July 30 (Saturday) to memorialize her significant contributions to enriching Philippine cinema for decades.
Salamat...Tita Glo! will be held at Teatrino, Promenade Mall in Greenhills, San Juan City, according to Sevilla's daughter, Suzette Ranillo.
A number of Sevilla's colleagues and co-workers in the entertainment industry will take part or grace the event according to Ranillo.
Among them are Tirso Cruz III, the newly-appointed chairman of the Film Development Council of the Philippines; Boots Anson Rodrigo; Pilita Corrales; Nova Villa; Cesar Montano; Nova Villa; Thor Dulay; Ali Sotto; Paolo Santos; and former Cabinet Secretary Jesus "Jess" Dureza.
Sevilla's family at the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), where she served as a board member until her final day, will also attend, according to Ranillo.
The Cebuana thespian, who passed away on April 16, 2022, in Oakland, California, U.S.A., at the age of 90, was instrumental in keeping the Visayan cinema alive in the '50s, '60s, and '70s as a major box-office draw of films like Paradista, Prinsesa Tirana, Leonora, Pailub Lang, Gloria Akong Anak, Handumanan, Gimingaw Ako, and Mapait Ang Bulaod.
The phenomenal success of her classic film Badlis sa Kinabuhi breathed new life into Visayan filmmaking after it was honored by mainstream cinema with FAMAS awards including Best Picture and Best Actress for Sevilla.
It also won Best Black and White Film at the 16th Asian Film Festival in Jakarta in 1969. It was sent to Berlin the following year when Filipino movies rarely made it to international film festivals.
Sevilla was also recognized by FAMAS for Madugong Paghihiganti in 1962 and Gimingaw Ako in 1973 and scored numerous nominations for her dozens of movies for seven decades until her last years as an actress.
Among them are Ifugao, May Bakas ang Lumipas, Kaming Kaawaan, Nasaan ka, Inay, Ito Ang Pilipino, Tatlong Mukha ni Pandora, Dodong Ko, Ito Ang Aming Daigdig, Madugong Paghihiganti, Tatlong Baraha, Sapang Palay, Banaue, Minsa'y Isang Gamu-Gamo, Maestra, M: Mother's Maiden Name, and Boy Golden.
Her last full-length Visayan feature film was the 2019 family drama Pagbalik, an official entry to the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino by the FDCP. It was followed by the 2020 short Visayan flick Nang Em, about an elderly who fought loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown, for Cinemalaya. Both Pagbalik and Nang Em were directed by her daughter Suzette Ranillo.
Sevilla also found success in television starring in a string of hit series including Mommy Ko Si Mayor, Ang Biyenan Kong Mangkukulam, Bida Si Mister, Bida Si Misis, Esperanza, Captain Barbell, Kailangan Ko'y Ikaw, Budoy, Doble Cara, Asintado, and Be Careful With My Heart.
The Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (Urian) honored Sevilla with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, while the Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors (SPEEd) recognized her with the Icon Award in 2021.
"What Gloria Sevilla did for regional cinema has yet to be matched by another Filipino artist," writes Butch Francisco. "That was how important she was in the world of movies."
Sevilla had six children from her first marriage to actor-lawyer Matias "Mat" Ranillo Jr. -- Lilibeth, Mat Ranillo III, Suzette, Jonathan, Dandin, and Junius. She also had a daughter, Czareanah or Inah, from her second marriage to actor-diplomat Amado Cortez
She also left behind 17 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.