Just recently given the Most Outstanding Kapampangan Award, Allen Dizon is no doubt also an outstanding Filipino actor who is a force to be reckoned with.
Understandably and deservedly, a lot of the limelight recently seem to focus on Judy Ann Santos’ moving portrayal of a Muslim mother in the film Mindanao and her Cairo win as Best Actress, however to those who do not often have the time to research or check his credentials, her counterpart Allen Dizon is an equally multi-awarded and highly regarded actor not unfamiliar with international film festivals.
As Malang Datupalo, a Maguindanaon father to a cancer-stricken child and combat medic in Brillante Mendoza’s Mindanao, Dizon’s quiet, realistic acting is very convincing to the viewers; certainly this is also due to the direction and the requirement of the script, but he is the type of actor who does not need to be overly guided for he has good instincts.
Mindanao as a whole is the type of film that does not rely too much on dialogue and is more focused on showing, and how did Dizon show! Like Santos, he made up for it by his body language; he used his face, his tone of voice, his eyes to speak volumes. Malang is quite a stoic character, as is expected of a soldier and a man; but he showed humor as a friend, silent tenderness as a father to sick daughter Aisa (Yuna Tangog), strength and affection as a husband to Judy Ann Santos’ character Saima, confusion and compassion as man who is torn between the battles in his life. He showed himself a true man through his actions.
Sometimes we get to talking with certain film people we shall not name but on a ‘light-serious’ vein, a certain personage mentioned that Allen Dizon’s ‘silent’ acting (less dialogue) is so good she joked perhaps it is better to keep him as silent as possible; another said, upon watching Imbisibol, that Allen’s acting was so convincing that even when he, the viewer, knew that it was nothing but a movie scene, he strongly sympathized and felt what Allen’s character was supposed to have felt at that moment.
He has been in innumerable films but Mindanao is the third time Allen Dizon has worked with Brillante Mendoza, the other two being Amo and Alpha: The Right To Kill. He is also a producer and the owner of ATD Entertainment Productions. Not only by the number of awards he has received but also through his obvious dedication and hard work, certainly Allen Dizon has sufficiently proven his skills in the film industry.
Mindanao is an official entry to this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival. Watch Allen Dizon’s superb acting in Mindanao starting December 25 in theaters near you!
One Philippines Filmmakers 