ABS-CBN Film Restoration and its Sagip Pelikula initiative celebrate the legacy of renowned screenwriter Ricky Lee with the premiere of the restored 1994 film “Separada” on March 15 (Monday), followed by the screening of his other classics the day after at the “Sagip Pelikula: The Films of Ricky Lee on KTX” festival.
Co-written by veteran Pinoy actress Tessie Tomas and directed by Chito S. Roño, the Star Cinema movie restored with the help of Central Digital Lab Inc. features the top-caliber talent of the Diamond Star herself, Maricel Soriano, along with a star-studded ensemble of Edu Manzano, Sharmaine Arnaiz, Dennis Roldan, Liza Lorena, Teresa Loyzaga, Lani Mercado, the young Patrick Garcia and Angelica Panganiban, among others.
“Separada” follows the story of Melissa (Maricel), a successful advertising executive living the perfect life with her husband Dodie (Edu) and her two children Vincent (Patrick) and Jenny (Angelica). Unfortunately, her happy family slowly falls apart as her husband grows out of love and sees another woman, Sandy (Sharmaine). Dodie then gets Sandy pregnant, with the mistress demanding Melissa to move on with their lives without him.
Melissa, empowered by her friends and children, then tries to conquer the odds of single parenthood even without the love and help from her estranged husband.
The restoration process for “Separada” was also made possible by Central Digital Lab Inc. Viewers can expect a pre-show with Chito Roño, Tessie Tomas, Raquel Villavicencio, Sharmaine Arnaiz, and Lee himself to stream before the screening.
Following the premiere of “Separada,” avid moviegoers can catch Lee’s restored masterpieces in high definition, such as “Himala,” “Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin,” “Anak,” “Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara,” and more.
Maricel’s other movie, “Minsan Lang Kitang Iibigin,” is making the rounds on social media, especially in TikTok, where netizens re-enact the iconic confrontational scene.
“Maganda ‘yang kinuwento mo sa akin kasi ngayon ko lang narinig ‘yan. Maghahanap ako dito sa mga kasama ko sa bahay tatanungin ko pa ‘ipanood mo nga sa akin ‘yung huwag mo akong ma-Terry Terry,’” Maricel said in a recent press conference where she discovered the scene’s popularity.
Tickets are now available, priced at P150 each, at https://bit.ly/SeparadaOnKTX. For more details on its upcoming film showings, follow ABS-CBN Film Restoration on Facebook (facebook.com/filmrestorationabscbn), Twitter (@ABS_Restoration), and Instagram (@abscbnfilmrestoration).